Family members call for Menendez brothers’ release

About 20 relatives of Erik and Lyle Menendez gathered in front of a downtown Los Angeles courthouse on Wednesday to plead for their release.

The brothers were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole for shooting their parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez, in Beverly Hills in 1989.

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During the trial, the judge ruled that jurors couldn’t hear testimony about the brothers’ claims that they were repeatedly sexually abused by their father. But new evidence has emerged that supports the allegations, prompting the district attorney’s office to reexamine their sentences.

“Like so many others, I struggled to process the events of that fateful August day and the loss that I felt,” said Annamarie Baralt, the niece of Jose Menendez. “Over time, it became clear that there were other two victims there on that day: my cousins Lyle and Erik.”

Baralt said that if the case were heard today “with the understanding we now have about abuse and PTSD,” she believes her cousins would have been sentenced differently.

Joan VanderMolen, Kitty Menendez’s 92-year-old sister, said she had “no idea” about the extent of the abuse the boys suffered.

“As details of Lyle and Eric's abuse came to light, it became clear that their actions, while tragic, were the desperate response of two boys trying to survive the unspeakable cruel[ty] of their father,” she said.

After the family spoke with reporters, they went to DA George Gascón’s office to speak with him privately, hoping to convince him to either support overturning their first-degree murder conviction or at least re-sentencing the brothers.

Meanwhile, Kathy Cady, an attorney for Kitty’s brother Milton Andersen, told KNX News her client doesn’t believe Erik and Lyle were sexually abused and thinks the brothers should remain in prison.

A hearing is scheduled for late November.

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