A family spokesperson said Lyle and Eric Menendez’s older aunts are in intensive care after prosecutors showed images of the graphic crime scene at their brother’s hearing Friday.
Justice from Eric and Lyle Coalition, a family-led initiative advocating for the release of the brothers, is seeking immediate accountability and oversight following a “disquiet and reckless decision” by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office during a court hearing Friday that sent 85-year-old Terry Barratt to hospital.
“We are destroying Terry Barratt’s hospitalized and sharing that he is in danger following the cruel and careless conduct he has been in court at the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office,” a family statement read. “I’ve never let physical pain go away because of her nephew. But the exhibits set up by the DA’s office have overtaken her on the brink.”
Jose Menendez’s younger sister, Ballarto, is battling colon cancer, but traveled to Los Angeles from her New Jersey home to help her nephew with her hearing.
Los Angeles da Dams Menendez Brothers for “Bunker of Lies” ahead of their fight against accepted sentences
The families and supporters of Eric and Lyle Menendez are standing outside the courthouse after hearing their brothers’ case in Los Angeles on Friday, April 11, 2025. (AP photo/Damiando Burgergen) (AP News)
“Unless we’ve heard, the prosecutor chose to show us directly in front of us, an unedited image of Jose’s corpse, his surviving family. No one prepared us. There was no warning or humanity.
A family spokesman shared with Fox News Digital that Baralt remains in a critical state at a Los Angeles hospital.
The Menendez family also wanted the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office to be removed from the case after showing the graphic image, saying that the use of the photos is in violation of Mercy’s law in California, “guaranteeing the right to fairness and respect for privacy and dignity, and ensuring that they are being seduced, abused and abused throughout the criminal justice process.”
“This was not just cruel. It was a clear violation of our rights,” the family wrote. “We believe the display is retroactive, completely avoidable and intentional. The District Attorney’s Office knows what the law requires and has deliberately chosen to ignore it.
If the Menendez brothers admit to a “lie,” Los Angeles may reconsider their motion to release them: Report
Eric and Lyle Menendez’s aunt Joanne Vandermolen arrive to attend a hearing at Van Nuiss Court in Los Angeles on Monday, November 25th, 2024. (AP photo/Damiando Burgergen)
The office of Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochmann shared a statement with Fox News Digital, which says prosecutors don’t intend to “provoke pain or pain” to those attending the hearing.
“To the extent that photo depictions of this conduct have confused any of the Menendez’s families present in court, we apologise for not giving advance warning that the conduct will be described in detail, not just through words but also through photographs of the crime scene,” Hochman’s office wrote.
Hochman’s office also explained that the Menendez brothers’ decision to file a habeas proof petition in 2023 and the 2024 demand for tolerance and responsiveness “certainly after more than 18 years of sleep, it will induce emotions for all involved.”
“We are not going to cause any pain or pain for the individuals attending court hearings,” Hochman’s office said. “We understand the nature of these heinous double murder evidence, but by design, these hearings are intended to be where truth is revealed, no matter how painful it is.
California Government Newsom will set hearing review dates for the Menendez Brothers Parole Board.
Lyle and Eric Menendez on the left are sitting with defense attorney Leslie Abramson at Beverly Hills City Court on November 26, 1990, during a hearing. (AP Photo/Nick UT)
LA County Superior Court Judge Michael Jessick has decided to hand over the victory to the Menendez Brothers at a hearing Friday and withdraw the petition for a new trial.
The decision was filed several days before losing his reelection after district attorney Nathan Hochman told reporters on March 10 that George Gascon’s former attorney committee was trying to withdraw his claim to lose his Res Court hearing.
Jesic said the process of extending the resurgence to April 17th and 18th will continue.
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Menendez’s brother and his supporters had sought a hearing from a Res court, saying that the brothers were unfairly convicted in prison for killing two parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez at their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
Both Lyle and Eric Menendez have since claimed that their father was sexually abused in documentaries and social media, providing a story of murder that is different from the stories told by lawyers in the 1990s.
The Menendez Brothers’ Response: What will happen next?
Tami Menendez, wife of Eric Menendez, and stepdaughter of Eric Menendez, walks near Van Nuis Courthouse West in the case of Eric and Lyle Menendez about whether to reconsider the first-degree conviction of the Menendez Brothers in Los Angeles, and on 25th May, the US, the first-degree conviction of the Menendez Brothers of California. (Reuters/Daniel Cole)
Previously Hochman He told ABC News He said to both brothers, “I think we’ll consider a sincere and clear recognition, for the first time in over 30 years.
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The district attorney wrote in his allegations that he believed the Menendez brothers “repeated repeatedly about the case, their parents and their interactions with their witnesses.”
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Deputy District Attorney Habib Byran addressed the court on Friday, April 11, 2025, in front of a photograph of the Menendez family on display on screens at Van Nuiss, California. (Bill Robless)
Their first trial ended with cheating when the ju judges failed to agree with their fate. After the second trial in the mid-1990s Suspicion of sexual abuse Excluded, the ju judge agreed to the prosecutor that their motive was greedy.
Look at Fox Nation: Brothers Menendez: Are they victims or villains?
If a judge decides to resent Menendez’s brothers, it will then be up to the state’s parole board to consider their release.
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They will already be appearing before the board of directors as part of a comprehensive risk assessment report that is examining the brothers’ liberty demands as part of a comprehensive risk assessment report ordered by California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Michael Ruiz and Oudrey Conklin of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, murder, national crime cases, illegal immigration and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
