CNN
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Twenty relatives of Lyle and Eric Menendez spoke at a press conference Wednesday as the Los Angeles County District Attorney considers new evidence that could lead to the release of Lyle and Eric Menendez for the first time in more than 30 years. Nearby will speak on their behalf.
In 1996, the Menendez brothers were convicted of murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty, in their Beverly Hills home and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Although they have never denied killing their parents, both men claimed during the trial that it was self-defense and that they had been physically and sexually abused by their father for years.
The brothers’ lawyers also argue that the judge who presided over the 1996 case did not allow much of the defense’s evidence of abuse to be presented to the jury.
In 2023, lawyers representing the Menendez brothers will seek prison terms for the brothers based on new allegations documenting a pattern of sexual abuse by Jose Menendez and a letter Eric Menendez wrote to his cousin alluding to abuse. He filed a petition arguing that he should be granted abatement. he endured.
And they may soon get that chance, as Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón considers whether to resentence the brothers based on the evidence presented in the 2023 petition. . He announced earlier this month that there was no doubt that the brothers committed the murders, but that his office was reviewing the evidence.
In an interview with ABC that aired Wednesday, Eric and Lyle’s cousin Karen Vander Molen-Copley said she remembers noticing that the boys’ attitudes had changed over the years. Ta.
“When they were little, you could tell that these were two energetic kids who were getting sadder and sadder as the years went on,” Mauren Copley said.
Mollen Copley, one of the people scheduled to attend the press conference, said now that after serving more than 30 years, Lyle and Eric should be released and allowed to go home and be with their families. said he feels it.
“The best birthday present I could give my mother would be to bring my nephews home for Thanksgiving.”
But a lawyer for Kitty Menendez’s brother, Milton Andersen, accused Gascón on Wednesday of betraying the victim and her loved ones.
“The Menendez brothers’ callous actions destroyed their family and left a trail of grief that lasts for decades. Jose was shot six times and Kitty was shot 10 times, including after Eric reloaded. That included being shot in the face,” former prosecutor Kathy Cady said in a statement.
Cady said Andersen was not informed that Gascón had reassigned the case, nor was he informed of the district attorney’s press conference announcing the re-examination of the case. He said he did not respond to the request.
“Mr. Andersen, like all victims’ families, has a constitutional right to be informed, to have his voice heard, and to have his opinions considered in all decisions regarding this case.” ” said Cady.
CNN has reached out to Gascón for comment.
On Sunday, Gascón posted on social media an image of an undated handwritten letter Menendez submitted as part of the petition.
Eric Menendez wrote in his letter: Andy, things like that still happen, but for me it’s worse now. ”
He continued: “You never know when it’s going to happen and it drives you crazy. I wake up every night thinking he might come in. I have to get that out of my head.
“I know you said it before, but I’m sorry. You just don’t know your dad like I do. He’s crazy!”
An image of the letter that remains in the public record has since been removed from Gascón’s social media accounts, but the district attorney addressed its potential significance in an interview with ABC that aired Wednesday.
Gascón said the letter “is all about the abuse that was the basis of their defense.” He told ABC that his office expects to make a decision on the Menendez brothers’ sentences later this month.
The case resurfaced last month following the release of the Netflix series “Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez.” Netflix also released a documentary this month about the Menendez case, in which both men discuss the events that led to the murders.
Former Los Angeles County Attorney Loni Coombs told CNN’s Jim Acosta on Wednesday that Gascón publicly said the documentary led to numerous calls to his office about new evidence in the case. spoke.
“That new evidence motion had been sitting on his desk for over a year, but it wasn’t until this documentary brought it to the attention and spotlight that he sat down and said, ‘I’m going to take a look at this.’ ” she said.
She says society has changed its view of sexual abuse of boys.
“We understand it better. We understand that it can take years for victims to be able to talk about their trauma,” she added.
Coombs called the timing of the district attorney’s decision to reconsider the case a “perfect storm,” noting that Gascon has already indicted 300 people in the county over the past year.
CNN’s Ray Sanchez contributed to this article.
