The family of Lyle, Erik Menendez, is calling for the murderer brothers to be resentenced after 30 years in prison for the murder of their parents

The family of Lyle and Erik Menendez called for the killer brothers to be resentenced after they spent more than 30 years behind bars on Wednesday, arguing that they were victims of heinous sexual abuse at the hands of their parents before the duo killed them in their posh mansion shot in Beverly Hills in 1989.

The brothers were sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996 in a lengthy and highly publicized trial that captivated the nation and made the men a household name after the gruesome murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez.

More than 20 family members visited the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles, insisting that the Menendez brothers were victims of “unspeakable cruelty” at the hands of their father, music executive Jose – and that their suffering while incarcerated The trial took place in 1993 because society had not yet recognized that men could be victims of sexual abuse.

“If it were the Menendez sisters, they wouldn’t be in custody. We have moved on and it is time for them to be released,” Anna Maria Baralt, Jose Menendez’s niece, told reporters.

“Like so many others, I am finding it difficult to process the loss of that day and the pain I felt. Over time, it became clear that there were two other victims – my cousins ​​- who would continue to be victims of a system that did not hear them and a culture that was unwilling to listen to them,” she added.

“They would be mocked, they would be called cold-blooded murderers and they would be left in prison to rot with no hope of redemption.”

She insisted the brothers lived “lives of light” and “improved themselves” during their decades behind bars, and argued for the men to be given a second chance.

“I hope our 34-year nightmare comes to an end and we are reunited as a family. I’m here to ask the DA’s office to consider the bigger picture that has remained hidden for so long. Lyle and Erik deserve a chance to heal, and our family deserves a chance to heal with them,” Baralt said.

Kitty Menendez’s sister Joan Vandermolen, 93, nervously approached the microphone panel and became visibly emotional as she spoke.

“As their aunt, I had no idea of ​​the extent of the abuse they suffered at the hands of my brother-in-law. None of us did it. But looking back, I can see the fear their father instilled in them,” she told the crowd.

“The truth is that Lyle and Erik were abandoned by the very people who should have protected them. From their parents, from the system, from society as a whole. When they stood trial, the world was not ready to believe that boys could be raped or that young men could be victims of sexual violence.

“Today we know better,” she continued.

“No jury today would impose such a harsh sentence without taking her trauma into account. Lyle and Erik paid a heavy price – rejected by a system that failed to recognize their pain. They’ve grown, they’ve changed, and they’ve become better men despite everything they’ve been through.”

Well-known lawyer Mark Geragos introduced the family members and represented well-known clients such as Michael Jackson, Chris Brown, Colin Kaepernick and Jussie Smollett.

Geragos praised the brothers’ efforts to make the most of their time behind bars, including Lyle, now 56, one of 22 inmates who earned bachelor’s degrees from UC Irvine while incarcerated.

He said after the news conference, family members would march across the street to meet with Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón to make their case for a resentencing under Marsy’s Law, a 2008 California law that regulates the Significantly expanded rights of crime victims under the state constitution.

The Menendez brothers’ case returned to public consciousness following the release of the popular Netflix series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” and an announcement from the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office earlier this month that will shed light on the brothers’ convictions new evidence.

One of the new pieces of evidence is a bombshell note – allegedly written by Erik months before the murders – which suggests he lived in fear of his father’s alleged abuse.

“I tried to avoid dad. It’s still happening, Andy, but it’s worse for me now,” reads the handwritten letter to the brothers’ cousin, Andy Cano.

“I never know when it’s going to happen and it drives me crazy. Every night I stay awake thinking he might come in.”

Prosecutor George Gascón released a screenshot of the letter on Sunday – but it was later deleted – several weeks after it was revealed that the office was reviewing new evidence and reconsidering their convictions.

The letter was never presented as evidence during the brothers’ trial, which their lawyers say could have influenced the jury that convicted them of first-degree murder.

The Netflix series has sparked a wave of sympathy for the killers, who supporters believe committed the brutal murders in self-defense.

Erik and Lyle, who were 21 and 18 respectively at the time of their parents’ murders, have long claimed they killed their parents, Kitty and Jose, after suffering a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse from them.

But prosecutors at the time claimed there was no evidence of any harassment and argued the brothers’ motivation for the murders was to get their hands on their wealthy parents’ multimillion-dollar estate.

Their first trial ended in 1994 before a hung jury before the case was retried in 1995, with both Lyle and Erik found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole. The judge in the last trial ruled that any evidence of the siblings’ alleged sexual abuse was inadmissible.

Erik Menendez, now 53, has spoken out about the Ryan Murphy-led Netflix series about the brothers’ case.

Around 100 spectators also attended the press conference, some of whom showed signs of support for the long-detained brothers.

Donna Carol, 53, arrived with a sign that read, “Served 35 years / Let them out!”

“I’m a mother of three boys and of course I think murder is wrong, but I believe in reform, I believe in second chances. They served 35 years for this crime,” she told the Post.