Menendez Brothers' Key Hearing Gets Pushed

A new sentencing hearing for brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez in the killing of their parents has been delayed for nearly two months because of Southern California's wildfires. Recently elected Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement Friday that the hearing planned for Jan. 30 and 31 has been pushed to March 20 and 21 because the wildfires have interfered with preparations, reports the AP. The hearing had originally been scheduled for December but was pushed out six weeks in late November so that Hochman would have more time to brush up on the case, reports Deadline.

Hochman met with the brothers' relatives earlier this month as he reviews their bid for freedom. The brothers were convicted in the 1989 killing of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. They were sentenced to life in prison without parole and are now in their 50s. They asked that the sentence be reconsidered after new evidence of their father's sexual abuse emerged in their case. In October 2024, then-District Attorney George Gascon recommended the brothers be resentenced to 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole. Hochman, who was running against Gascon, called it a "desperate political move."

(More Menendez brothers stories.)