Family and friends of the Menendez brothers held a press conference in downtown Los Angeles on October 16, calling for the release of Lyle and Erik Menendez 28 years after they were convicted of murdering their parents in Beverly Hills.
“They are not the villains they are portrayed as. Instead of being seen as victims, they were vilified,” said Brian A. Andersen Jr., a nephew of their mother, Kitty Menendez.
The Menendez brothers’ case is one of the most well-known murders in Los Angeles history. The two brothers allegedly killed their parents in their Beverly Hills home on August 20, 1989, and were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996. Both men maintain that their actions were self-defense and were a result of years of abuse from their father.
After spending over 30 years in jail, the Menendez brothers told the story from their perspective in a Netflix Documentary titled “The Menendez Brothers.” The documentary aired on October 7, 2024, shortly after another show about the brothers, “Monsters: The Lyle and Eric Menendez Story,” was released on the platform on September 19, 2024.
The creator of “Monsters” did not reach out to the brothers when gathering their information, and Ryan Murphy said he had “no interest” in meeting the brothers, according to Variety. The Menendez brothers and their supporters have said they are unhappy with the depiction of their story in the show, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Netflix shows sparked mixed reactions, some advocating for the brothers and petitioning for their release, while others believe they should remain behind bars and serve their full prison sentence: life without parole.
During the press conference, various family members defended the brothers, including multiple nieces and nephews of parents Kitty and Jose Menendez, Kitty’s 92-year-old sister and Erik and Lyle’s defense attorney.
Anamaria Baralt, a niece of Jose Menendez, said that she considers the brothers to be “two other victims” from the day of the murder.
“Lyle and Erik would continue to be victimized; They would be victims of a system that wouldn’t hear them and they would be victims of a culture that was not ready to listen,” Baralt said.
In the press conference, Mark Geragos, the Menendez’ defense attorney, said that two crucial pieces of evidence have been found that were not available during the time of the trial.
The first piece of evidence he referenced is a letter written eight months before the killing of Kitty and Jose Menendez, written by Erik Menendez to his cousin Andy Cano, describing the abuse from his father. Cano testified at the trial, but at the second trial, his story was deemed untrue, according to Geragos. The letter is evidence that Cano’s testimony was true.
The other piece of evidence mentioned was a signed declaration by Roy Rosselló, a member of Menudo, a boy band, claiming that Jose Menendez also assaulted him at the house. The attorney argued that this supports testimony given in the first trial that Jose Menendez was abusive.
With this evidence, the family and defense said they hope Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon will consider resentencing the brothers, after the brothers faced 19 years with no hope of being released.
Kitty Menendez’s sister, Joan Andersen VanderMolen, spoke on the stand.
“The truth is, Lyle and Erik were failed by the very people who should’ve protected them. By their parents, by the system, by society at large,” she said.
VanderMolen said that the brothers have “already paid a heavy price, discarded by a system that failed to recognize their pain.”
“They have grown, they have changed and they have become better men, despite everything that they’ve been through,” VanderMolen said. “It’s time to give them the opportunity to live the rest of their lives, free from the shadow of their past.”