As Erik Menendez and Lyle Menendez‘s upcoming court hearing approaches, their family members held a press conference, calling for a possible re-sentencing. On Wednesday, October 16, several relatives spoke out in support of the brothers, including Kitty Menendez‘s sister, Joan Anderson VanderMolen. Lyle and Erik fatally shot Kitty and José in August 1989, but their family has stood behind them since their 1990s trials.
During the recent press conference, the family announced the launch of a coalition and website titled “Justice for Lyle and Erik.” The event took place just hours after the Los Angeles District Attorney released Erik’s letter that was written to his late cousin, Andy Cano, in 1989, revealing that Erik informed his cousin of his father’s abuse.
Find out what the Menendez brothers’ family said at the press conference, below.
At the Menendez Brothers press conference, their aunt explains the importance of understanding the impact of the trauma from sexual abuse: “Abuse has long lasting effects. Victims of trauma sometimes act in ways that are very difficult to understand” pic.twitter.com/fxsR5DpSG0
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 16, 2024
While taking to the podium in front of reporters, Joan called the murders of Lyle and Erik’s late parents “tragic” but emphasized that the siblings committed the crime as a result of their father’s “cruelty.”
“Their actions, while tragic, were the desperate response of two boys trying to survive the unspeakable cruelty of their father,” Kitty’s sister said, according to Daily Mail. “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.”
Brian Andersen Jr., one of Kitty’s nephews, said that he’s “known Erik and Lyle [his] whole life,” according to the outlet.
