Recovery hearing Menendez brothers almost two months late forest fires Los Angeles County has been affected, the county’s attorney general said Friday.
Erik and Lyle Menendez were scheduled to appear in court between January 30 and 31, serving life sentences for the murders of their parents, amid bids for freedom.
The hearing will be held March 20-21 “due to the impact of the recent fires on the parties’ extensive preparations for the hearings,” LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman’s office said in a statement.
Prosecutors and defense counsel met Friday with L.A. Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic to set a new retrial date, the office said.
Erik and Lyle Menendez are pictured in these booking photos taken on October 10, 2024.
CRDC
The delay comes as Los Angeles County battles two devastating fires that have destroyed thousands of structures, the Palisades and Eaton fires. At least 27 people are believed to have died in the fires that broke out on January 7.
The fires temporarily affected several Los Angeles County courthouses, although all 36 of the county’s courthouses remain open, according to the L.A. Superior Court.
Hochman said earlier this month that Menendez is with the brothers’ relatives but is still reviewing the facts of the case and has not yet decided whether to support the brothers’ request for freedom.
Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted in 1996 of the 1989 shooting deaths of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in the family’s Beverly Hills home.
The defense said the brothers acted in self-defense after being sexually abused by their father, but prosecutors alleged they killed him for money.
Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were 21 and 18 at the time of the crime, respectively, were sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole.
ABC News’ Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.
