Jan. 27, 2024: “The Menendez Murders” — a case of child abuse?

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Monday Morning Magic from Inkandescent® PR + Publishing Co.: “As we have come to understand the truth of what Lyle and Erik endured, we stand even more committed to seeing their release and to welcoming them home to our family,” insists Anamaria Baralt, the Menendez brothers’ cousin who was featured on Jan. 23 at the National Press Club Headliners Coffee and Conversation event with journalist Robert Rand, author of The Menendez Murders: The Shocking Untold Story of the Menendez Family and the Killings that Stunned the Nation.

As a member of the National Press Club, I had the opportunity to report on the conversation this week for its publication, The Wire. It was timely, for the resentencing hearing for brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez was planned for Jan. 30, but due to the impact of the wildfires in Los Angeles, a California judge is expected to decide in March if the brothers should have their sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole reduced. This could pave the way for their release after 35 years in prison.

Robert Rand, author of “The Menendez Murders: The Shocking Untold Story of the Menendez Family and the Killings that Stunned the Nation”

Through the hour-long discussion led by NPC Treasure and Bloomberg reporter Alisa Parenti, Rand and Baralt discussed the prospects for the brothers’ release. He explained that the 2024 updated edition of his book, originally published in 2018 by BenBella Books, reveals new evidence in the case. “I think they’ve more than served their time,” Rand said. “But I’ve been involved with this case a long time. Anything could happen.”

The Menendez saga has captivated the American public since the Aug. 20, 1989, killing of José and Kitty Menendez on a Sunday evening in Beverly Hills. The story made the cover of People magazine after the arrest of their sons seven months later when the case developed an intense cult following. By the time the first Menendez trial began in July 1993, the public was convinced that Lyle and Erik were a pair of greedy rich kids who had killed loving, devoted parents. In March 1996, the brothers were each convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. They are now incarcerated at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.

“The real story remained buried beneath years of dark secrets,” said Rand, who has covered the case for the last 35 years. The updated edition of The Menendez Murders shares the history of child abuse and sexual molestation in the Menendez family going back generations, as well as revelations linking the 1980s boy band Menudo and the Menendez family, a first-hand account of the emotional reunion between Erik and Lyle Menendez, and surprising insights into how the Menendez brothers remain resilient and live with purpose despite a life sentence without parole.

As the only reporter who covered the original investigation as well as both trials, Rand’s extensive interviews with both brothers before and after their arrest reveal important details that he believes would have changed the fate of the brothers’ first-degree murder conviction in 1996. “These discoveries give the brothers new hope for reopening the case,” he said.

Anamaria Baralt, the Menendez brothers’ cousin

A case of child abuse? Represented by lead defense lawyers Leslie Abramson (for Erik) and Jill Lansing (for Lyle), the brothers stated that they killed their parents out of fear for their lives after a lifetime of abuse at the hands of their parents, especially sexual abuse at the hands of their father, who was described as a cruel perfectionist and pedophile. Meanwhile, their mother was described as an enabling, selfish, mentally unstable alcoholic and drug addict[failed verification] who encouraged her husband’s behavior and was also violent toward the brothers.

Lyle alleged that his father began abusing him at age 6 but stopped when he was 8 without explanation. Erik alleged he was abused up until adulthood, shortly before the murders. Erik testified that two weeks before the killings, he first told Lyle about the sexual abuse he was experiencing, leading to multiple confrontations within the family. Both brothers testified that their father had threatened to kill them if they did not keep the abuse secret. As a result, they purchased shotguns for “protection and self-defense.”

They alleged that the final confrontation occurred in their home’s den shortly before Kitty and José were killed. According to their testimony, José closed the den’s door, which they described as unusual. They testified that they were afraid that their parents would kill them, so they went outside to load their shotguns, and Erik famously explained, “As I went into the room, I just started firing.”

About the resentencing: The Peacock docuseries, “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed,” released in 2023, prompted calls to review the brothers’ sentences as one of the featured accounts by Roy Rosselló, a former member of the boy band Menudo, claimed Jose Menendez raped him – then the head of RCA Records – in the mid-1980s when he was 13 or 14 years old.

The Menendez brothers filed a habeas corpus petition shortly after citing Rosselló’s allegations as well as a letter from Erik Menendez to his cousin that they say references the abuse. In October, former LA District attorney George Gascón recommended the brothers be resentenced, saying he supports the resentencing of the brothers to life with the possibility of parole – which normally would mean 50 years to life in prison. But because the crimes happened when the brothers were under 26 years old, under California law they would be eligible for youthful parole.

The case has also received renewed attention because of a television series, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.” Erik Menendez has criticized the brothers’ depiction in the series as “dishonest” and “demoralizing.” Netflix also released a documentary on the Menendez case last month, featuring both men discussing what led to the killings.

Inkandescent will continue to report on this case. 

Click here to read the article in The Wire.

Until next Monday: Today, breathtaking events are happening around the world. This is but one example of what happens when children are abused. Let’s connect to find bold ways to protect our children.  — Hope Katz Gibbs, founder and president, Inkandescent® Inc. Inkandescent.us

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