Nearly two dozen family members of Lyle and Erik Menendez along with comedian Rosie O’Donnell are holding a news conference today outside the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office as calls for the brothers’ freedom grow.
The brothers shot their father, José Menendez, and their mother, Kitty Menendez, a total of 14 times during an attack inside their Beverly Hills home in 1989. Lyle, who was then 21, and Erik, then 18, admitted they shot their Hollywood executive father and mother because they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent the disclosure of the father’s alleged long-term sexual molestation of Erik.
The press conference in Downtown Los Angeles today follows the recent announcement by the Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón that his office initiated a review of the Menendez brothers’ case.
The District Attorney’s Office told Newsweek they will not attend nor make any announcements at the news conference.
Among the two dozen family members scheduled to speak include: Anamaria Baralt, José’s niece; Joan Andersen VandeMolen, the sister of Kitty; and Brian Andersen Jr., José’s nephew.
Defense attorney Mark Geragos and co-counsel Cliff Gardner will speak, along with O’Donnell who spoke to Lyle Menendez last year on her podcast.
On February 2, 1996, the jury found both brothers guilty of first-degree murder, sentencing them to life in prison without the possibility of parole, a sentence they have been serving ever since. However, new evidence has emerged potentially helping the brothers.
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01:57 PM EDT
Menendez Brothers Trial 1990
In the first Menendez brothers’ trial, which began in 1993, Lyle and Erik Menendez were charged with the 1989 murders of their parents. The trial ended with two deadlocked juries, unable to agree on whether the brothers were guilty of murder or acted out of fear. This led to a mistrial and set the stage for a second trial in 1995.
Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez leave courtroom in Santa Monica, Calif., Aug. 6, 1990, after a judge ruled that conversations between the two brothers and their psychologist after their parents were slain are not privileged and can be used as evidence in their murder case.
Nick Ut/AP Photo
Lyle Menendez, second from left, and his brother, Erik, second from right, are flanked by their attorneys Gerald Chaleff, left, and Robert Shapiro, as the brothers delayed entering pleas through their attorneys in Beverly Hills Municipal Court, March 13, 1990. The brothers are suspected in the murders of their millionaire parents, Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, in Beverly Hills, California in August.
Nick Ut/AP Photo
Joseph Lyle Menendez, left, and his brother, Erik, sit in a court room in Beverly Hills, Calif. , Dec. 14, 1990. Scheduling of a preliminary hearing for the brothers accused of killing their parents was delayed again because of a pending appellate court decision on the admissibility of key evidence.
Nick Ut/AP Photo
01:55 PM EDT
The Menendez Brothers’ Arrest
Police arrested Lyle and Erik on March 8, 1990, for murdering their parents on August 20, 1989, seven months earlier.
While the brothers were in prison, the Los Angeles Police Department released a statement alleging they attempted to escape. In response, the sheriff’s department conducted a search of their cells in the summer of 1990.
During the search, deputies discovered a 17-page letter Lyle had written to Erik, detailing everything that had happened to them, including the horrific murders. At the end of the letter, Lyle wrote, “Please. Destroy.”
Erik was supposed to destroy the letter, but he explained in the documentary Lyle rarely expressed his emotions, and the letter was a rare glimpse into his pain. Unable to throw it away, Erik kept it.
“Ultimately it became clear, particularly after they found that jail letter that there was no way around saying what happened,” Lyle said in the documentary. “Because they had that note, they had a confession that we were responsible for my parents death.”
READ MORE from Newsweek’s Courtney McGinley
01:51 PM EDT
What Happened to Lyle and Erik Menendez?
The Menendez Brothers shot their father, José Menendez, and their mother, Kitty Menendez, a total of 14 times during an attack inside their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
Lyle, who was then 21, and Erik, then 18, admitted they shot their Hollywood executive father and mother because they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent the disclosure of the father’s alleged long-term sexual molestation of Erik.
Initially, the brothers blamed the mob due to their father’s connections as a high profile entertainment executive, but the brutal nature of the crime suggested a more personal and emotionally driven motive.
READ MORE from Newsweek’s Courtney McGinley
01:44 PM EDT
Lyle and Erik Menendez Break Silence in Netflix Doc: ‘Washed’ in Second Trial
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Lyle and Erik Menendez end nearly three decades of silence in the new Netflix documentary, The Menendez Brothers. From the Donovan Correctional Facility in California, they address what they call misconceptions surrounding their parents’ murder and explain how they got “washed” in the second trial.
01:40 PM EDT
Rosie O’Donnell Blasts Ryan Murphy’s Menendez Brothers Netflix Series: ‘Inaccurate’
Comedian Rosie O’Donnell has spoken out in criticism of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, branding elements of the new Netflix show “inaccurate.”
Created by Ryan Murphy, Netflix unveiled the next chapter of its Monster anthology series in a dramatized retelling of the Menendez brothers’ killing of their parents.
Lyle Menendez, who was then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted to fatally shooting their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. The brothers later said that they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent the disclosure of their father’s alleged long-term sexual molestation of Erik Menendez.
Since its September 19 release, Monsters has faced a wave of criticism, including from Erik Menendez, who expressed sadness over the nine-episode show’s “dishonest portrayal” of the incidents surrounding the brothers’ convictions.
01:36 PM EDT
Menendez Brother Breaks Silence on ‘Dishonest Portrayal’ in Netflix Series
Veteran journalist Robert Rand is calling out Netflix’s latest series on the Menendez brothers, exposing key inaccuracies and separating fact from fiction in the show’s portrayal of the infamous case.
AP Photos
Erik Menendez is breaking his silence after the Menendez brothers‘ shocking tale of murder, wealth and buried family secrets hit Netflix last Thursday, and slamming the creator for the portrayal of both him and his brother Lyle.
Created by Ryan Murphy, Netflix unveiled the next chapter of its Monster anthology series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
Erik Menendez expressed sadness over Netflix’s “dishonest portrayal” of the tragedies surrounding the brothers’ crime.
“I can only believe they were done on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives, so as to do this without bad intent,” Erik Menendez wrote, as shared by his family via X and Facebook. “Murphy shapes his horrible narrative through vile and appalling character portrayals of Lyle and me, and disheartening slander.”
01:27 PM EDT
Kim Kardashian Calls For Menendez Brothers’ Release: ‘Time Changes Us’
Left: 07 May 2024, Hamburg: US superstar Kim Kardashian speaks at the OMR digital and marketing trade fair; Right: Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez leave courtroom in Santa Monica, Calif., Aug. 6, 1990, after a judge ruled that conversations between the two brothers and their psychologist after their parents were slain are not privileged and can be used as evidence in their murder case.
AP Photos
Kim Kardashian is calling for the release of the Menendez brothers, breaking her silence in an essay she penned on their case and declaring it’s time for justice to be served.
Kardashian begins her essay to NBC News by reflecting on her own life at 18, the same age Erik Menendez was when the notorious murders of his parents occurred.
“We are all products of our experiences. They shape who we were, who we are, and who we will be,” the reality TV star wrote. “Physiologically and psychologically, time changes us, and I doubt anyone would claim to be the same person they were at 18. I know I’m not!”
01:20 PM EDT
WATCH: LA District Attorney Outlines New Evidence in Menendez Brothers Case
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01:14 PM EDT
District Attorney on Menendez Brothers’ New Evidence: ‘Complete Open Mind’
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón spoke to Newsweek about the high-profile Menendez brothers’ case, following the discovery of new evidence that could offer the brothers a chance at justice.
AP Photos
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón spoke to Newsweek about the high-profile Menendez brothers’ case, following the discovery of new evidence that could offer the brothers a chance at justice.
Lyle, who was then 21, and Erik, then 18, admitted they shot their Hollywood executive father and mother because they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent the disclosure of the father’s alleged long-term sexual molestation of Erik. The brothers shot their father, José Menendez, and their mother, Kitty Menendez, a total of 14 times during an attack inside their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
Gascón told Newsweek his office is currently reviewing a 1988 letter written by Erik Menendez to his cousin about the alleged sexual abuse he endured by his father. The new evidence also includes a statement from a former Menudo member who claims he was also sexually assaulted by Jose Menendez.
“There are people in my office who believe they should never get any relief, and others who believe they should,” Gascón said. “I have now decided we will go through a thorough process of investigating both the new evidence for habeas and whether they have been rehabilitated for resentencing.”
READ FULL STORY from Newsweek’s Courtney McGinley
