The sister of Kitty Menendez, the mother murdered in 1989 by sons Lyle and Eric Menendez, became emotional Wednesday as she spoke of the “vital context” that was missing in the trial that found the brothers guilty of murder: that both were serially molested by their father.
“The whole world wasn’t ready to believe that boys could be raped,” said 92-year-old Joan Andersen VanderMolen.
But she said she has seen public attitudes change in the decades since the brothers were sentenced to life in prison without parole for shooting their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion.
Speaking at a Wednesday news conference attended by more than 20 relatives, VanderMolen called for their convictions and sentences to be reconsidered in light of new evidence and greater public awareness of the effects of child sexual abuse.
“Not only will the evidence of their father’s abuse be admitted in court, but it will provide important context as to why they behaved the way they did. “No jury would give such a harsh verdict today, not taking into account the trauma she endured,” she said.
Kitty Menendez’s sister Joan Andersen VanderMolen, center, approaches the podium to make a statement during a press conference to announce developments in the case of brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez on October 16, 2024 in Los Angeles.
AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes
Family members have announced the launch of a formal Justice for Eric and Lyle initiative in response to recent public outpouring of support and calls to show resentment towards the brothers.
The brothers were once stigmatized as greedy, arrogant rich kids (Lyle was 21 and Erik 18 at the time of the murders) and ridiculed for their tearful testimony about the abuse they suffered at the hands of their father.
However, they received an outpouring of support following the controversial Netflix docu-series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” which Erik described as “full of lies.”
The series also introduced the case to a new generation of younger, more sympathetic true crime supporters.
The brothers’ first trial, which aired live on CourtTV in 1993–1994, was ruled a mistrial due to jury deadlock. Both brothers confessed to killing Kitty and José Menendez, but testified that they had suffered chronic sexual abuse from their father and were afraid he would kill them if they revealed their secret. The brothers said their mother knew about the abuse but did not want to protect them.
In the second trial, which came on the heels of public outrage over the OJ Simpson verdict and which was not televised, the judge limited evidence and testimony about sexual abuse and removed the jury’s ability to find the young men guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. In 1996, they were found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and the special circumstance of cleaning.
They spent almost 35 years in prison.
Erik Menendez (left) and his brother Lyle sit in a courtroom during a pretrial hearing in December 1992 in Los Angeles.
VINCE BUCCI/AFP via Getty Images
Support for the brothers on TikTok has grown exponentially under hashtags like “free the Menendez brothers,” highlighting the brothers’ “heartbreaking” trial testimony about their abuse. They also received vocal support from celebrities such as Rosie O’Donnell, who told Vanity Fair that she feels like an “older sister” to the men, and Kim Kardashian, a reality star and advocate of criminal justice reform.
Kardashian recently visited the brothers in prison and wrote a personal essay published by NBC News in which she advocates for their freedom on the grounds that they were “convicted before (their) trial even began.”
“At that time, resources for victims of sexual abuse, especially boys, were limited. “There were virtually no support systems for survivors, and public awareness of the trauma of male sexual abuse was minimal, often overshadowed by preconceived judgments and homophobia,” she wrote.
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón’s office responded to Wednesday’s news conference later that evening, saying prosecutors had met with the Menendez brothers’ family “to hear their concerns and perspectives.” Gascón previously said his office was reviewing the conviction and said Wednesday it was “acting as quickly as justice allows.”
“Our office has developed a more modern approach to sexual violence since the Menendez brothers first went to trial,” the office said in a statement, acknowledging the prevalence of sexual violence and the fact that it affects people regardless of gender identity.
The Menendez brothers’ defense attorney, Mark Geragos, told reporters that Gascón’s office “has established a productive (and) strong working relationship with us.”
He also refuted speculation that Gascón, who is seeking re-election, had political motives, noting that the district attorney has been “working” with the Menendezes for more than a year.
Last May, the brothers’ legal team filed court documents citing two new pieces of evidence in the case and asking for the brothers’ conviction to be overturned.
One of them was the statement of a former member of the boy band Menudo, in which he claimed that he was raped by José Menendez, a record company executive, in a house in Beverly Hills; the second was a letter Erik had sent to his cousin eight months before the murders, describing his abuse.
At the same time, lawyers are asking for the men to be punished for their work in prison.
“They are very responsible and responsible, and they are 100% responsible for the crime,” film producer Scott Budnick, founder of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, told HuffPost earlier this month. “They are the most humble, they give, they are kind, they always give back, they help people, they tutor people, they are mentors.”
At a news conference Wednesday, family members agreed that the brothers had shown they deserved life beyond prison walls.
“They’ve grown, they’ve changed, and despite everything they’ve been through, they’ve become better people,” VanderMolen said. “It’s time to give them the opportunity to live the rest of their lives free from the shadow of their past.”
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National sexual violence hotline or National Sexual Violence Resource Center website.