VAN NUYS : Judge in Menendez Case Puts Off Several Rulings

The judge in the Menendez brothers murder case opted Monday to put off rulings on several key pretrial issues, among them whether the brothers will be tried together or separately.

Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Stanley M. Weisberg has said several times in recent weeks that he is inclined to hold a single retrial before one jury. But he put off that ruling until Feb. 6 to give defense attorneys more time to interview witnesses.

Weisberg set a Jan. 23 hearing on the issue of whether the trial will be held in Downtown Los Angeles or in Van Nuys.

Also remaining on the agenda is whether attorney Jill Lansing will be appointed to represent Lyle Menendez, who is currently being represented by the public defender’s office. The retrial is scheduled to begin March 13.

Erik Menendez, now 24, and Lyle Menendez, 26, remain in County Jail without bail. The brothers’ first trial ended in January with separate juries deadlocked between murder and lesser manslaughter charges in the Aug. 20, 1989, shotgun slayings of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez.