The testimony of a former member of a Latin American boy band plays a crucial role in the release of the Menendez brothers

MIAMI – New evidence of sexual, physical and emotional Abuse by Lyle and Erik Menendez's father Joe Menendez comes to light after being excluded from the brothers' original trial.

Now the testimony of a former member of a Latin American boy band plays a crucial role in the brother's possible release. And after more than three decades behind bars Menendez brothers I shot at freedom.

“I believe they paid their debt to society, and I believe the brothers were subjected to tremendous disruption and harassment at home,” the Los Angeles district attorney said George Gascon.

Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted in 1989 of shooting their parents Jose and Kitty when they were just 21 and 18 years old.

During their televised trial, the brothers said they shot their parents after suffering severe childhood abuse, including sexual abuse from their father.

Last year, Roy Rossello of boy band Menudo claimed he was raped by Jose Menendez, an entertainment executive in the 1980s.

“I was in terrible pain for a week,” Rossello said when discussing the attack.

The brothers have said for decades that their father often threatened them and they feared for their lives.

“He had promised them their whole lives that if they ever revealed the family secret, he would kill him, his brother and their mother,” said Nery Ynclan, the executive producer of the documentary “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed.”

Ynclan said she spoke to Lyle just last week.

“For the first time in decades, he has a glimmer of hope that he could be reunited with his family,” Ynclan said.

Jose Menendez was originally from Cuba and had plans to move to Miami with his family and enter politics.

Relatives on both sides of the Menendez brothers family have expressed support for their release.

“Lyle and Eric have already paid a heavy price, rejected by a system that failed to recognize their pain,” said Kitty's sister Joan Anderson VanderMolen. “They’ve grown, they’ve changed, and they’ve become better men despite everything they’ve been through.”

“This step gives us all hope that the truth will finally come to light and that Lyle and Erik can finally begin to heal from the trauma of the past,” added Jose's niece Annamaria Baralt.

On Friday, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office plans to file documents to recommend a resentencing. If the judge agrees, the matter will go before a parole board, which will decide whether the brothers should be released.