'Lottery' to determine public seats for Menendez brothers’ resentencing hearing

A public lottery will decide who gets access to Monday's highly anticipated courtroom hearing for Erik and Lyle Menendez, convicted of murdering their parents in 1989.

To address the high public interest, the Superior Court of Los Angeles County announced Thursday that 16 seats inside the courtroom will be made available to the public via a lottery that will take place outside the Van Nuys Courthouse on the morning of the hearing.

Those who are awarded to seats for the historic hearing will receive non-transferable badges for the day; two standby tickets will be also issued for possible openings.

The Menendez brothers have spent nearly 35 years in prison for the shotgun killings of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez.

The two have admitted to the killings, but recent evidence of alleged sexual abuse at the hands of their father has led to an avalanche of support for the brothers to be re-sentenced.

Last month, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said his office would reevaluate the brothers' convictions. Prosecutors later submitted a recommendation for resentencing with Gascón calling for a judge to impose a new sentence of 50 years to life in prison.

If approved, the brothers could immediately become eligible for parole.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has the authority to grant the pair clemency, said he would wait for newly elected Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman to review the matter before making any decision.

The Menendez brothers’ case became one of the most infamous American crimes of the 20th century and is being revisited amid changing societal attitudes and legal perspectives regarding sexual abuse.

The case has gained renewed national attention due to the recent release of a dramatized miniseries and a pair of documentaries that looked at the case through a modern lens.

The Monday hearing will be held at the Van Nuys Courthouse West with proceedings starting at 10:30 a.m.