Menendez Trial Opening Delayed

Delayed by the slow pace of jury selection, opening statements in the murder trials of Lyle and Erik Menendez have been pushed back a week, to July 19, Van Nuys Superior Court officials said Wednesday.

Jury selection has been complicated by the expected length of the case--five months--and by the intense publicity the case has generated. Nine of the 10 prospective jurors called Wednesday were dismissed after saying they could not afford to devote five months to a trial.

Lyle Menendez, 25, and Erik Menendez, 22, are charged with first-degree murder in the Aug. 20, 1989, shotgun slayings of their parents. Jose Menendez, 45, and Kitty Menendez, 47, were shot while watching TV in the family’s $4-million Beverly Hills mansion. Prosecutors, who are seeking the death penalty, contend that greed motivated the brothers to kill. Defense lawyers contend that their clients acted in self-defense after the brothers endured years of abuse.

Jury commissioners have called 1,017 prospective jurors since the case began June 14--580 for Lyle Menendez, 437 for Erik Menendez. In an unusual twist, a separate jury is being impaneled for each.

Judge Stanley Weisberg has said he wants about 100 prospective jurors on hand for each panel when general questioning begins July 6.