The Menendez brothers' aunt is reportedly in critical condition in the hospital after being shown a graphic photo of her murdered brother in court, allegedly without any prior warning.
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Terry Baralt, the 85-year-old sister of José Menendez, was at a resentencing hearing for his sons, Erik and Lyle Menendez, when she was shown a graphic, unredacted photo of her brother’s body.
The shocking moment came “in open court, and without any prior warning,” according to a statement released by the Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition, per The New York Post.
“Prosecutors displayed an unredacted, graphic image of José Menendez’s lifeless body - an act that retraumatized family members in attendance and led to the hospitalization of José’s 85-year-old sister, Terry Baralt, who is now in critical condition,” the coalition said.
Baralt, who is battling cancer, had shown up to court on Friday (April 11) to speak on behalf of her nephews.
“No physical pain has ever kept [Baralt] from being there for her nephews,” the family stated. “But the display put on by the DA’s office pushed her past the brink. By early this morning, she was rushed to the hospital and remains in critical condition.”
The Menendez family has since demanded that the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office be removed from the case, blasting the “disturbing and reckless decision” and arguing that the prosecutors are “incapable of handling this process with the fairness, care, or neutrality required by law,” as reported by NBC News.
The DA’s office responded with an apology, saying prosecutors did not mean to “cause distress or pain” and admitted they should have given a heads-up.
“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,” the office said.
The Menendez family says the display violated California’s Marsy’s Law, which guarantees victims’ relatives the right to be treated with “fairness, respect and dignity".
Lyle, 57, and Erik, 54, were both sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for the murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion on August 20, 1989.
The brothers have long claimed they acted in self-defense after enduring years of brutal sexual abuse by their father. Meanwhile, prosecutors have maintained the killings were driven by greed over the family’s $15 million fortune.
The case has seen a resurgence in public interest thanks to Netflix’s series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, which was created by Ryan Murphy.
Despite Friday’s courtroom chaos, the resentencing process is still moving forward.
Judge Michael Jesic denied current District Attorney Nathan Hochman’s request to withdraw the resentencing motion originally filed by former DA George Gascon, ruling that prosecutors had “no legally valid reason” to back out.
Additional hearings are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, with a final decision on resentencing expected soon.