LOS ANGELES (KABC) — More than a dozen family members of Erik and Lyle Menendez called Wednesday for the brothers’ release from prison after their parents were murdered in their Beverly Hills mansion 35 years ago.

“I had no idea the extent of the abuse they had suffered at the hands of my brother-in-law. None of us knew,” said Joan Andersen VanderMolen, Kitty Menendez’s sister. “We know that abuse has long-term effects and victims of trauma sometimes act in ways that are very difficult to understand.”

“The whole world was not ready to hear that boys could be raped,” she said, adding: “Today we know better.”

The news conference in downtown Los Angeles was the largest gathering of the extended family since the brothers were convicted in 1996. The public call for their release comes less than two weeks after the Los Angeles County district attorney announced that his office was uncovering new evidence will be examined to determine whether the brothers should serve life sentences.

The brothers’ defense attorney, Mark Geragos, and their family previously told ABC News their greatest wish is for the two to be released from prison and be home in time to celebrate their aunt’s 93rd birthday this Thanksgiving.

New evidence presented in a petition includes a letter from Erik Menendez that his lawyers say corroborates allegations that he was sexually abused by his father.

The brothers said they killed their parents in self-defense after suffering a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse from them. Their lawyers argue that because of society’s changing views on sexual abuse, the brothers may not have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole if the case had been tried today.

“Twenty-four all signed a letter saying, ‘Hey, we want them out too.’ “That is basically unthinkable. In my 40 years of practice, I have never seen any kind of failure by victims who have all decided to say, ‘Enough, we want them out,'” Geragos said.

The brothers’ lawyers said the family assumed from the start that they should be charged with manslaughter rather than murder. Geragos said manslaughter was not an option for the jury in the second trial, which ultimately led to the murder conviction.

Lyle Menendez, who was 21 at the time, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted that they fatally shot their father, Jose Menendez, the entertainment executive, and their mother, Kitty Menendez, in 1989, but said they feared their deaths Parents would kill her to prevent the disclosure of Erik’s long-term sexual abuse by her father.

Prosecutors at the time claimed there was no evidence of harassment. They said the sons were after their parents’ multi-million dollar estate.

The jury rejected a death sentence in favor of life in prison without parole.

“They tried to protect themselves the only way they knew how,” said Brian A. Andersen Jr., nephew of Kitty Menendez. “Instead of being seen as victims, they were vilified.”

“They no longer pose a threat to society,” he continued.

Other family members expressed similar sentiments. “If Lyle and Erik’s case were tried today, and given the understanding we now have about abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder, there is no doubt in my mind that their sentencing would have been very different,” said Anamaria Baralt, a niece of Jose Menendez.

The case has gained new attention after Netflix began airing the true crime drama “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.”

Gascón said he believes the issue of sexual assault would have been treated more sensitively if the case had taken place today.

“We haven’t decided on a result yet. We are checking the information,” Gascón said earlier this month.

He said his office knew the “validity” of what was presented in the trial.

Gascón, who is seeking re-election, noted that during his time in office more than 300 people were re-convicted and only four committed crimes again.

A hearing was scheduled for November 26th.

Lyle Menendez recently earned a degree in sociology from the University of California, Irvine through a prison program. Geragos said they were model prisoners even though they believed they would never be released.

“I think it’s time,” Geragos said. “The family feels it’s time.”

Reality TV star and celebrity personality Kim Kardashian, who has advocated for criminal justice reform, also spoke out, writing in a personal essay shared with NBC News that the outsized media attention to the first trial, which was held nationwide televised, denied them justice.

She noted that with “their suffering and stories of abuse ridiculed in skits on ‘Saturday Night Live,'” they were portrayed as “two arrogant, rich kids from Beverly Hills who killed their parents out of greed. There was no room for empathy, let alone sympathy alone.”

“With this in mind, Erik and Lyle had no chance of a fair trial,” Kardashian wrote.

The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.