It was supposed to be Lyle and Erik Menendez’s big day.

Family members had flown in from around the country. An old buddy from prison came to town from Kansas City to testify on their behalf. Dozens of television cameras were positioned in the plaza outside the courthouse.

But instead of a hearing that could have led to their being released from prison, the proceeding devolved into rancor and confusion and ended with another delay.

On Thursday, a Los Angeles judge pushed back their highly awaited resentencing hearing, delaying the proceedings yet again in order to decide whether a key report on the brothers was admissible.

A two-day resentencing hearing had been set to begin on Thursday in a packed courtroom in Los Angeles Superior Court. Now, a procedural hearing is scheduled for May 9. The court will grapple with the report and other matters before moving on to hear testimony about a potential resentencing. The judge said part of the hearing on May 9 could be closed to the public.

At issue: Whether the brothers should walk free more than 35 years after they murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in the den of their Beverly Hills mansion.

The brothers have long said they did so because they were sexually abused by their father and feared that their parents would kill them to prevent the family’s secrets from being disclosed. They were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. A new, lesser sentence could see the brothers freed imminently.