Standing outside a Los Angeles courtroom this week, relatives of
convicted US killers Erik and Lyle Menendez publicly pleaded for the brothers to be released after bombshell new evidence.

Serving life sentences for the murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty in 1989, the story of the brothers was back in the news after Netflix premiered a dramatised series, Monsters: The Lyle and Eric Menendez Story, last month.

Then, on October 4, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office announced a review of new evidence that was presented in a petition launched by the family with a letter written by Erik Menendez.

When Lyle, 21, and Erik, 18, shot their parents at close range in a brutal attack in their mansion on August 20, 1989, it was a crime that shook America.

The trials

They faced two trials (the first was a mistrial) and were eventually convicted in 1996 for the murders.

The prosecution argued they were seeking to inherit their family fortune, but the brothers claimed their actions stemmed out of fear from a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents.

The evidence and testimony about their father’s abuse was excluded from the second trial.

When the family discovered a letter Erik wrote to his cousin in 1988, before their parents’ deaths, in which he alluded to sexual abuse, his lawyers now claim it corroborates his original allegations.

“This letter is seen as critical proof that the abuse allegations were not fabricated as a defence strategy, but a painful reality the brothers lived with for years,” wrote the official website behind the petition.

They published some of his letter.

“I’ve been trying to avoid dad,” Erik wrote.

“It’s still happening Andy, but it’s worse for me now. I can’t explain it … I never know when it’s going to happen, and it’s driving me crazy.

“Every night I stay up thinking he might come in. I need to put it out of my mind.”

Kitty Menendez’s sister, Joan VanderMolen outside the Criminal Courts Building on October 16  in Los Angeles. Photo: Getty

‘Trauma ignored’

In front of a press contingent of more than 100, about 20 family members and supporters said it was time to set the brothers free after being incarcerated for more than 35 years, urging prosecutors to recommend re-sentencing.

Kitty Menendez’s sister, Joan VanderMolen said the wider family did not know about the extent of the abuse.

“It became clear that their actions – while tragic – were the desperate response of two boys trying to survive the unspeakable cruel[ty] of their father,” she said.

“The whole world was not ready to hear that boys could be raped.

“Today we know better.”

The brothers’ cousin,  Brian Anderson Jr, spoke about their abuse.

“Their father’s abuse was dismissed … trauma ignored and their truth mocked by millions”.

Another cousin, Anamaria Baralt said “for us this is not a political issue, this is about truth, justice, and healing”.

“If Lyle and Erik’s case were heard today, with the understanding we now have about abuse and PTSD, there is no doubt in my mind that their sentencing would have been very different,” she said.

She went on to call the brothers “victims of a culture not ready to listen”, asking the DA’s office to help end “this 34-year-nightmare” and to “take into account the full picture”.

“Lyle and Erik deserve a chance to heal, and our family deserves a chance to heal with them.”

Celebrity endorsement

Not wanting to miss an opportunity, pop culture influencer, reality TV star and law student, Kim Kardashian, who was named on Fortune‘s list of most powerful women last year, wrote a personal essay saying it was time for the brothers to be freed.

Published exclusively by the NBC News network on October 4, Kardashian wrote she has spent time with them in prison.

She posted a link to her 360 million Instagram followers.

“The media turned the brothers into monsters and sensationalised eye candy – two arrogant, rich kids from Beverly Hills who killed their parents out of greed.

“There was no room for empathy, let alone sympathy.”

Erik and Lyle had no chance of a fair trial against this backdrop.

“Back then, there were limited resources for victims of sexual abuse, particularly for boys. There were virtually no systems in place to support survivors, and public awareness of the trauma of male sexual abuse was minimal, often clouded by preconceived judgments and homophobia.

“We owe it to those little boys who lost their childhoods, who never had a chance to be heard, helped or saved.”

Their next hearing is in November.