Menendez brothers’ family ask for men to be freed at press conference --[Reported by Umva mag]

The family of the Menendez brothers have given an emotional plea asking for the men to be freed.

The brothers have spent 35 years in prison after murdering Jose and Kitty Menendez in 1989.

Around two dozen members of the family, alongside defence lawyer Mark Geragos, held the press conference. They asked that the Los Angeles District attorney George Gascon release Erik, 53, and Lyle, 56.

‘If they were the Menendez sisters they wouldn’t be in custody,’ said Geragos.

The family introduced the coalition, ‘Justice for Eric and Lyle’, and spoke passionately about why they were advocating for their release.

‘Lyle and Erik deserve a chance to heal, and our family deserves a chance to heal with them,’ said one of the brothers’ cousins, Anamaria Baralt.

Kitty’s sister Joan Andersen VanderMolen said: ‘Their actions, while tragic, were the desperate response of two boys trying to survive the unspeakable cruelty of their father.

‘The truth is, Lyle and Erik were failed by the very people who should have protected them—their parents, the system, and society at large.’ 

The brothers, then aged 21 and 18, cited years of abuse as the reason for murdering their parents, however, prosecutors argued that their motive was to get their hands on the family fortune.

They were both eventually convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1996.

Their case was the subject of worldwide interest, and has most recently been the subject of recent Netflix series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story. The nine episodes, created by Ryan Murphy, received intense backlash. 

During the press conference, a statement was read from Jose’s sister.

‘My prayer is that I live long enough to see my nephews again and to hug them once more,’ her letter said.

Kitty’s nephew Brian Andersen Jr. said: ‘I’ve known Erik and Lyle my whole life. I can tell you without a doubt that they are not the villains they’ve been portrayed as. 

‘They were boys, young, scared and abused by their father in ways no child should ever experience.’

If a re-trial finds them guilty of voluntary manslaughter, rather than murder, Erik and Lyle would immediately be released as they’ve already served more than the crime’s maximum sentence.

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