As Lyle and Erik Menendez approach the possibility of release after nearly 35 years, several family members have publicly supported the brothers, while confronting their own grief over the deaths of José and Kitty Menendez.
Alison Triessl, a prominent Los Angeles criminal defense attorney and high school classmate of Erik, told Newsweek the brothers have family members serving as victim advocates under Marsy’s Law.
“The victims in this case are José and Kitty,” Triessl said. “Twenty members of their family came out and spoke in favor of Lyle and Erik. Those are the ones that killed the victims who Marsy’s law supports. You have that to look at, it is a fascinating case.”
Marsy’s Law aims to protect crime victims’ rights within the criminal justice system.
Under Marsy’s Law, victims are granted rights similar to those of the accused. These include the right to be notified of proceedings, to attend and speak at court hearings, to be protected from the accused and to receive restitution. Victims also have the right to be informed of any parole hearings or release of the offender.
The brothers gunned down their parents with 14 shots as the couple sat watching TV in the den of their Beverly Hills home on August 20, 1989.
Lyle, who was then 21, and Erik, then 18, admitted they shot-gunned their entertainment executive father and their mother, but said they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent the disclosure of the father’s long-term sexual molestation of Erik.
Many family members, siblings of the slain parents, never doubted the brothers’ claims and even heard evidence of the abuse by José Menendez. However, two relatives remain sure the brothers acted out of greed.
In October, nearly two dozen family members and the lawyers of Lyle and Erik held a news conference outside the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office as calls for the brothers’ freedom grew.
The clan also attended a news conference held by former district attorney George Gascon, who announced plans to recommend replacing the Menendez brothers’ life sentences without parole with a 50-years-to-life sentence. Due to their ages at the time of the crimes, they would be eligible for parole immediately.
Here is a guide to Lyle and Erik’s extended family and their statements about the brothers over the years. After weeks of seeing their faces, many are left wondering: who’s who in the family, and how is everyone related?
Who were José and Kitty Menendez?
José was born in Cuba to affluent business owners and star athletes. When Fidel Castro came to power, his parents sent their 16-year-old son to America, where he lived in his cousin’s attic in Hazleton, Pa.
Veteran Menendez reporter Robert Rand told Newsweek he built a good relationship with José’s sister, Marta Cano, while covering the infamous murder case for the Miami Herald, as she was a resident of Miami.
“She was telling me the family’s story of starting in Spain, being poor and then becoming wealthy, and then they lost everything when [Francisco] Franco came in, then they immigrated to Cuba and repeated their pattern,” Rand said. “They were poor, they became wealthy, and then Castro came in, and then lost everything, and then the family came to the United States.”
He continued, “Jose Menendez has a really interesting story–rags to riches, immigrant saga, ends in a tragedy.”
While living in Pennsylvania, José earned a swimming scholarship to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, where he met Mary Louis “Kitty” Andersen.
Andersen grew up in Chicago, where she participated in beauty pageants, according to The Los Angeles Times. She met José in a debate class at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, and they soon fell in love.
José and Kitty married while in college and, after graduation, moved to New York City.
José worked as a dishwasher while studying at Queens College, while Kitty, an aspiring actress, taught school. After their sons, Lyle and Erik, were born, José told Kitty she could no longer work and insisted she focus on raising the boys, ABC News reported.
After earning his degree, José’s career took off. No matter where he worked, he consistently rose to the top – serving as Executive Vice President at Lyon Container Services, Director of Finance and Planning at Hertz, and eventually becoming CEO of Live Entertainment.
“José was planning to retire from the entertainment business in five years, and he wanted to move to Miami, buy a compound for the entire family and run for the US Senate and oust Castro from Cuba,” Rand told Newsweek.
Mary Louise ‘Kitty’ Menendez’s Side of Family
Joan Andersen VanderMolen – Kitty’s Sister
“I never thought this day would come,” Joan Andersen VanderMolen said at the press conference held by the family in October.
VanderMolen, who is Kitty’s sister, continued, “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.”
