The siblings have always maintained they acted in self-defense, and that they had suffered years of physical and 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual abuse at the hands of their father

ERIK Menendez’s wife has revealed he is “overwhelmed” by the support he has received as a trial decision nears.

Tammi Menendez was speaking as brothers Lyle and Erik faced the possibility of freedom after more than 30 years in prison.

Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez were sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of their parentsCredit: AP

Tammi and Erik Menendez married in prison in 1999Credit: ABC News

Joan Andersen VanderMolen, sister of Kitty Menendez, has called for the brothers to be releasedCredit: Reuters

On August 20, 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez, then 21 and 18 respectively, shot their parents dead in their mansion in Los Angeles, California.

Their father, Jose Menendez, was a successful 45-year-old entertainment executive, while mother Kitty, 47, was a homemaker.

After gunning down their parents, the siblings splashed out on designer clothes, Rolex watches, and luxury cars using their family’s $14 million fortune.

Following a mistrial in their first trial, the brothers were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 without the possibility of parole.

Interest in the siblings’ case has spiked again in recent years in the wake of Ryan Murphy’s drama series, a number of prominent crime documentaries, and ongoing coverage on social media from true crime obsessives.

Earlier this month, LA County District Attorney George Gascon announced that his office is reevaluating the Menendez brothers’ convictions based on new evidence.

Calls for the brothers to be freed were amplified when a new bombshell letter supposedly written in 1988 came to light after decades.

The letter, included in a filing to the Los Angeles Superior Court last year, seemed to back up the brothers’ claims that they committed the murders in self-defense after years of abuse from their parents.

“I’ve been trying to avoid Dad. It’s still happening Andy but it’s worse for me now,” the handwritten letter, written by Erik, says in part.

“I never know when [the abuse] is going to happen and it’s driving me crazy. Every night, I stay up thinking he might come in.”

Another piece of new evidence was revealed when pop band member Roy Rosselló said that he was 𝓈ℯ𝓍ually abused by José Menendez in the 2023 Peacock docuseries Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed.

The siblings have never denied 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing their parents, but have always maintained they acted in self-defense, and that they had suffered years of physical and 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual abuse at the hands of their father.

This week, relatives of Lyle and Erik made impassioned pleas for the brothers to be released.

On Wednesday evening, the wife of Erik Menendez, Tammi, spoke out to thank supporters and family members for keeping the case in the spotlight.

“Erik feels deeply grateful and profoundly humbled by the overwhelming outpouring of love and support from his family today,” she wrote on X.

“Their belief in him and encouragement, care, and understanding mean more to him than words can express.”

Tammi “Saccoman” Menendez was married to her previous husband Chuck Saccoman when she began following the brothers’ first trial on TV back in 1993.

She wrote a sympathetic letter to Erik in prison and, to her surprise, he wrote back.

Chuck would tragically die in June 1996, a month before the Menendezes were sentenced to life in prison.

Erik invited Tammi to visit him at Folsom State Prison, where they met in person for the first time in August 1997.

In a 2005 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Tammi said she was attracted to Erik from the moment she met him, despite being scared to visit him at a maximum-security prison.

They continued their visits for the next six months and, in 1998, Erik proposed.

The couple married on June 12, 1999, in Folsom Prison.

Erik feels deeply grateful and profoundly humbled by the overwhelming outpouring of love and support from his family today.

Tammi MenendezErik Menendez’s wife

Earlier this year, Tammi marked their 25th wedding anniversary, thanking Erik on TikTok for his support.

Tammi was one of the two dozen relatives who gathered for a press conference this week in front of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Downtown Los Angeles.

A hearing for the brothers’ case is scheduled for November 29.

Others included Anamaria Baralt, José’s niece; Joan Andersen VanderMolen, Kitty’s sister; Brian Andersen Jr., José’s nephew; and Karen Vandermolen, the brothers’ cousin.

“I struggled to process the events of that fateful August day and the loss I felt,” Anamaria said.

“Over time, it became clear that there were two other victims that day – my cousins, Lyle and Erik.”

Joan Andersen added that she believes the brothers “were failed by the very people who should have protected them,” including their parents and society at large.

But she believes changing attitudes in the past 30 years have been partly responsible for the reevaluation of the case.

“The whole world was not ready to believe boys could be raped or that young men could be victims of 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual violence,” she said.

“Today, we know better. We know that abuse has long-lasting effects, and victims of trauma sometimes act in ways that are very difficult to understand.”

A number of high-profile figures including Kim Kardashian – who has visited them in prison – have called for the brothers to be released, with thousands of videos on TikTok backing up the campaign.

But not everyone has rushed to their defense.

In a UK documentary earlier this month, Pamela Bozanich, who prosecuted the brothers in their first trial, slammed the Menendez brothers’ new status as “social media stars.”

“The idea that these delicate flowers did this thoughtless act of 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing mommy and daddy, it’s nauseating,” she told the program.

“They lied and lied and lied. They’ve always been liars. And they planned the murder out meticulously. And they planned out the defense meticulously.”

Tammi Menendez met Erik after writing a letter to him in prisonCredit: Getty

The brothers claim they acted in self-defense when they shot dead their parents in 1989Credit: AP

There has been increased scrutiny on the Menendez brothers’ case in recent yearsCredit: Getty