Upamanyu Biswas
In the second season of the Netflix anthology series titled, ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,’ a spotlight is shone on the 1989 murders of José and Kitty Menéndez, who were murdered by their sons, Lyle and Erik. During the ensuing trial, the brothers claimed that the killings were an act of self-defense owing to the fear that their parents were going to kill them if they revealed the years of alleged sexual abuse they endured at the hands of their father. Diane Vander Molen, the cousin of Lyle and Erik, testified at their first trial regarding the molestation allegations, defending the brothers’ position.
Diane Vander Molen Testified About Lyle and Erik’s Alleged Sexual Abuse
Diane Vander Molen played a critical role in the Menéndez brothers’ trial. She spent several summers with the Menéndez family and testified about the alleged molestation that the boys were suffering in the household. During the summer of 1976, when Diane came to stay with them, Lyle told her that his father, Jose, would often touch him inappropriately in the genital area. He was eight years old at the time. Diane subsequently reported this to the boy’s mother, Kitty, who dismissed the accusation, instead siding with her husband on the matter. The subject did not crop up again, and Diane stated that she thought Kitty had dealt with the matter.
The cousin described the house’s atmosphere as tense and unsettled, highlighting the “weird” sexual behaviors and dysfunctional dynamics. In 1982, when Lyle and Erik were fifteen and twelve, she stayed with them again. One night, during a playful wrestling match, Diane was tied up and stripped of her clothes by the brothers. They only retreated when she screamed. She also experienced another attack when Lyle climbed on top of her and started fondling her breasts. It ceased as soon as she was able to free herself. Her testimony during Lyle and Erik’s first trial in 1993 revolved around Lyle’s conversation with her about his father touching his privates. It ended in a mistrial, and in their second trial in 1996, Erik and Lyle were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Diane Vander Molen Still Believes the Menéndez Brothers Were Abused
Years after her testimony at the Menéndez brothers’ trial, Diane Vander Molen insisted that Lyle and Erik’s accounts of sexual abuse were real and the primary reason for them killing their parents. In a 2017 interview with ABC’s’ Truth and Lies: The Menendez Brothers,’ Diane said, “I know that they would never, ever have done what they did unless they felt that they had no choice — that it was either them or their parents. I believe that very strongly.” Diane even recalled her testimony from the court trial during the interview, detailing the conversation she had with a young Lyle about his father’s alleged molestation.
She even elaborated on Kitty’s reaction when she told her about Lyle’s story. “By her demeanor, I could tell that she was not believing any of this,” Diane said. “And [she] went downstairs, and Lyle had already gotten into the bed next to mine, and she went ahead and yanked him by the arm and took him back upstairs and I never heard anything else about that.” In hindsight, the woman expressed a sense of regret for not being stronger about what Lyle was telling her and also doing more to help him. She insisted that his fear when he was telling her the story convinced her that he was “100 percent” being abused by his father. Diane has since kept a low profile about her whereabouts while the Menéndez brothers serve out their life sentence.
Read More: Lyle and Erik Menéndez Beverly Hills House: What Happened to it? Where is it Located?
