-In 2023 a letter from one of the boys was found that was sent to their cousin Andy Cano, in 1988. The cousin testified in court that he knew about the rape but didnt report it. He later killed himself after the boys got life in prison. The letter was from Erik and said

"I’m so afraid she’ll tell him whatever I say. I just can’t risk it.

So now I’m stuck here alone. I’ve been trying to avoid dad. It’s still happening Andy but it’s worse for me now. I can’t explain it. He’s so overweight that I just can’t stand to see him. I never know when it’s going to happen and it’s driving me crazy. Every night I stay up thinking he might come in. I need to put it out of my mind. I know what you said before but I’m afraid. You just don’t know dad like I do. He’s crazy! He’s warned me a hundred times about telling anyone. Especially Lyle."

Andy testified that when Erik was 12 asked Andy if it was normal for a dad to be "massaging his dick" and told him "these massages are beginning to hurt."

-Two other cousins who lived with them for a bit said the dad would take the boys to their room and told the cousins to not go down the hall.

Their other cousin said he could hear groans and crying from the bedroom and the mom would just turn up the tv volume to not hear them.

The cousins testified that the father would shower with the boys, which is something the Menendez brothers have talked about.

-Some of the top trauma experts evaluated the brothers' in jail and concluded they had been severely maltreated and molested.  An internationally respected expert classified the crime scene as lacking planning and that she believed their story. The forensic psychiatrist who studied them for 6 years testified that he believes them. Dr. Wilson testified that Erik Menendez suffered from the disorder “battered person syndrome”.  Another professional testified that their symptoms proved they were telling the truth. John Conte said Lyle likely experienced abuse longer than what he admitted to. Dr. Stuart Hart interviewed Lyle for 60 hours and concluded that the killings were a result of the fear from the abuse.

-The parents had pictures of the brothers' naked bodies at 6 and 8 years old with their heads cut off and focused on their genitals. 6 year old Erik has an erection in one of the photos. The photo was labeled as "Erik's 6th birthday" by his mother.

-The woman who brought their dad hookers, CHERI WOODS, said one time her girl who spent the night with him came back bleeding everywhere and terrified. Woods admitted the father would request underage petite girls every time. Here is some quotes from Woods:

“He insisted that the girls be no more than 13 years old and petite, but I never employed minors, so I sent my youngest-looking girls.

Once, he tried to strangle a very sweet girl as he had sex with her, she was so scared she refused to go back to him - regardless of how much he wanted to pay her.” “The girl came back with scratches and bruises all over.. I believe that Jose's sexual appetite for teenagers and his violent tendencies could easily spill over into home life. Seeing what he did and could've done to the girls, his sons had good reason to think that Jose could hurt them if he wanted to.”

-When Lyle was 14, he wrote a school essay called “I will change your verdict” which had a man sentenced to death for killing a child molester. The man did this to protect a 12 year old boy. Lyle has been consistent about the fact he found out about the sexual abuse of his brother when Erik was 12 and Lyle was 14.

-At 7 years old a doctor identified bruising in the back of Erik's throat and documented it. This is likely due to oral rape. In 1977 he was admitted into a hospital for "Hurt posterior pharynx, uvula, and soft palate." All consistent with oral abuse.

They had tons of symptoms that are linked to abuse like 

"gastrointestinal problems

unexplained abdominal pain

enuresis

hematomas and lacerations on their faces and bodies

frequent headaches

speech articulation disorder

teeth grinding

telogen effluvium"

-Family of the boys (as well as Erik himself) have told us that Erik used to eat large amounts of lemons to numb his taste buds so he couldn't taste his father's semen. (Link https://www.youtube.com/shorts/M74CLQuMARs)

-Lyle told his friend Donovan Goodreau in early May of 1989 that his father molested him and Erik. Lyle also told him that he was scared of the Calabasas bathtub and that it would be used for sexual abuse.

Months before the trial Lyle's other friend asked Goodreau if he knew about the molestation. Goodreau told this all to Robert Rand before the first trial. It was recorded saying 

"He did tell me a lot of things about... you know... his father and stuff like that...

He told me a lot about their past and stuff. And you know it was similar to my own past... I was molested as a child and I told him that and I guess that opened the gate and he told me and it was like, wow! Lyle and his brother were molested." and

"And Glenn just freaked me out because I thought Lyle...I thought I was the only one who heard about that or knew about that and all of a sudden Glenn told me the same thing. He said, "did you know about the molestation and all that?" And you know, I thought he was having problems. You know, Lyle was scared too. The house at Calabasas had this huge bathtub and he was like fearing this thing to the gods end..."

-Trusted people around their lives reported they wet the beds in their teen years (a classic sign of abuse), had "extreme dissociation", were hyper sexual at a very young age, played with stuffed animals until they were 17 (childlike mental state), one was balding due to stress at just 14, they were scared of touch and talking about sex and had constant nightmares. 

• Another man has come out and said he was assaulted as a kid by their father while in the band Menudo.

• Diane Vandermolen said in court that their mother would help 14 year old Lyle shower and it would take longer than 20 minutes.

-Their mother told her therapist she was “hiding sick and embarrassing secrets” about her family.