SHOCK TURN Menendez brothers’ relative who fought against freedom bid & wanted them put to DEATH dies just weeks before decision
THE UNCLE of the Menendez brothers – and the only remaining relative opposed to their release from prison – has died.
Milton Andersen was the brother of Kitty Menendez, who was shot to death by her sons, Erik and Lyle Menendez, in August 1989.
He was the only remaining member of the Menendez and Andersen families who insisted the brothers should stay in prison for their crimes.
Erik and Lyle Menendez killed Kitty and Jose Menendez in the family’s Beverly Hills mansion in 1989.
During their murder trials, the brothers testified they had committed the shotgun murders in self-defense following years of alleged abuse from Kitty and Jose.
Andersen described the brothers’ claims of abuse as a “load of bull.”
He consistently argued that the allegations against his sister and brother-in-law weren’t true.
He and his brother Brian, who died in 2017, testified against their nephews when they were on trial for the death penalty in 1996.
However, the jury instead sentenced Erik and Lyle to a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Andersen said the brothers were motivated by greed to kill their parents.
Erik and Lyle’s cousin, Anamaria Baralt, announced Andersen died of cancer in Illinois at the age of 91.
In the years after the murders, Andersen and his brother argued they should be beneficiaries of the Menendez estate. Their request was denied.
Erik and Lyle’s bid for freedom continues as dozens of their family members have supported their potential release.
Former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon announced he would be recommending Erik and Lyle’s resentencing on October 24, 2024.
Andersen slammed the move at the time as an attempt to “rewrite history.”
COUSIN SPEAKS OUT
Baralt, a fierce advocate for the brothers’ freedom, asked their supporters to be sensitive about Andersen’s death.
“I want to be careful that we’re not celebrating someone’s death,” Baralt said on TikTok.
Timeline of the Menendez brothers case
Erik and Lyle Menendez’s case dates back more than three decades since their parents were found shot to death at their Beverly Hills mansion.
Below is a timeline of the brothers’ case, starting at the gruesome crime scene:
August 20, 1989 – José and Kitty Menendez are found dead from multiple shotgun wounds.
March 8, 1990 – Lyle is arrested outside his parents’ Beverly Hills mansion.
March 11, 1990 – Erik surrenders to police after flying back into Los Angeles from Israel.
December 1992 – Murder charges against the brothers are officially filed.
July 20, 1993 – The murder trial, highly publicized on Court TV, begins in Los Angeles with Erik and Lyle each having a separate jury.
January 28, 1994 – The first trial ends with two deadlocked juries.
October 11, 1995 – Lyle and Erik’s second trial begins with one jury.
March 20, 1996 – The Menendez brothers are convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
July 2, 1996 – Lyle and Erik are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and sent to separate prisons.
February 22, 2018 – Lyle is transferred to the San Diego prison, where Erik is held.
April 4, 2018 – Lyle was moved into the same housing unit as Erik – the first time the brothers were reunited in over 20 years.
May 2023 – Lyle and Erik’s attorney files a habeas corpus petition after Roy Rosselló, a member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, made sexual abuse allegations against Jose Menendez in a Peacock docuseries.
September 19, 2024 – Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story releases on Netflix.
October 3, 2024 – Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón says his office is reviewing new evidence in connection with Lyle and Erik’s convictions.
October 7, 2024 – The Menendez Brothers documentary film comes out on Netflix.
October 16, 2024 – Family members of the Menendez brothers hold a press conference begging for the siblings to be released from prison.
October 24, 2024 – Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón recommends the brothers be resentenced.
November 25, 2024 – The Menendez brothers appear in court for a status hearing to learn their resentencing hearing is pushed back from December 11 to allow new DA Nathan Hochman more time to review the case.
January 30-31, 2025 – Erik and Lyle’s resentencing hearing was initially set but had to be rescheduled due to the California wildfires.
February 21, 2025 – Hochman officially opposes a new trial for the brothers.
February 26, 2025 – California Governor Gavin Newsom orders the parole board to conduct a “comprehensive risk assessment” of the Menendez brothers.
March 20-21, 2025 – The brothers were set to go before a judge for a resentencing hearing that was postponed.
“Yes, he was the only member of the family that was on the other side of this that was fighting against Erik and Lyle’s release,” she added.
“So obviously we stood firmly on two different sides of this issue.”
She continued, “However, I’ve always been filled with great empathy for Milton, for why he felt the way that he did, because it was out of love for his sister and I can understand that.
“He is passed and with his passing, I would like to remind people that there really is no one in the victims’ family that is standing up and fighting against Erik and Lyle.”
She added, “I hope that is taken into consideration by the people who should be taking it into consideration.”
FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
After Gascon had shared his support in the brothers’ freedom bid, he was ousted by new Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who quickly cracked down on the brothers.
Hochman announced last month his office would oppose Erik and Lyle’s request for a new trial.
A hearing on the brothers’ potential release was previously scheduled for March 20 and 21 but has been postponed.
California Governor Gavin Newsom intervened by ordering a state parole board to conduct a “risk assessment investigation” on the brothers in a move praised by the Menendez and Andersen families.
The governor’s office said the assessment could take a few months to complete.
While Hochman is opposed to a new trial, he is still weighing the decision on resentencing due to new evidence about the brothers being sexually abused by their dad.
Hochman is set to give an update on the Menendez brothers’ case on Monday.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) at 800-656-HOPE (4673).
