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A public lottery will determine who can attend Monday’s long-awaited court hearing for Eric and Lyle Menendez, the couple convicted of murdering their parents in 1989.
In response to high public interest, the Los Angeles County Superior Court announced Thursday that 16 seats in the courtroom will be made available to the public through a lottery held outside the Van Nuys courthouse on the morning of the hearing.
Those who win a seat at the historic hearing will receive a non-transferable badge for the day. If space is available, two standby tickets will be issued.
Eric and Lyle Menendez appear in a Los Angeles courtroom on March 9, 1994. (Getty Images)
The Menendez brothers spent nearly 35 years in prison for murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, with a shotgun.
The pair have admitted to the killings, but recent evidence of alleged sexual abuse by their father has led to an avalanche of support for the brothers to be re-sentenced.
Last month, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said his office would reevaluate the brothers’ convictions. Prosecutors subsequently filed a recommendation for recidivism against Gascon, asking the judge to impose a new sentence of 50 years to life in prison.
If approved, the brothers could be immediately eligible for parole.
Eric and Lyle Menendez in front of their home in Beverly Hills, November 1989 (Getty Images)
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has the power to pardon both men, said he would review the case with newly elected Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hockman before making a decision.
The Menendez brothers’ case became one of America’s most notorious crimes of the 20th century, and is being revisited amid changing social attitudes and legal views on sexual abuse.
The case has once again gained national attention with the recent release of a dramatized miniseries and two documentaries examining the case through a modern lens.
Monday’s hearing will be held at Van Nuys Courthouse West, with the hearing beginning at 10:30 a.m.
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