She said for many years, she struggled with the events surrounding her sister’s death, a nightmare none could have imagined. However, as details of Lyle and Erik’s abuse emerged, it became clear to her their tragic actions were a desperate response of two boys trying to survive the alleged cruelty of their father.
She emphasized since their conviction in 1996, society’s understanding of sexual abuse and its psychological effects has significantly evolved.
“The whole world was not ready to believe boys could be raped or that young men could be victims of sexual violence,” VanderMolen said. “Today, we know better. We know that abuse has long lasting events, and victims of trauma sometimes act in ways that are very difficult to understand.”
VanderMolen took the stand during the brothers’ first trial.
Diane Hernandez – Kitty’s Niece, Joan’s Daughter
While Diane Hernandez supports the brothers’ release and has attended both the family and Gascón news conference, she has not spoken publicly since a 2017 ABC interview in which she recounted what she remembers Lyle telling her one night, recalling her testimony.
Hernandez, Erik and Lyle’s cousin, testified during their first trial Lyle had confided in her about the abuse he endured in 1974.
“He [Lyle] proceeded to indicate to me by touching himself down there and saying that his dad and him had been touching each other down there,” Hernandez said in the courtroom. “I went and got Kitty and brought her downstairs and told her what was going on. She didn’t believe me.”
Hernandez said she and Lyle never discussed it again, and it was the last time she ever spoke about what Lyle had told her until the day in court.
Karen VanderMolen-Copley – Kitty’s Niece, Joan’s Daughter
“I forgive my cousins,” Karen VanderMolen-Copley said at the recent press conference. “I have forgiven them forever, because I know they were acting out of fear and desperation. These were children. Children, just six and eight years old, who didn’t understand their own bodies.”
“My sister Diane had evidence of their abuse that was not even allowed to be presented at the trial,” she said. “I cannot help but think of how things were just different if the world had known the truth back then, or if they had been the Menendez sisters.”
She said individuals now understand how trauma impacts a child’s brain development.
Their cousin continued, “They spent most of their lives in prison, paying for their actions. During that time, they have become supporters and advocates for children who have suffered sexual violence. I believe they have suffered enough. I ask the district attorneys to take into account the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”
Arnold VanderMolen – Kitty’s Nephew, Joan’s Son
Arnold VanderMolen has not spoken publicly but supports the brothers and the rest of his family, having attended both events.
Natascha Leonardo – Kitty’s Great Niece, Arnold’s Daughter
Natascha Leonardo, the brothers’ second cousin, expressed unwavering support for Erik and Lyle, stating she believes in their innocence and new evidence only strengthens her conviction.
“I’ve never once doubted Erik and Lyle. I believe them, the new evidence that has come out just continues to support our belief,” Leonardo told ABC News. “We’ve been fighting for them from the beginning and I think there should not be a doubt–it’s time for them to come be with us.”
Erik VanderMolen – Kitty’s Great Nephew, Arnold’s Son
Erik VanderMolen, the brothers’ second cousin was young when Lyle and Erik went to trial. He said it affected him differently, though he recalls seeing the brothers vilified.
“It’s not been about forgiveness for me as much as it’s been about understanding. More people are coming around and understanding child trauma around sexual abuse cases,” VanderMolen told ABC News. “I think we’re capturing more of the attention of the public and people should be hearing this.”
Milton and Brian Andersen – Kitty’s Brothers
Kitty’s brothers, Milton and Brian, are the only family members to publicly denounce Lyle and Erik, insisting they should remain in prison and criticizing their actions as motivated by greed.
Brian Andersen said in a 2017 interview with ABC News, before he died, “There was certainly no indication of any kind that there was ever any abuse. It just didn’t happen. I think the motive was strictly money.”
Brian took the stand during the brothers’ first trial.
“One of the brothers was attempting to suborn perjury and ask a friend to come in and lie,” Milton’s attorney, Kathleen Cady told Newsweek. “It does tend to cause some doubt as to whether or not that claim [sexual abuse] was true and Mr. Andersen firmly believes that José had not molested either of those boys.”
