Milton Andersen, known for being the last member of the Menéndez family who opposed the release of Lyle and Erik, passed away Sunday night due to cancer, according to his cousin Anamaria Baralt on TikTok.
The Thompson & Kuenster Funeral Home in Illinois also published an obituary on March 4. Andersen, who had a direct connection to the case that shocked the nation in 1989, leaves behind a legacy marked by his firm stance against it.
The family conflict and opposition to the release of Lyle and Erik Menéndez
Anamaría Baralt, who recently expressed her support for the release of the Menéndez brothers, asked for respect for Milton's death. In a message to fans, she emphasized that his passing should not be celebrated, despite Milton being the only living family member who defended their incarceration. Baralt mentioned that she always felt "great empathy" for her uncle, who was Kitty Menéndez's brother, the mother of the brothers Lyle and Erik, murdered along with their father and husband, José Menéndez, in 1989.
Anamaría Baralt, prima de los hermanos Menéndez y el tío en común, Milton Andersen (TMZ)
Milton had advocated against the release of his nephews through his attorney, Kathy Cady, in 2024. He argued that the crime was motivated by greed and not by abuse as other family members had claimed. In his testimony during the penalty phase of the Menéndez trial in 1996, alongside his late brother Brian, Milton opposed his nephews' defense, who alleged that the sexual abuse suffered by their father had driven the murder. As a result, Lyle and Erik were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Change in family stance and the future of the Menéndez brothers
Erik y Lyle Menéndez.
With Milton's passing, there is currently no other member of the Menéndez family publicly opposing the potential early release of Lyle and Erik. In the coming weeks, the brothers were going to face a resentencing hearing. However, the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, decided to expedite the process by ordering a "risk assessment investigation" by the State Parole Board.
