The Menendez brothers will spend Christmas in prison after their trial was postponed to January

The legal battle to free brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez, serving life in prison for murdering their parents in 1989, was postponed to January, a judge in California ruled Monday at a new hearing in the case that has captivated the U.S.

The Menendez brothers were convicted in 1996 after two trials extensively covered by the media that gave them wide notoriety.

At the time, the prosecution accused them of killing their father Jose and mother Mary Louise "Kitty" in cold blood. Jose was a Cuban immigrant turned music executive, and Kitty a former beauty queen. The brothers' alleged motive was to get their hands on a $14 million inheritance.

But the defense portrayed the young men, who were 21 and 18 at the time of the crime, as victims of sexual and psychological abuse at the hands of an extremely controlling father and a neglectful mother.

The case regained traction in part thanks to the Netflix miniseries "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" and a documentary.

Lyle and Erik, held in a prison south of Los Angeles, were to appear virtually before a court Monday, but the video call did not work. Their defense confirmed that they listened to the hearing, which lasted about 40 minutes.

Judge Michael Jesic postponed a new hearing on the defense's request to resentence the brothers to Jan. 30, originally scheduled for Dec. 11.

Jesic ruled to ensure that the court and the new Los Angeles district attorney have time to review the extensive briefing on the case.

"We hope that at the end of this process we will get the brothers released," their attorney Mark Geragos said outside the hearing before a swarm of reporters and cameras.

The court heard Monday from two aunts of the brothers advocating for their release, despite their close relationship with Jose and Kitty.

"No child should have to go through what Erik and Lyle went through," said Joan Vander Molen, Kitty's sister.

"No child should have to live every day knowing that day, that night, their father could come and rape them."

"I want them to come home," Terry Baralt, Jose's older sister, said between tears.

"Thirty-five years is a long time," she added, referring to the time in prison.

'Showing support'

The campaign seeking their release, featuring figures such as Kim Kardashian, has a constant voice in Tammi Menendez, Erik's wife, who last week took to social media to plead, "Free them before the end-of-year holidays!"

Amid anticipation to see what the now 56- and 53-year-old brothers look like, dozens of people waited outside the courthouse doors to get one of 16 chairs made available by the court.

"It's about showing support and healing, not just for the families but for us culturally," said Nick Bonanno, a former high school classmate of Erik's who also attended the first trial of the brothers and whom he occasionally writes to.

The Menendez defense is working on three alternatives to free them.

Their lawyer is seeking justice to change the charge from first-degree murder to involuntary manslaughter.

This could mean immediate freedom for the brothers, who have already exceeded the maximum sentence for this charge in California, 11 years.

The other alternative is to obtain a new sentence, which would open the way for them to seek parole.

Geragos also formalized a request for clemency before California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Journalist Robert Rand, who wrote a book about the case, maintains regular contact with the brothers.

"They don't know what's going to happen. I think this could take a lot longer than originally anticipated. It could be six months, eight months, a year, but eventually they will come out," he said.

Fever over the case seems to be reaching a level similar to the 1990s, when the trial was televised and in the media spotlight, both in and outside the United States.

Dozens of people visit the area around the mansion in Beverly Hills where the tragedy that shook the country occurred.

Christian Hannah, an Australian born nearly two decades after the crime, included the residence in his visit to the city because of a fascination with the documentary.

"It's really incredible to see it in person. I don't really know why it's amazing," Hannah said. "It's just because you see it on TV and you see it in person, it feels great. you know what I mean?"