Terry Baralt, the aunt of brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez, has been rushed to a nearby Los Angeles hospital after being found unresponsive in a hotel.
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Sources close to the family revealed to TMZ that the Menendez brothers’ aunt, 85, has been battling colon cancer. She has also been “exhausted, stressed, and traumatized” in the past year as the Menendez family attempted to get the brothers released from prison.
Baralt was discovered unresponsive just days after the Menendez brothers appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom for a resentencing hearing. During the legal proceedings, the defense team went head-to-head against the prosecutors. As the teams went back and forth, graphic crime scene photos of José and Kitty Menendez were presented.
Lyle and Erik Menendez were accused of murdering their parents. However, the brothers claimed self-defense, alleging their parents had abused them for years. In 1996, the brothers were found guilty of first-degree murder. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In their retrial, the brothers’ conviction went from first-degree murder to second-degree murder. Their sentence remained the same.
However, the brothers are now being resentenced. If resentenced, they could have their life sentences reduced, which would grant them eligibility for parole.
The Menendez Brothers’ Aunt Called Them the Boys She Didn’t Have
While speaking to ABC News, the Menendez brothers’ Aunt Terry, stated that 35 years in prison was long enough for both of them.
“They are like the boys that I didn’t have,” Terry, José Menendez’s only living sister, stated. “It’s time – 35 years is a long time.”
She then shared, “It’s a whole branch of my family erased. The ones that are gone and the ones that are still paying for it, which were kids.”
Terry also spoke about how she remains in contact with the brothers. “I have tried to go see them as much as I can,” she noted. “But it’s hard because I live in New Jersey and I’m 85. I don’t have that much time.”
“When kids are little and they come to you, you fix the problem,” she continued. “I can’t help them. There is nothing I can do – just go visit them and cry when I leave.”
She added, “This is why I don’t give interviews. It’s hard.”