Family of Erik and Lyle Menendez are calling for their release, saying they are victims

Stefanie Dazio
| Associated press

Los Angeles – Multiple generations of Erik and Lyle Menendez’s family members advocated Wednesday for the brothers’ release from prison, saying they deserve to be free despite life sentences for the 1989 murders of their parents in Beverly Hills because they were “brutal ” and were sexual. abused by their father.

At a news conference in downtown Los Angeles, relatives of the Menendezes said the American public had “vilified” the brothers in the aftermath of the infamous crime, which gained national attention, and that the jurors who sentenced them to life without parole in 1996 convicts, were part of a society that was not ready at the time to hear that boys could be raped.

Joan Andersen VanderMolen, Kitty Menendez’s sister, said the entire family was unaware of the extent of the abuse, and she struggled for years to come to terms with it all.

“It became clear that their actions – however tragic – were the desperate response of two boys trying to survive their father’s unspeakable cruelty,” the 92-year-old aunt said on Wednesday.

The news conference was the largest gathering of the multi-generational family since the brothers’ conviction. The public call for their release — by about 30 relatives 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.

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, but said they feared their parents were about to kill them. murder to prevent the murder. revelation of Erik’s long-term sexual molestation by the father.

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. After the press conference on Wednesday, the relatives walked to the prosecutor’s office to speak with prosecutors about the case.

“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.

Prosecutors argued at the time that there was no evidence of sexual assault, and many details in their sexual abuse story were not allowed in the trial that led to their conviction. The district attorney’s office said at the time that the sons were after their parents’ multimillion-dollar estate.

George Gascón, the current district attorney, said this month that there is no doubt the brothers committed the murders in 1989, but after his office looks at the new evidence, prosecutors will make a decision on whether re-punishment is justified. A hearing was scheduled for November 26.

On Wednesday, Gascón’s office said prosecutors met with family members after the news conference and were reviewing the case’s evidence and sentencing.

“Our office has developed a more modern understanding of sexual violence since the Menendez brothers were first prosecuted,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement. “Today, our office recognizes that sexual violence is a pervasive problem that affects countless individuals – of all gender identities – and we are committed to supporting all victims in dealing with the profound effects of such trauma.”

But not every family member agrees that the brothers 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.

The evidence being reviewed by the prosecution includes a letter from 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.

Although there was no mention of Kitty Menendez abusing her sons, it appears she facilitated the abuse, the petition said. A cousin testified at the first trial that Lyle told her he was too scared to sleep in his room because his father came in and touched his genitals. When the cousin told Kitty Menendez, she angrily dragged Lyle upstairs by his arm, the petition said.

Another family member testified that there was a rule in the Menendez home that when Jose Menendez was in the bedroom with one of the boys, no one was allowed to walk down the hallway past the bedrooms, according to the petition.

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

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

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.

Associated Press journalists Jaimie Ding and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles and Randy Herschaft in New York contributed.

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