Some are wondering about the Menendez brothers‘ sister and if they have other siblings. This is due to numerous family members of Erik and Lyle Menendez having come out in support of their resentencing, many of whom are women around the brothers’ age. A part of the confusion also stems from references made about the Menendez sisters. Here’s whether the Menendez brothers have a sister or another sibling in the family.
Do the Menendez brothers have a sister or other sibling?
No, the Menendez brothers do not have a sister or other sibling.
Most references to a “sister” in their case are about Joan Andersen VanderMolen, the sister to Kitty Menendez. She supports the brothers despite them being sentenced for life without parole for murdering their mother Kitty and father Jose. On October 16, the 93-year-old flew out to California to participate in a press conference, per FOX LA. She said that while their actions were “tragic,” it was also a “desperate response of two boys trying to survive the unspeakable cruelty of their father.
She said she “had no idea the extent of the abuse they suffered” and that at the time of their trial in the 1990s “the whole world was not ready to hear that boys could be raped.” However, in today’s climate “we know better.”
Karen VanderMolen, the cousin of the Menendez brothers, also made a pointed statement about the case during the press conference, saying “I cannot help but think of how things would be different if the world had known the truth back then, or if thy had been the Menendez sisters.”
This conference was mentioned in the Menendez sentencing memo (available in full via NBC Los Angeles), submitted on Friday, October 25, by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office requesting the resentencing of Erik and Lyle Menendez. The memo explains that “almost 30 other extended family members” expressed their support of the brothers being resentenced and “collectively confirm the men were sexually abused by Jose Menendez when they were children.”
If the judge presiding over the resentencing hearing agrees with the D.A.’s recommendation, this will give the brothers a chance at being released from prison on parole.