Rosie O’Donnell called for Lyle and Erik Menendez to be freed from prison following their latest parole denial.
The former View cohost shared a message in support of the convicted murderers via Instagram on Saturday, August 23, after the Menendez brothers lost a bid to be paroled for the 1989 killings of their parents José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez.
“Free the Menendez brothers,” O’Donnell, 63, wrote.
Erik and Lyle were both denied parole in separate hearings last week. While they were convicted on two counts of first-degree murder in 1996, they have always maintained that they acted in self-defense because of physical, emotional and sexual abuse from their parents.
O’Donnell bonded with Lyle after he wrote her a letter of thanks in the 1990s for defending the siblings during an appearance on Larry King Live. The two started speaking on the phone in 2022 when they were connected by Lyle’s wife, Rebecca Sneed.
Speaking to Variety, O’Donnell recounted the emotional experience of traveling to the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego to meet both brothers in person for the first time in 2023.
“I saw Lyle and gave him a hug,” she recalled. “Then Erik came over to me, hugged me, and whispered in my ear, ‘Thank you for loving my brother.’ It was very, very moving to me.”
The Daytime Emmy Award winner grew so close to Lyle that she credited him with helping her feel “safe enough to trust and be vulnerable and love a straight man” for the first time in her life.
Meanwhile, Erik’s daughter, Talia Menendez, previously hit out at the Menendez brothers’ celebrity supporters for not reacting more vocally to the parole denial.
“Where are the celebrities that were ‘advocating’ for them???? It’s been WAY TOO QUIET,” she wrote via Instagram on Thursday, August 23.
Talia singled out Cooper Koch, who played Erik in the Netflix true-crime drama Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, as the only celebrity who’d checked on the family since their legal setback.
“The only one that I can say has been checking in on my family is Cooper and we absolutely adore him,” she claimed. “To the ones that went to the prison without any background checks to film their show but are staying quiet now. You despise [sic] me beyond measure. Just say your views are down and keep it PUSHING.”
Talia’s mother, Tammi Saccoman-Menendez and the brothers’ attorney Mark Geragos both outright condemned the parole board’s decision, while a family statement released on Thursday was more measured.
“While we respect the decision, today’s outcome was of course disappointing and not what we hoped for,” the Menendez family said in a statement. “But our belief in Erik remains unwavering and we know he will take the Board’s recommendation in stride. His remorse, growth, and the positive impact he’s had on others speak for themselves. We will continue to stand by him and hold to the hope he is able to return home soon.”
Us Weekly has reached out to California Board of Parole Hearings and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for comment.
Prior to last week’s parole hearings, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman rejected calls for Erik and Lyle to be freed.
“The Menendez brothers have never fully accepted responsibility for the horrific murders of their parents, instead continuing to promote a false narrative of self-defense that was rejected by the jury decades ago,” he said in a statement on Wednesday. “We have consistently opposed their release because they have not demonstrated full insight into their crimes or shown that they have been fully rehabilitated, and therefore continue to pose a risk to society.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
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