Erik and Lyle Menendez’s efforts to shorten their life sentences without parole have been thrown into limbo following the ouster earlier this month of Los Angeles County’s top prosecutor, who recommended a new sentence that could pave the way for the release of the brothers.

That uncertainty will remain — for now — after a judge ruled Monday that a Dec. 11 hearing on the criminal case should be postponed in part to give the province’s new district attorney time to review the case.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic, who also said he needed more time to review the recommendation, rescheduled the hearing for Jan. 30-31.

The brothers were scheduled to appear in court for the first time in years, but external power from the San Diego prison where they are being held was hampered by technical problems. Two of their aunts testified during Monday’s status conference, making what an attorney for the siblings described during a brief news conference as “impassioned pleas” for Erik and Lyle to be sent home.

The siblings served 35 years for the murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, at the family’s Beverly Hills home on August 20, 1989.

Last month, outgoing Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said he supported reducing their sentences to 50 years to life — a reduction that would make them immediately eligible for parole.

A judge is responsible for rejecting or supporting Gascón’s decision.

The recommendation came after a specialized unit within Gascón’s office, which aims to implement reformist criminal laws, reviewed the brothers’ case.

Although their crimes were brutal and premeditated, Gascón has admitted, the brothers have been model prisoners. They have paid their debt to society, he said, and no longer pose a risk to public safety.

Gascón’s decision was applauded by many members of the Mendendez family, who have called for the men’s release and highlighted the horrific abuse the siblings said they suffered at the hands of their father.

The brothers’ supporters have described the killings as a desperate act of self-defense – an accusation that echoes the defense mounted by the brothers’ legal team during their two murder trials in the 1990s.

Prosecutors said the abuse allegations were a false attempt to cover up what authorities described as the brothers’ true motive: securing access to their family’s multimillion-dollar estate.

The first trial ended with hung juries after being unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The brothers were convicted of first-degree murder at their second trial.

Gascón has acknowledged that his recommendation remains polarizing within his own office, with some prosecutors believing the abuse allegations while others argue the brothers should spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

New District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who will take office on December 2, has said he must review the facts, law and evidence in the case before making a decision. Multiple sources have said there was a “good chance” he would try to postpone the December 11 hearing.

The brothers have also sought their freedom through a pardon from California Governor Gavin Newsom and a petition seeking to challenge their beliefs.

That petition, filed in May 2023, contains what Geragos has described as evidence that José Menendez abused Erik Menendez in the months before the siblings killed their parents.

Both efforts remain ongoing.