* Warning: This article contains subject some readers may find distressing. *
Rosie O'Donnell has called for two brothers imprisoned for murdering their parents to be set free.
The outspoken comedian has come to the defence of the Menendez brothers, Lyle and Erik, who have been behind bars since the 90s.
The two were just 18 and 21 at the time of their 1993 trial which centred around the murder of their parents four years earlier in 1989.
While the brothers did not deny killing their parents, their testimony relating to sexual abuse was limited during the trial.
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The two argued that the murders were not premeditated but were an act of self defence against an abusive father.
Regardless, the brothers were convicted on two counts of second degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They were subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
O'Donnell has now come to their defence, speaking out in a recent TikTok video.
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The 61-year-old claimed to have received a letter way back in 1996 that led to her building a connection with them.
O'Donnell said: "[The letter] basically said, 'I know you know, and I hope we could connect'.
"And you know, he was right. I did know that they were innocent. I did know that those were boys who had been incested.
"Why I knew, and how I knew - Lyle also knew. I didn't write him back because I felt afraid, and I wasn't ready to touch the subject, and you know, it was 1996."
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The Sleepless In Seattle actor recalled how the brothers were treated in the press at the time.
O'Donnell reflected: "People weren't ready to accept the fact that boys too get raped - sometimes by their fathers - and as a culture, we ridiculed them.
"Everyone thought this was a funny target.
"Kids who had been molested since the age of preschool, fighting back and standing up, and people thought they just wanted the money.
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"They had the money. They didn't need the money. Money was not what it was about."
Eventually, O'Donnell worked up the nerve to reach out to the brothers and spoke with Lyle over the phone.
She believes that society would have viewed the case differently if the younger sibling had been a girl.
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O'Donnell said: "If Erik, at 17 or 18, when he told [Lyle] that the father had been doing this to him for many years.
"If it had been a girl; that his sister was being raped by the father; that would've been much easier for our culture in the '90s to understand why the older brother would've acted in the way that he did."
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 802 9999 between 12pm–2.30pm and 7pm– 9.30pm every day. Alternatively, you can contact Victim Support free on 08 08 16 89 111 available 24/7, every day of the year, including Christmas.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact RAINN via its helpline on 800 656 HOPE (4673) or its online chat, available 24/7 seven days a week.
Topics: Celebrity, Crime, US News, Menendez Brothers
Ben Thompson