Rosie O’Donnell has introduced an unlikely friendship, with the murderous convict Lyle Menéndez.
Lyle and his brother Erik fulfill life without probation in a San Diego prison for the 1989 murders of his parents, José and Mary “Kitty” Menéndez. They were convicted in 1996, but decades later, O’Donnell is forging a connection that is raising the eyebrows.
In an interview with the New York Times, O’Donnell opened about his growing link with Lyle and regular conversations from the bars.
“He started calling me on a regular base from the phone of the tablet they have,” he said. “He told me about his life, what he is doing in prison and, for the first time in my life, I felt safe enough to trust and be vulnerable and love a heterosexual man.”
His real connection dates back to the 90s. O’Donnell was following the trial of the brothers and publicly supported his defense, but acted in self -defense after years of alleged abuse by his parents.
She appeared in Larry King Live In 1996 and expressed his belief in his history. Shortly after, Lyle approached.
In a letter, Hey “thanked her support and declared her belief that she” knew “from a personal place that what he was saying was true.”
O’Donnell did not respond at that time.
“At that time, I had not ventured anywhere near this in my family or in my therapy,” Al Nyt told.
His personal history, he said, made it comprehensive. She revealed that “she alleged that she and her brothers had been bothered by her father.”
Fast advance until 2022: After seeing a documentary with new evidence about the Méndez case, O’Donnell spoke again, this time in Tiktok. That video led Lyle’s wife, Rebecca Cut, to communicate and see if Rosie would talk to him.
Your first call? It lasted “two or three hours”, and have maintained the conversation since then.
Naturally, some friends have questioned their judgment.
She told the Nyt that she “headed” when they said “” Ro, he is a murderer “and decided to visit Lyle in prison.
Duration of that visit, he told him about a unique prison program, while inmates train service dogs for blind veterans and children and disabled with autism.
O’Donnell was intrigued. To Lyle’s suggestion, he adopted one of the dogs for his 12 -year -old autistic son, Clay. For two weeks, he traveled daily to prison before bringing home Kuma, a mixture of labrador coined by a partner who has long for armed robbery.
“I noticed the difference in clay immediately,” he said. “I was surprised to discover that all the stories I heard from other mothers of autistic children were true.”
That experience caused something big. O’Donnell decided to make a documentary about the program. Unleash hope: the power of service dogs for autism It opens in Hulu on April 22.