00:00For many years, I struggled to terms with what happened to my sister's family.
00:11It was a nightmare none of us could have imagined, but as details of Lyle and Eric's abuse came
00:20to light, it became clear that their actions, while tragic, were the desperate response
00:28of two boys trying to survive the unspeakable cruel of their father.
00:36As their aunt, I had no idea of the extent of the abuse they suffered at the hands of
00:45my brother-in-law.
00:46None of us did, but looking back, I can see the fear and tension that their father had
00:54instilled on them.
00:56They were just children, children who could have been protected and were instead brutalized
01:03in the most horrific ways.
01:11The truth is Lyle and Eric were failed by the very people who should have protected
01:15them, by their parents, by the system, by society at large.
01:26She can't be with us today due to health challenges, but she sent me this.
01:43If Lyle and Eric's case were heard today, with the understanding we now have about abuse
01:51and PTSD, there is no doubt in my mind that their sentencing would have been very different.
01:56And yet, despite their circumstances, they have chosen a life of light.
02:01Without hope of release, they persevered.
02:04They have sought to better themselves and serve as a support and inspiration for survivors
02:10all over the world.
02:11Their continued incarceration serves no rehabilitative purpose.
02:21Now here we are, both sides of the family united, sharing a new bond of hope.
02:27Hope that with the re-examination of their case, a new outcome will be reached.
02:32Hope that this 34-year nightmare will end and that we will be reunited as a family.
02:38I am here to ask the district attorney's office to take into account the full picture,
02:43the truth that was hidden for so long.
02:46Lyle and Eric deserve a chance to heal, and our family deserves a chance to heal with
02:51them.
02:59What happened is tragic, but I forgive my cousins.
03:03I have forgiven them forever because I know they were acting out of fear and desperation.
03:11These were children, just six and eight years old, who didn't understand their own bodies.
03:20No child should ever have to endure that kind of pain.
03:26This abuse trapped them.
03:27It was painful and it terrified them.
03:31Their father's abuse shattered their lives and the family's lives, and the courts failed
03:37them, failed to recognize their trauma compounding this tragedy.
04:01Lyle and Eric have spent most of their lives in prison, paying for their actions.
04:19During that time, they have become supporters and advocates for children who have suffered
04:25sexual violence.
04:28I believe they have suffered enough.
04:31I ask the district attorneys to take into account the whole truth and nothing but the
04:39truth.
04:41I believe they have paid for their crimes, and we as a family have all suffered enough.
04:47We are here for them and ready to support Eric and Lyle after release.
04:53They had resigned themselves to being in prison for the rest of their lives.
04:58You can take two tracks of evidence in my practice, and I would dare say it anywhere,
05:04that 20 family members of...
05:06We filed originally for the conviction to be overturned.
05:10That's what a writ of habeas corpus is.
05:12The other component of this is a resentencing, so it's two tracks.
05:17You can pause the habeas while you consider the resentencing.
05:22You can do what they've done, which is create programs, counsel people, develop amazing
05:28programs, mentoring people, go to college, get...
05:32Is that speaker a little louder now?
05:34Is that speaker a little louder than it was?
06:08Is that speaker a little louder?
06:38Is that speaker a little louder than it was?
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