LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Members of the public may participate in a lottery Monday morning to possibly obtain a seat in the Van Nuys courtroom for a status conference involving the Menendez brothers, it was announced Thursday.
Erik and Lyle Menendez are not expected to attend the hearing.
Last month, current District Attorney George Gascón requested that a judge re-sentence the brothers, who are serving life without parole for the 1989 shotgun murders of their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion, to 50 years to life in prison, with the possibility of parole, based on new evidence.
The status hearing was scheduled to discuss the brothers' 2023 petition for a writ of habeas corpus, which claims their convictions and prison sentences are unconstitutional in light of, what they claim, is newly uncovered evidence that the brothers were the victims of childhood sexual abuse by their father, Jose Menendez.
Guidelines on how members of the public may participate in the lottery:
-- Lottery tickets for 16 public seats will be issued from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday, with the lottery scheduled for 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in front of the courthouse
-- Lottery winners will be issued badges which must be worn at all times in the courthouse. The badge is valid only for the date issued
-- The winning tickets are non-transferrable. Anyone who attempts to transfer their entrance pass to another individual will not be permitted to participate in the public lottery
-- Two additional standby seat tickets will be drawn. Seats will be allocated to standby seat ticket holders if space becomes available. Standby tickets do not guarantee a seat in the courtroom
-- Seat holders must be on time for the start of the hearing or risk losing their seat
-- No photography, video or recording is allowed in any courtroom or courthouse hallway or lobby at any time, including the use of cell phone to capture pictures, video and audio recordings
-- Cell phones must be off and kept out of sight. Seat holders will be required to put their cellphones in a locked pouch provided by the court prior to entry to the department
-- There is no eating, drinking or chewing gum allowed in the courtroom
Members of the public should also note restrictions on demonstrations and other expressive forms of activity both inside courthouses and near courthouse entrances.
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