Kitty Menendez’s sister, Joan VanderMolen, 92, opens up about why she has supported her nephews since they killed their parents
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation/AP
Erik Menendez in 2016 and Lyle Menendez in 2018.
Joan VanderMolen has supported her nephews, the Menendez brothers, from the day they were arrested for the 1989 murders of her sister Kitty Menendez, 47, and brother-in-law Jose Menendez, 45.
All these years later, VanderMolen, now 92, still supports them, pushing for their release from the San Diego prison where they are serving life sentences in prison without parole.
In an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair, VanderMolen, says it’s difficult for her to talk about Lyle, 56, and Erik, 53. “I care so much about them,” she says. “I’m shook up right now thinking about it.”
Continuing about what makes her so upset, she says, “The fact that they’re in the situation they are in. They didn’t deserve any of this.”
She adds: “They were used and abused and there seems to be no end to it.”
In a bombshell, she says her nephews tried to get Kitty to leave Jose.
“They promised her they would take care of her and everything,” VanderMolen says.
But Kitty stayed.
VanderMolen says she’s encouraged by the recent announcement made by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón that his office is reviewing new evidence supporting their claims of abuse by their father for possible resentencing.
Back in 1993, when the brothers were tried for their parents’ killings, prosecutors claimed the brothers fatally shot their parents for their $14 million fortune.
During their first trial in 1993, the brothers testified that they didn’t kill their parents for the money but rather because they feared Jose, after years of sexual molestation, and Kitty, who they claim knew about the sexual abuse but never tried to stop it, were planning to kill their sons.
That trial ended with a deadlocked jury. When the brothers were tried again, they were convicted in March 1996 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
VanderMolen believes the judge in the second trial limited evidence about the brothers claims about the abuse they suffered, and she remains upset about it.
“There was no defense whatsoever that would be allowed,” she says. “There was no trial at all. Everything their lawyer said was shut dry down. [Attorney 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.”
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VanderMolen speaks regularly to her nephews, who told her recently that “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.”
She isn’t surprised that her sister stood by her husband despite the abuse claims. “There was a lot to be gained by sticking by your man,” she says.
In another bombshell revelation, she alleges she and her sister endured abuse at the hands of their own father. Their late father, she said, “tried to get fresh with both of us.”
Like Kitty, their mother stayed with their father.
“I don’t understand these women that can love people that are not gentlemen,” she says. “But they do. It’s amazing. Kitty should have left Jose long before (the murders).”
Saying her nephews have done “remarkably well” despite everything they have been through, she says, “You can’t find better people not just in prison but anywhere.”
The interview ends with her expressing her love for her nephews. “Just know that I — we, the family — love Erik and Lyle. I hope our support gets them where they should be, and that’s not in prison.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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