The Los Angeles Superior Court will be implementing a lottery system to manage the eager crowds vying to watch convicted murders Eric and Lyle Menendez return to the court to seek a downgrade to their charges, possibly leading to their release.
The brothers, who were convicted of murdering their parents almost 30 years ago, will attend a Monday morning hearing at the Van Nuys Courthouse West for a petition filed by their attorneys that seeks to downgrade their conviction from first-degree murder to a lesser charge, such as manslaughter.
Just 16 public seats are available for the hotly anticipated hearing, which comes on the heels of a recent Netflix documentary and a dramatized show that helped fuel a resurgence of public interest in the brothers’ case.
Lottery tickets will be distributed outside the courthouse from 8 to 9 a.m. Monday and the drawing will be conducted between 9 and 9:30 a.m, the Los Angeles Superior Court announced Thursday.
Sixteen winners will be issued a badge to watch the hearing, which must be worn at all times and is only valid for the date issued. Winning tickets are nontransferable and anyone who attempts to pass on their ticket will be deemed ineligible from the lottery.
Two standby tickets will also be drawn and allocated to seats should space become available. Standby tickets do not guarantee access to the courtroom. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. and any members of the public who are late risk losing their seats.
Such lottery systems are not unusual for high-profile cases. The court implemented a lottery system for those who wanted to get seats to the double-murder trial of O.J. Simpson in 1995.
A lottery system was also adopted for those who wanted to watch in person the 2013 trial in which the family of pop singer Michael Jackson accused concert promoter Anschutz Entertainment Group of being responsible for the singer’s death in 2009.
The brothers were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without parole for the 1989 slaying of their parents — a crime they admitted to. Prosecutors argued that the killings were motivated by the boys’ desire to secure their $14-million inheritance. The defense team argued that the boys were acting in self-defense, following years of sexual abuse by their father Jose Menendez.
Monday’s hearing will focus on a petition that could pave the way for the brothers’ release.
The habeas corpus petition filed last year by the brothers’ attorneys argues that new evidence bolsters the defense’s allegations that the brothers were victims of sexual abuse.
This evidence includes a letter that attorneys say Erik Menendez wrote about the sexual abuse he endured as a teenager prior to committing the killings as well as new claims brought forward by Roy Rosselló, a former member of the boy band Menudo, who said he too was raped by Jose Menendez.
Separate from the habeas corpus petition, L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón has requested that a judge resentence the Menendez brothers, a move that could end with the brothers being granted parole.
But, the recent unseating of Gascón by Nathan Hochman in the Nov. 5 election could throw a wrench in this second possible avenue of relief for the brothers as the hearing to consider the resentencing is scheduled for Dec. 11, days after Hochman will assume power.
The newly elected district attorney has said the Gascón-backed resentencing of Erik and Lyle Menendez is among several high-profile cases he intends on reviewing.
