Several generations of relatives of Erik and Lyle Menéndez called on Wednesday for the brothers to be released, arguing that they deserve to be free even though they were sentenced to life in prison for murdering their parents in 1989, after they were allegedly “raped” and sexually assaulted by his father.
At a news conference in downtown Los Angeles, the Menéndezes’ relatives said the American public “vilified” the brothers after the murders, which received national attention, and that the jurors who tried them sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996 were part of a society that at the time was not prepared to hear that male children could be raped.
Joan Andersen VanderMolen, Kitty Menendez’s sister, says the family was generally unaware of the extent of the abuse, and has been trying to come to terms with what happened for years.
“It became clear that their actions – although tragic – were the desperate response of two boys trying to survive their father’s unspeakable cruelty,” the young men’s 92-year-old aunt said Wednesday.
The news conference was the largest gathering of several generations of the family since the brothers were sentenced. The public call for their release — made by about 30 members of both sides of the family — comes less than two weeks after the Los Angeles County district attorney announced that his office would review new evidence to determine whether the brothers should serve time. rest of his life in prison.
Lyle Menendez, then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted that they shot and killed their father, Jose Menendez, an entertainment executive, and their mother, Kitty Menendez. They argued that they feared that their parents were about to kill them to prevent them from revealing that José had been sexually assaulting Erik for a long time.
Many of the relatives stressed that in today’s world – more aware of the impact of sexual abuse – the brothers would not have been found guilty of premeditated murder. At the conclusion of the news conference, family members walked to the district attorney’s office to discuss the case with prosecutors.
“If Lyle and Erik’s case had been tried today, with the knowledge we have about abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder, I have no doubt that their sentence would have been very different,” said Anamaria Baralt, niece. by Jose Menendez.
The prosecution maintained at the time that there was no evidence of sexual abuse and in the second trial they faced they were not allowed to mention many of the details of their history of sexual abuse, which led to their conviction. The prosecution assured that the children were after their parents’ multimillion-dollar assets.
George Gascón, the current district attorney, said this month that there is no doubt the brothers committed the murders, but that a decision on whether the case warrants a new sentence will be made once prosecutors examine the new evidence. The hearing is scheduled for November 26.
The prosecutor’s office said Wednesday that it met with the family members after the press conference and that the evidence in the case and the sentence are already being reviewed.
“Our office has developed a more modern understanding of sexual violence since the Menendez brothers were first prosecuted,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. “Today, our office recognizes that sexual violence is a widespread problem that affects countless people — of all gender identities — and we are committed to supporting all victims as they face the profound impact of such trauma.”
But not all family members believe the brothers should be released.
Kitty Menendez’s brother, Milton Andersen, 90, said through his attorney that he believes “the appropriate sentence” is life in prison without the possibility of parole. Andersen was not available for an interview.
“He believes there was no abuse. “He believes the motive was pure greed, because they had just found out they were going to be excluded from the will,” said Kathy Cady, Andersen’s attorney.
The evidence being examined by prosecutors includes a letter written by Erik Menendez that his lawyers say corroborates allegations that his father sexually abused him.
Roy Rossello, a former member of the Latin pop group Menudo, also recently testified that Jose Menendez drugged and raped him when he was a teenager in the 1980s.
Menudo was under contract to RCA Records, the label that Jose Menendez ran at the time.
Rossello spoke about his abuse in the 2023 Peacock docuseries “Menéndez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed.” These allegations are part of the evidence listed in the defense’s request last year to have their case reviewed. According to the petition, Rossello said Jose Menendez raped him on two occasions.
Although there was no mention of Kitty Menendez abusing her children, she would have facilitated the abuse, according to the application. A cousin testified during the first trial that Lyle told her he was afraid to sleep in his bedroom because his father would come in and touch his genitals. According to the petition, when the cousin told Kitty Menendez, she “angrily dragged Lyle by the arm and forced him up the stairs.”
Another family member testified that there was a rule in the Menendez home that no one was allowed to walk through the hallways in front of the bedrooms while Jose Menendez was in the room with one of his children, the petition details.
“They tried to protect themselves the only way they knew how,” said Brian A. Andersen Jr., Kitty Menendez’s nephew. “Instead of being seen as victims, they were vilified.”
“They are no longer a threat to society,” he added.
The brothers’ lawyers said that from the beginning the family believed they should be charged with involuntary manslaughter and not premeditated murder. Involuntary manslaughter was never an option for the jury during the second trial, attorney Mark Geragos previously noted.
“No one in the world was prepared to hear that boys could be raped,” said Joan Andersen VanderMolen, adding that “today we know that is not the case.”
The case has gained momentum in recent weeks after Netflix released the series “Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menéndez.”
Geragos said he hopes the Menéndez brothers will be released from prison in time to celebrate Joan Andersen VanderMolen’s 93rd birthday next month.
“There is nothing you would like more than to have them home for Thanksgiving,” Geragos said.
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