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The family of Lyle, Erik Menendez, is calling for the murderer brothers to be resentenced after 30 years in prison for the murder of their parents

The family of Lyle, Erik Menendez, is calling for the murderer brothers to be resentenced after 30 years in prison for the murder of their parents

The family of Lyle and Erik Menendez called for the murderer brothers to be resentenced Wednesday after they spent more than 30 years behind bars for the brutal 1989 murder of their parents.

More than 20 family members visited the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles, insisting that the Menendez brothers were victims of “unspeakable cruelty” at the hands of their father, music manager Jose, and that their suffering was being ignored during their time in prison The trial took place in 1993 because society had not yet recognized that men could be victims of sexual abuse.

Erik Menendez (l.) and his brother Lyle (r.) listen during a preliminary hearing on December 29, 1992 in Los Angeles. AFP via Getty Images
More than a dozen members of Erik and Lyle Menendez's family spoke at a press conference at Los Angeles City Hall in downtown LA on October 17, 2024. Barbara Davidson/The NYPost

“If it were the Menendez sisters, they wouldn’t be in custody. We have evolved and it is time for us to release it,” said Anna Maria Baralt, Jose Menendez’s niece.

Their aunt, Joan Vandermolen, said she had “no idea of ​​the extent of the abuse they suffered at the hands of my brother-in-law.”

“None of us did it. But looking back, I can see the fear their father instilled in them,” added Vandermolen, whose sister was their mother, Kitty.

Attorney Mark Geragos speaks to members of the Menendez family during a news conference to announce developments in the case of brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Los Angeles. AP

“The truth is that Lyle and Erik were abandoned by the very people who should have protected them. From their parents, from the system, from society as a whole. When they stood trial, the world was not ready to believe that boys could be raped or that young men could be victims of sexual violence. Today we know better.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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