Erik and Lyle Menendezs aunt has revealed why she thinks their mother ignored the horrific abuse they suffered at the hands of their father throughout their childhood.
Joan Andersen VanderMolen, Kitty Menendezs sister, has been at the forefront of the push to get the brothers released from prison, as new evidence comes to light.
In an interview with NewsNations Chris Cuomo, the distressed aunt said that the Kitty she grew up with would have never allowed anything happen in her home.
Rather, she guessed that the mother sacrificed her children as a result of being wrapped up in the familys new found fortune and fame.
The brothers, then just 18 and 21, killed their parents Jose and Mary Louise Kitty Menendez with shotguns inside their million-dollar Beverly Hills home in August 1989.
Erik and Lyle Menendezs aunt, Joan Andersen VanderMolen (far left) has revealed why she thinks their mother ignored the horrific abuse they suffered at the hands of their father throughout their childhood
When we finally realized the depth of the awful treatment (from Jose Menendez), and then (Kitty Menendez) admitting she knew all along, its beyond anything we can describe. Its so painful.
I think she was getting used to the money, fame and fortune. I guess her kids were enough of a sacrifice for her. The Kitty I grew up with would have never allowed anything to happen in her home. This was something that she had to have learnt by Jose.
Cousins of the brothers, Karen VanderMolen-Copley and Tamara Goodell also added that the family knew there was abuse at gut level but did not want to believe it.
As time went on, we all talked to each other more and more. It validates the gut-level reactions that we had. … But as we talked to each other it became obvious, Karen said.
Jose and Kitty were shot 14 times with 12-gauge shotguns in their million-dollar Beverly Hills home in August 1989
The brothers’ attorney, Mark Geragos provided Gascon with new evidence of a letter Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin in which he said he was still being raped by his father months before the murder
Earlier yesterday, members of the family and defense lawyer Mark Geragos held a press conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday asking for a revised sentence, which could see Erik, 53, and Lyle, 56, walk free.
If they were the Menendez sisters they would not be in custody, Geragos said of the treatment the brothers received in their trial for the murders of their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez.
The family argued that at the time of the brothers trial, the public did not understand sexual abuse of boys, with Geragos mentioning Saturday Night Live sketches that mocked Erik and Lyle.
Kittys sister Joan Andersen VanderMolen also spoke at the press conference, describing the pain the family has felt for over 30 years.
Their actions, while tragic, were the desperate response of two boys trying to survive the unspeakable cruelty of their father, VanderMolen said.
She added: 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.
The distressed aunt said that the Kitty she grew up with would have never allowed anything happen in her home
Chilling crime scene photos showing the blood-soaked couch where Jose Menendez was shot
The family introduced a coalition called Justice for Eric and Lyle and spoke of how the brothers have lived a life of purpose in their 35 years in prison - even though they did not expect to ever be freed.
They also said they have started a petition for people to support the brothers resentencing and release.
Lyle and Erik deserve a chance to heal, and our family deserves a chance to heal with them, said one of the brothers cousins, Anamaria Baralt.
Baralt also read a statement from her mother, Joses sister, saying, My prayer is that I live long enough to see my nephews again and to hug them once more.
In addition to the press conference, the relatives placed a full page ad in Wednesday’s LA Times, showing photos of the brothers and calling for ‘JUSTICE FOR ERIK AND LYLE’
Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of the murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty, in 1996 after their first trial was declared a mistrial
Kittys sister Joan Andersen VanderMolen also spoke at the press conference, describing the pain the family has felt for over 30 years
They were sentenced to life in prison in 1996, the two have not seen each other since
Their trial prompted worldwide headlines. Prosecutors said they were motivated by greed, as they stood to inherit $14 million from their parents - while the brothers insisted they acted against a father who sexually abused them for years and a mother who turned a blind eye to the abuse.
That first trial ended with a hung jury. But at their second trial in 1996 - where the judge refused to allow any evidence about the brothers being molested by their father - they were convicted and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.
If a jury at any potential re-trial finds them guilty of voluntary manslaughter instead of murder, it would trigger their immediate release as they have already served more than the maximum sentence.
Gascon launched a new look at the case last month, saying his office was investigating fresh evidence of abuse that was not permitted in their trial,
Specifically, Gascon said he was reviewing shocking allegations made last year by Roy Rossello, a former member of the band Menudo, who claimed Jose Menendez - then a top executive with RCA Records - drugged and raped him in the 1980s when he was a teenager.
The brothers’ attorney, Mark Geragos- who is asking LA Superior Court to vacate the convictions - also provided Gascon with new evidence of a letter Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin in which he said he was still being raped by his father eight months before the murders.
Gascon remains non-committal at present about whether he’ll push for the case to go back to court, his office telling DailyMail.com, ‘A decision regarding the Menendez case has not been made. Once DA Gascón has made a decision, the family members of the victims and the public will be notified.