It was reported today that the Menendez Brothers’ Aunt Terry Baralt was found unresponsive in a hotel room in Los Angeles after pleading and begging to live long enough to hug her nephews. She is 85 years old, and sources have said that she has been exhausted, stressed, and traumatized over this entire ordeal, as well as trying to get them released from prison this year. The family has continued to fight to get the Menendez Brothers released from prison.
Menendez Brothers’ Aunt in Critical Condition
Terry Baralt visits her nephews as often as she can at the Correctional Facility in San Diego, California. Due to her age and her decrease in health, she was diagnosed with colon cancer, and because she lives in New Jersey, it is difficult for her. Terry is Jose Menendez’s only living sister. She spoke out on Friday for the first time about the Menendez Brothers, saying, “They are like the boys that I didn’t have – It’s time, 35 years is a long time.”
She continued to say that “It’s a whole branch of my family erased.” She also stated, “I have tried to go see them as much as I can, but it’s hard because I live in New Jersey and I’m 85. I don’t have that much time”. Terry, who is also Lyle’s godmother, also wrote a statement that was read by her daughter at a press conference in October. “35 years is such a long time; my prayer is that I live long enough to see my nephews again and hug them once more”.
The Family’s Reaction
A statement from the Menendez 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 family also quoted, “The display was traumatizing, completely avoidable, and we believe it was intentional”. The family continued to state, “The level of disrespect was staggering, but it’s come to a disturbing pattern we’ve come to expect.”
The family’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, accuses prosecutors of violating Marsy’s Law that which requires empathy towards victims. The LA District Attorney’s office released a statement late Sunday afternoon that read: “We never intend to cause distress or pain to individuals who attend a court hearing. We understand that 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. The truth starts with the abject brutality and premeditation of the murders themselves”.
Menendez Brothers’ Aunt Terry Baralt is in critical condition in a New Jersey hospital. The Menendez family says Terry is in the hospital after prosecutors showed graphic photos of the crime scene in court. The Menendez family says her health deterioration is the DA’s fault.
