The Menendez Brothers Are Half Cuban. Do They Speak Spanish?

In Spanish

Erik and Lyle Menéndez are known not only for the brutal 1989 murder of their parents, José and Kitty Menéndez, but also for the complex web of family dynamics that surrounds their story. Coming from a Cuban-American family, the Menéndez family includes various cousins, uncles, and aunts who have been mentioned in the extensive media coverage of the case.

Erik and Lyle's mother, Kitty, had mixed ancestry with Scandinavian and American roots, while their father, José Menéndez, emigrated from Cuba to the United States at the age of 16, eventually becoming a successful executive in the entertainment industry. His achievements allowed his sons to grow up in the affluent neighborhoods of Southern California.

A Tight-Knit Yet Complex Family

The Menéndez family includes several uncles and aunts who played significant roles in the brothers' lives. Joan Andersen VanderMolen, Kitty's sister, has been a notable figure in expressing her support for Erik and Lyle.

Many family members, including cousins like Anamaria Baralt, have spoken out in favor of the brothers, advocating for their release. Anamaria, José Menéndez's niece, has shared her views on the pain the brothers endured and how they became victims of a system that did not listen to them.

 @telemundosandiego Anamaria Baralt, prima de Erik y Lyle Menéndez, dice que el encarcelamiento de sus primos "no tienen ningún propósito rehabilitativo". #menendezbrothers ♬ original sound - telemundosandiego  

It is important to note that many of these relatives speak Spanish, as they have kept their Cuban cultural traditions alive. However, not all the family maintained these traditions. Erik and Lyle, now 53 and 56 years old respectively, did not learn Spanish despite being surrounded by a Spanish-speaking family.

This disconnect can be attributed to their upbringing in an English-dominated environment during the 1980s, coupled with their mother's roots and primary language, which led the family to integrate more into American culture. As a result, Spanish became less prominent in their household. This dynamic reflected the high expectations their parents had for them and the Western vision of life that shaped the brothers' family environment.

In an interview, Erik Menéndez commented, "I think, almost all of my first cousins on my father's side learned Spanish first. That was their first language. For Lyle and I, however, we learned English first because my other side of my family is Scandinavian so I did not learn Spanish as my first language. So I took it in high schooI and I had to try to communicate with my grandmother so I learned enough to be able communicate with her, but I did not become fluent, and I haven't kept up with it as much as I would want to."

 @justicenowformenendez “kids are so innocent. he didnt even know his father talked with an accent…. that was just how dad talked. he didnt even know his father was horrifically abusing him… that was just what dad did.”#menendezbrothers #freemenendezbrothers #erikmenendez #lylemenendez #justiceforthemenendezbrothers #fyp ♬ original sound - november 26   

A Deep Connection

Over the years, there has been renewed interest in the Menéndez case, especially following recent media coverage and documentaries that have explored their story in more depth.

It is their cousin, Anamaria Baralt, along with other family members, who has been calling for a review of Erik and Lyle's sentences. She argues that the brothers were unfairly punished and that their story of family abuse was not fully understood or considered during their trial.

In a recent press conference, Baralt mentioned that, had they been judged today, with current knowledge of abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder, their sentences might have been different.