LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 Multiple generations of family members of Erik and Lyle Menendez pleaded for the brothers' release from prison on Wednesday, saying they deserve to be free despite life sentences for the 1989 killings of their parents in Beverly Hills because they had been 鈥渂rutalized鈥 and sexually abused by their father.
At a news conference in downtown Los Angeles, relatives of the Menendezes said the American public 鈥渧ilified鈥 the brothers in the wake of the notorious crime, which received national attention, and the jurors who sentenced them to life without parole in 1996 were part of a society that was not ready then to hear that boys could be raped.
Joan Andersen VanderMolen, Kitty Menendez鈥檚 sister, said the wider family did not know about the extent of the abuse, and she鈥檚 spent years struggling to come to terms with it all.
鈥淚t became clear that their actions 鈥 while tragic 鈥 were the desperate response of two boys trying to survive the unspeakable cruel of their father,鈥 the 92-year-old aunt said Wednesday.
The news conference was the largest gathering of the multigenerational family since the brothers鈥 sentencing. The public call for their release 鈥 by some 30 relatives from both sides of their parents鈥 families 鈥 comes less than two weeks after the Los Angeles County district attorney announced his office would review new evidence to determine whether the brothers should be serving life sentences.
, who was then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted they fatally shot-gunned their entertainment executive father, Jose Menendez, and their mother, Kitty Menendez, but said they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent the disclosure of the father鈥檚 long-term sexual molestation of Erik.
Several of the family members emphasized that in today鈥檚 world 鈥 which is more aware of the impact of sexual abuse 鈥 the brothers would not have been convicted of first-degree murder. The relatives walked to the district attorney's office after the news conference Wednesday to speak with prosecutors about the case.
鈥淚f Lyle and Erik鈥檚 case were heard today, with the understanding we now have about abuse and PTSD, there is no doubt in my mind that their sentencing would have been very different,鈥 said Anamaria Baralt, a niece of Jose Menendez.
Prosecutors at the time contended there was no evidence of molestation, and many details in their story of sexual abuse were not permitted in the trial that led to their conviction. The district attorney's office then said the sons were after their parents鈥 multimillion-dollar estate.
George Gasc贸n, the current district attorney, said this month that there is no question the brothers committed the 1989 killings, but after his office looks at the new evidence, prosecutors will make a decision on whether resentencing is warranted. A hearing was scheduled for Nov. 26.
On Wednesday, Gasc贸n's office said prosecutors met with the family members after the news conference and the case's evidence and sentencing are under review.
鈥淥ur office has developed a more modern understanding of sexual violence since the Menendez brothers first faced prosecution,鈥 the DA's office said in a statement. 鈥淭oday, our office acknowledges that sexual violence is a pervasive issue affecting countless individuals 鈥 of all gender identities 鈥 and we are committed to supporting all victims as they navigate the profound impacts of such trauma.鈥
But not every family member agrees that the brothers should be released.
Kitty Menendez鈥檚 brother, Milton Andersen 鈥 who is 90-years-old 鈥 said through an attorney that he believes 鈥渢he appropriate sentence鈥 is life in prison without possibility of parole. Andersen was not available for an interview.
鈥淗e believes that there was no molestation that occurred. He believes that the motive was pure greed, because they had just learned that they were going to be taken out of the will,鈥 said Kathy Cady, Andersen鈥檚 attorney.
The evidence under prosecutorial review includes a letter written by Erik Menendez that his attorneys say corroborates the allegations that he was sexually abused by his father.
Roy Rossello, former member of the Latin pop group Menudo, also recently came forward saying he was drugged and raped by Jose Menendez, the boys鈥 father, when he was a teen in the 1980s.
Menudo was signed under RCA Records, which Jose Menendez was the head of at the time.
Rossello spoke about his abuse in the 2023 Peacock docuseries 鈥淢enendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed.鈥 These allegations are part of the evidence listed in the petition filed last year by the Menendez brothers鈥 attorney to review their case. Per the petition, Rossello said he was raped twice by Jose Menendez.
Though Kitty Menendez was not mentioned as abusing her sons, she appears to have facilitated the abuse, according to the petition. One cousin testified during the first trial that Lyle told her he was too scared to sleep in his room because his father would come in and touch his genitals. When the cousin told Kitty Menendez, she 鈥渁ngrily dragged Lyle upstairs by his arm,鈥 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.
鈥淭hey tried to protect themselves the only way they knew how,鈥 said Brian A. Andersen Jr., nephew of Kitty Menendez. 鈥淚nstead of being seen as victims, they were vilified.鈥
鈥淭hey are no longer a threat to society,鈥 he continued.
The brothers鈥 attorneys said the family believed from the beginning they should have been charged with manslaughter rather than murder. Manslaughter was not an option for the jury during the second trial that ultimately led to the brothers鈥 murder conviction, attorney Mark Geragos previously said.
鈥淭he whole world was not ready to hear that boys could be raped,鈥 Joan Andersen VanderMolen said, adding 鈥渢oday we know better.鈥
The case has gained new traction in recent weeks after Netflix began streaming the true-crime drama 鈥 .鈥
Geragos said he hopes to get them released in time for Joan Andersen VanderMolen's 93rd birthday next month.
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing she鈥檇 like more than to have them home for Thanksgiving,鈥 Geragos said.
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Associated Press journalists Jaimie Ding and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles and Randy Herschaft in New York contributed.
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This story has been corrected to show Kitty Menendez鈥檚 brother鈥檚 name is Milton Andersen, not Milton Anderson.
