The Menendez Brothers’ Aunt Joan on Why They Must Be Freed: “They Were Used and Abused, and There Seems to Be No End to It”

Joan VanderMolen, Kitty Menendez’s older sister, might be 92, but she doesn’t pull punches. The white-haired matriarch of the Menendez family has been a staunch and outspoken supporter of Erik and Lyle’s since 1990, when they were charged with murdering their parents with shotguns in the den of their Beverly Hills home. Now she hopes that they could be released from prison thanks to last week’s announcement by the Los Angeles district attorney, George Gascón, that he’s considering new evidence in the case.

In an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair, VanderMolen reveals intimate details of how she and her sister grew up, and while one can never truly know what goes on in another person’s mind, her revelations about their father offer the closest we may ever come to understanding why Kitty didn’t leave Jose Menendez, even though Erik and Lyle testified to years of sexual and physical abuse. The case has, of course, has been the subject of renewed interested because of two Netflix releases: Ryan Murphy’s scripted series and a new documentary, directed by Alejandro Hartmann. Excerpts from VF’s conversation with VanderMolen.

Vanity Fair: Thank you for agreeing to speak with me. I know that you’ve been through a lot.

Joan VanderMolen: You might say that. It’s always difficult [to talk about Erik and Lyle]. I care so much about them. I’m shook up right now thinking about it.

If you don’t mind my asking, can you say more about what makes you so upset?

The fact that they’re in the situation they are in. They didn’t deserve any of this. They were used and abused and there seems to be no end to it.

The DA says that he’s looking at the writ of habeas corpus that was submitted by Erik and Lyle’s attorneys. Are you hopeful that maybe there is some kind of end in sight?

Of course. I have for a long time. Since day one.

They were arrested 34 years ago. That’s a long time to hold out hope.

Yes. It’s not fair.

I looked back at some of the footage from the trial, and after all these years it’s still shocking.

That doesn’t even say how I felt when the second trial came along and there was no defense whatsoever that would be allowed. There was no trial at all. Everything their lawyer said was shut dry down. [Leslie Abramson] couldn’t get anything [admitted into evidence]. It was like the abuse never happened. It wasn’t fair at all. I don’t know how the jury reached a verdict after a trial so nuts.

Did you talk to Leslie Abramson at the time about what was happening?

I just told her the job she was doing was superb. And for her to be shot down like that. Judge [Stanley] Weisberg shot her down all the time.

What did she say? Do you remember?

No. I just told her I loved her and she told me she loved me back. That’s all. She’s a terrific lady, and she did the best she could and then some with no recognition whatsoever by the court.

When was the last time that you spoke with either Lyle or Erik?

Last week.

How are they doing?

They’re hopeful. That’s all I can say is hopeful. We all are. I could cry just thinking about all the years that have gone on, and there they are.

How often do you speak with them?

Oh, regularly. Weekly.

Their lives will be very different if they’re released…

Well, they’d have to adjust to where they’re at. It’s scary. But, you know, they didn’t plan on spending their life in prison either.

Your daughters, Diane and Kathleen, have testified about Jose’s abuse. Diane said she told Kitty that Lyle told her that Jose was touching his private parts, but Kitty didn’t believe her. Kathleen said that Jose would send the kids to their room and that nobody was allowed to go near the hallway when he was with Erik or Lyle alone.