Family of Erik and Lyle Menendez are calling for their release

LOS ANGELES (AP) — More than a dozen family members of Erik and Lyle Menendez have made an emotional appeal for their release from prison, saying they were “brutalized” and sexually abused by their father and then “vilified” by a society that was not. ready to hear that boys could be raped.

The news conference in downtown Los Angeles was the largest gathering of the extended family since the brothers were convicted in 1996 of killing their parents at their Beverly Hills mansion more than 35 years ago. The public call for their release — by multiple generations and from both sides of their parents’ families — comes less than two weeks after the Los Angeles County district attorney announced his office would review new evidence to determine whether the brothers had to serve life sentences. .

Several family members emphasized that in today’s world – which is more aware of the impact of sexual abuse – the brothers would not have been convicted of first-degree murder. Many details of their sexual abuse story were not allowed in the trial that led to their conviction.

Nick Ut/AP

“The whole world wasn’t ready to hear that boys could be raped,” said Joan Andersen VanderMolen, Kitty Menendez’s sister, adding: “Today we know better.”

“I had no idea the extent of the abuse they suffered at the hands of my brother-in-law. None of us did that,” she said, explaining that they were “mistreated in the most horrific ways.”

“We know that abuse has long-lasting effects, and that victims of trauma sometimes behave in ways that are very difficult to understand,” she continued.

Lyle Menendez, who was 21 at the time, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted to fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and their mother, Kitty Menendez, in 1989, but said they feared their parents were about to to kill them. prevent the revelation of Erik’s long-term sexual molestation by the father.

Prosecutors at the time claimed there was no evidence of abuse. They said the sons were after their parents’ multimillion-dollar estate.

The brothers are currently serving life sentences in state prison without the possibility of parole.

AP

“They tried to protect themselves the only way they knew how,” said Brian A. Andersen Jr., cousin of Kitty Menendez. “Instead of being seen as victims, they were vilified.”

“They no longer pose a threat to society,” he continued.

The brothers have said they killed their parents in self-defense after suffering a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse from them. The family members claim that if the trial had taken place in 2024, the brothers would not have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole due to society’s changing views on sexual abuse.

“If Lyle and Erik’s case were tried today, with the knowledge we now have about abuse and PTSD, I have no doubt that their sentencing would have been very different,” said Anamaria Baralt, a niece of Jose Menendez.

But not every family member agrees that they should be released.

Kitty Menendez’s brother, Milton Andersen — who is 90 years old — said through an 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 that there has been no abuse. He believes the motive was pure greed because they had just learned they were going to be taken out of the will,” said Kathy Cady, Andersen’s attorney.

District Attorney George Gascón has said there is no doubt the brothers committed the murders in 1989, but after his office reviews the new evidence, prosecutors will make a decision on whether a reconviction is warranted in the infamous case that attracted national attention.

The evidence includes a letter written by Erik Menendez that his lawyers say corroborates allegations that he was sexually abused by his father.

Roy Rossello, a former member of the Latin pop group Menudo, also recently came forward to say he was drugged and raped as a teenager in the 1980s by Jose Menendez, the boys’ father.

Menudo was signed to RCA Records, which Jose Menendez headed at the time.

Rossello spoke about his abuse in the 2023 Peacock docuseries “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed.” These allegations are part of the evidence included in the petition filed last year by the Menendez brothers’ attorney to review their case. According to the petition, Rossello said he was raped twice by Jose Menendez.

A hearing was scheduled for November 29.

The brothers’ lawyers said the family believed from the start that they should have been charged with manslaughter instead of murder. Manslaughter was not an option for the jury during the second trial that ultimately led to the brothers’ murder conviction, defense attorney Mark Geragos said earlier.

The case has gained new attention in recent weeks after Netflix began streaming the true crime drama “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.” ”

Jurors rejected a death sentence in 1996 in favor of life without parole.

The family members said they would walk across the street after the news conference to meet with the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office and make arguments for the brothers’ release.

Geragos said he hopes to get them released in time for Joan Andersen VanderMolen’s 93rd birthday next month.

“She would love nothing more than to have them home for Thanksgiving,” Geragos said.