A hearing on whether Lyle and Erik Menendez should be given a chance at parole has been postponed to January.
Judge Michael Jesic said that he needed more time to get up to speed on the case, and would not be ready by Dec. 11, which had been the date for the hearing.
The judge also wants to give Nathan Hochman, who will be sworn in as Los Angeles district attorney on Dec. 2, a full opportunity to weigh in. He set new dates of Jan. 30 and 31.
The brothers are serving sentences of life without parole for murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty, at their Beverly Hills home in 1989. District Attorney George Gascón asked last month to seek to reduce their sentences to 50 years to life, which would make them eligible for parole.
The Menendez family has lobbied for them to be released, arguing they were victims of sexual abuse. Jesic heard testimony on Monday from Joan VanderMolen, Kitty Menendez’ 92-year-old sister, as well as Teresita Baralt, Jose’s 85-year-old sister.
Mark Geragos, the Menendez brothers‘ attorney, asked that they be allowed to testify now, due to concerns about their health and ability to appear at a later hearing.
“I love Erik and Lyle and I want them to come home,” VanderMolen told the judge. “They never knew if tonight would be the night they would be raped. It’s time for them to come home.”
Geragos has also been urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to grant clemency to the brothers, though Newsom has said he will wait for Hochman to weigh in on the proceedings.
The brothers were also expected to watch the proceedings by remote feed form the Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. The status conference was delayed due to technical difficulties with the WebEx feed, and the brothers were unable to connect.
Gascón was defeated in the Nov. 5 election. Hochman criticized Gascón’s handling of the case during the campaign, and has said that he will review the case with fresh eyes once he takes office.
The Menendez case has attracted renewed attention since Netflix released “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” in September.
The status hearing on Monday drew a massive crowd of media and onlookers at the Van Nuys courthouse. Court staff held a lottery to allow 16 members of the public to sit in the courtroom.
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