An elderly aunt of Lyle and Erik Menendez is in intensive care after prosecutors showed graphic crime scene images during the brothers’ hearing on Friday, according to a spokesperson for the family.
The Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition, a family-led initiative advocating for the release of the brothers, is calling for immediate accountability and oversight following a “disturbing and reckless decision” by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office during Friday’s court hearing that sent Terry Baralt, 85, to the hospital.
“We are devastated to share that Terry Baralt has been hospitalized and is in critical condition following the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office’s cruel and careless conduct in court,” a statement from the family read. “No physical pain has ever kept her from being there for her nephews. But the display put on by the DA’s office pushed her past the brink.”
Baralt, who is Jose Menendez’s sister, is battling colon cancer, but traveled from her home in New Jersey to Los Angeles to support her nephews at their hearing, where the family said she was forced to witness graphic images, including her brother’s body.
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“Without notice, prosecutors chose to show a graphic, unredacted image of José’s dead body directly in front of us, his surviving family. No one prepared us. There was no warning, no humanity – just shock and pain inflicted on people who have already endured decades of grief,” the statement continued.
The family spokesperson shared with Fox News Digital that Baralt remains in critical condition at a Los Angeles hospital.
The Menendez family has also called for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office to be removed from the case after showing the graphic images, saying their use of the photo violated California’s Marsy’s Law, which they noted “guarantees victims the right to be treated with fairness and respect for their privacy and dignity, and free from intimidation, harassment, and abuse throughout the criminal justice process.”
“This wasn’t just cruel. It was a clear violation of our rights,” the family wrote. “The display was retraumatizing, completely avoidable, and we believe it was intentional. The District Attorney’s Office knew what the law required and deliberately chose to ignore it. We are holding them fully responsible for the profound pain we are suffering right now. The shock and heartbreak we feel cannot be put into words.”
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Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman’s office shared a statement with Fox News Digital saying that prosecutors did not intend to “cause distress or pain” to those in attendance at the hearing.
“To the extent that the photographic depiction of this conduct upset any of the Menendez family members present in court, we apologize for not giving prior warning that the conduct would be described in detail not only in words but also through a crime scene photo,” Hochman’s office wrote.
Hochman’s office also explained that the Menendez brothers’ decision to file a habeas petition in 2023 and a request for clemency and resentencing in 2024 was “certainly going to trigger emotions for all those concerned in a case after staying dormant for over 18 years.”
“We never intend to cause distress or pain to individuals who attend a court hearing,” Hochman’s office said. “We understand the nature of the evidence of these heinous double murders was deeply emotional. However, by design, these hearings are intended to be a place where the truth, no matter how painful, is brought to light. That truth starts with the abject brutality and premeditation of the murders themselves.”
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LA County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic handed down a win to the Menendez brothers during Friday’s hearing, deciding against withdrawing their petition for a new trial.
The decision comes after District Attorney Nathan Hochman told reporters on March 10 that he was seeking to withdraw former District Attorney George Gascon’s motion for a resentencing hearing, which he filed days before losing re-election.
Resentencing proceedings will continue on April 17 and 18, Jesic said.
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The Menendez brothers and their supporters have been pushing for a resentencing hearing, saying the brothers were unfairly convicted to life in prison in 1996 for murdering their two parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
Both Lyle and Erik Menendez have since come forward in documentaries and on social media claiming their father sexually abused them, offering a different narrative of the killings than the story their attorneys told in the 1990s.
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Hochman previously told ABC News that he would consider resentencing both brothers “sincerely and unequivocally admit, for the first time in over 30 years, the full range of their criminal activity and all the lies that they have told about it.”
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The district attorney wrote in his motion that he believes the Menendez brothers “have repeatedly lied about the case, their parents, and their interactions with witnesses.”
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Their first trial ended in a mistrial, when jurors couldn’t agree on their fate. After a second trial in the mid-1990s, in which some of their evidence about the alleged sexual abuse was excluded, jurors agreed with prosecutors that their motive was greed.
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If the judge decides to resentence the Menendez brothers, it will then be up to the state parole board to consider their release.
They are already scheduled to appear before the board on June 13 as part of a comprehensive risk assessment report ordered by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is considering the brothers’ clemency request – a separate potential path out of prison.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
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