The family of Lyle and Erik Menendez appeared before a judge on Monday, November 25, urging for the brothers' release from the life sentences they are serving for the shotgun murders of their parents. However, the long-awaited court hearing hit a snag, with technical difficulties delaying proceedings until January.
This hearing marked the brothers' first court appearance in 28 years, as a growing movement advocating their release gains momentum. Despite the delay, Judge Michael Jesic heard emotional testimony from the men's elderly aunts, who pleaded for their freedom.
"I would like to be able to hug them and see them," said Terry Baralt, 85, Jose Menendez's older sister. "I would like them to come home."
Kitty Menendez's sister, Joan Vander Molen, added: "No child should go through what Erik and Lyle went through. They never knew if tonight will be the night when they would be raped."
The Menendez brothers were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996, with prosecutors framing the killings as a cold-blooded plot to inherit their parents' $14 million fortune. At the time of the murders in 1989, Lyle was 21, and Erik, 18. The defense painted a starkly different picture, arguing the brothers acted out of desperation after enduring years of sexual abuse and psychological torment at the hands of their father, with their mother complicit in the suffering.
This year, the case has drawn renewed attention with the release of the Netflix hit "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story." Public interest has surged, bolstered by celebrity advocates like Kim Kardashian, who recently supported the campaign to free the brothers. "Set them free before the holidays!" wrote Tammi Menendez, Erik's wife, in a social media post last week.
The hearing is part of a broader strategy by the brothers' legal team to secure their release. Attorney Mark Geragos is pursuing three avenues: a writ of habeas corpus to overturn their convictions, a motion for re-sentencing that could allow for parole, and a clemency appeal to California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Journalist Robert Rand, who has closely covered the case and maintains contact with the brothers, described the family as hopeful but realistic. "They're hopeful," Rand said. "They don't know what's going to happen. I believe this could take much longer than originally anticipated. It could be six months, could be eight months, could be a year, but eventually they will get out."
As the Menendez brothers await their next hearing in January, the emotional pleas from their family and the cultural fascination with their case ensure their story remains a flashpoint in America's criminal justice debate.