Cady said Andersen believes his nephews acted out of greed after hearing their father, José Menendez, planned to remove them from his will.
However, Rand told Newsweek Kitty’s brothers were the ones who sought to inherit the entire estate.
“They actually went to probate court in LA and they tried to argue that they should inherit the estate because Kitty Menendez outlived Jose by maybe a minute or two minutes,” Rand said. “They said that, as a result, they should receive the estate, not the brothers.”
Brian Andersen Jr. – Kitty’s Nephew, Brian’s Son
Despite his father’s claims, Brian Andersen Jr. believes the system failed the brothers.
“I think about the pain and suffering they endured. It breaks my heart to know that the system failed them so profoundly,” Andersen Jr. said during the recent press conference. “They tried to protect themselves. The only way they knew how.”
He said their father’s abuse was overlooked, their trauma ignored, and their truth mocked. Today, individuals recognize trauma can lead to actions, although difficult to comprehend, are driven by the instinct to survive.
“They are not the same people they were 35 years ago, they’ve shown that they are more than their past. They are survivors and they deserve a chance to rebuild their lives,” Andersen Jr. said. “They are no longer a threat to society.”
Andersen Jr. took the stand during the brothers’ first trial.
José Menendez’s Side of the Family
Marta Cano – José’s Sister, Erik’s Godmother
At the recent press conference, it was revealed Marta Cano is currently in “memory care” and unable to speak on the brothers’ behalf.
However, Anamaria Baralt spoke on behalf of an unnamed family member, stating Marta spent decades supporting Lyle and Erik. And, she took the stand during the brothers’ first trial.
In a 2018 interview with ABC News, she said the brothers killed their parents as a defense mechanism driven by fear.
“It was not [an] in-cold-blood kind of thing. It was fear — total fear.” Marta said. “How would I feel if someone had abused me all my life, and all of a sudden he’s angry in front of me and he’s coming to me? It’s a defense mechanism we all have. You never knew what you would do.”
Andy Cano – José’s Nephew, Marta’s Son
Andy Cano, the brothers’ cousin who testified in both of the brothers’ trials, tragically died from an accidental overdose involving sleeping pills in 2003.
However, 17-year-old Erik confided in his 15-year-old cousin about the ongoing sexual abuse by his father in a letter written nine months before the gruesome murders.
The letter reads:
“I’ve been trying to avoid dad. It’s still happening Andy but its worse for me now. I can’t explain it. He so overweight that I cant stand to see him. 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. I know what you said before but I’m afraid. You just don’t know dad like I do. He’s crazy! He’s warned me a hundred times about telling anyone.”
Terry Baralt – José’s Sister and Lyle’s Godmother
Due to health issues, Terry Baralt couldn’t attend the recent family press conference, so her daughter Anamaria delivered a statement on her behalf. However, she did testify during Lyle and Erik’s first trial.
“I wish to make it clear that I stand firmly with this family,” Terry Baralt said. “My nephews have spent three decades in prison helping others. I have seen great growth in them. 35 years is such a long time. My prayer is that I live long enough to see my nephews again and to hug them once more.”
Anamaria Baralt – José’s Niece, Terry’s Daughter
“I struggled to process the events of that fateful August day and the loss I felt,” Anamaria Baralt said. “Over time, it became clear that there were two other victims that day—my cousins, Lyle and Erik.”
Baralt, who is José Menendez’s niece, continued, “They would be victims of a system that wouldn’t cure them, and they would be victims of a culture that was not ready to listen. They would be mocked. They would be called cold blooded killers, left to rot in jail and denied any covid redemption. 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 the brothers have persevered and worked to better themselves, serving as support and inspiration for survivors worldwide. Their ongoing incarceration offers no rehabilitative benefit. It’s time to acknowledge the injustice they’ve faced and grant them the second chance they deserve.
Alicia Barbour – José’s Niece, Terry’s Daughter
Alicia Barbour has not spoken publicly but supports the brothers and the rest of his family, having attended both events.
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