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The family of Erik and Lyle Menendez is pushing for their release from prison, holding a press conference outside a Los Angeles courthouse … and TMZ is streaming live.
Rosie O’Donnell is scheduled to speak in support of the Menendez brothers … and nearly two dozen family members have traveled from across the country to pressure L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón to officially recommend resentencing the notorious killers.
Erik and Lyle’s defense attorney, Mark Geragos, is also set to give remarks … and three of the Menendez brothers’ cousins, plus an aunt, are going to grab the mic too.
Among the key pieces of new evidence the family is expected to discuss here is a letter Erik wrote just months before the brothers killed their parents … in which Erik allegedly tells his cousin, Andy Cano, about the abuse he and Lyle faced at the hands of their father, Jose Menendez.
Andy’s mother reportedly found Erik’s letter about nine years ago … and during the Menendez brothers’ trial, Andy testified Erik had told him about his dad’s alleged abuse when he was only 13 years old. Andy died in 2003, so he obviously won’t be at the press conference.
As we reported, earlier this month D.A. Gascón announced his office was reevaluating evidence in the Menendez case … and the district attorney said he’d heard about other abuse claims against Jose, made by Menudo bandmember Roy Rosselló.
Erik and Lyle have been behind bars since 1990 … they testified about being abused by their father during their first trial, which ended in a hung jury — but a judge refused to allow such testimony in the retrial — and they’re serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.
It will be interesting to see what the family has to say here … they’re clearly hoping this new evidence will overturn Erik and Lyle’s sentences.