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{{Short description|American brothers convicted of murdering their parents}} {{Short description|American brothers convicted of murdering their parents}}
{{Redirect|The Menendez Brothers|the documentary|The Menendez Brothers (film)}} {{Redirect|The Menendez Brothers|the documentary|The Menendez Brothers (film){{!}}''The Menendez Brothers'' (film)}}
{{pp|small=yes}} {{pp|small=yes}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}} {{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2014}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox criminal {{Infobox criminal
| name = Lyle and Erik Menendez | name = Lyle and Erik Menendez
| image = Menendez brothers 2023.png | image = File:Menendez brothers 2023 (cropped).png
| image_upright = 1.3 | image_upright = 1.3
| alt = Mugshots of Lyle and Erik, two middle-aged white men. | alt = Mugshots of Lyle and Erik, two middle-aged white men.
| caption = Mug shots of Lyle (left) and Erik (right) Menendez taken in 2023 | caption = ]s of Lyle (left) and Erik (right) Menendez taken in 2023
| birth_date = {{ubl | birth_date = {{ubl
| '''Joseph Lyle Menendez'''<br>{{Birth date and age|1968|1|10}}<br/>], U.S.<hr/>'''Erik Galen Menendez'''<br>{{Birth date and age|1970|11|27}}<br>], U.S. | '''Joseph Lyle Menendez'''|{{Birth date and age|1968|1|10}}|], U.S.<hr/>'''Erik Galen Menendez'''|{{Birth date and age|1970|11|27}}|], U.S.
}} }}
| nationality = | nationality =
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| conviction = ], ] | conviction = ], ]
| penalty = ] without the possibility of ] (both) | penalty = ] without the possibility of ] (both)
| conviction_status = Incarcerated at ] (both)<ref>{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}} State of California Inmate Locator</ref> | conviction_status = Incarcerated at ] (both)<ref name="ciris-lyle">{{cite web|title=Joseph Lyle Menendez|url=https://ciris.mt.cdcr.ca.gov/details?cdcrNumber=K13758|website=California Incarcerated Records & Information Search (CIRIS) - CDCR|access-date=October 27, 2024}}</ref><ref name="ciris-erik">{{cite web|title=Erik Galen Menendez|url=https://ciris.mt.cdcr.ca.gov/details?cdcrNumber=K14101|website=California Incarcerated Records & Information Search (CIRIS) - CDCR|access-date=October 27, 2024}}</ref>
| spouse = {{ubl | spouse = {{ubl
| '''Lyle:''' {{ubl | '''Lyle:''' {{ubl
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| date = August 20, 1989 | date = August 20, 1989
| locations = ], U.S. | locations = ], U.S.
| targets = José and Mary Menendez | targets = José and Mary Louise Menendez
| fatalities = 2 | fatalities =
| weapons = ] 12-gauge ] | weapons = ] 12-gauge ]
| apprehended = {{ubl | apprehended = {{ubl
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}} }}


'''Joseph Lyle Menendez''' (born January 10, 1968)<ref name="lylebday">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Lyle Menendez |encyclopedia=] |last=McEvoy |first=Colin |url=https://www.biography.com/crime/lyle-menendez |access-date=2024-01-15 |date=2023-10-23 |quote=FULL NAME: Joseph Lyle Menendez BORN: January 10, 1968 |archive-date=January 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115130425/https://www.biography.com/crime/lyle-menendez |url-status=live }}</ref> and '''Erik Galen Menendez''' (born November 27, 1970),<ref name="erikbday">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Erik Menendez |encyclopedia=] |last=McEvoy |first=Colin |url=https://www.biography.com/crime/erik-menendez |access-date=2024-01-15 |date=2023-10-20 |quote=FULL NAME: Erik Galen Menendez BORN: November 27, 1970 |archive-date=January 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115130425/https://www.biography.com/crime/erik-menendez |url-status=live }}</ref> collectively referred to as the '''Menendez brothers''', are American brothers and convicted murderers who ], José and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez, at their ] home in 1989.<ref name=":7" /> '''Joseph Lyle Menendez''' (born January 10, 1968)<ref name="lylebday">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Lyle Menendez|encyclopedia=]|last=McEvoy|first=Colin|url=https://www.biography.com/crime/lyle-menendez|access-date=January 15, 2024|date=October 23, 2023|quote=FULL NAME: Joseph Lyle Menendez BORN: January 10, 1968|archive-date=January 15, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115130425/https://www.biography.com/crime/lyle-menendez|url-status=live}}</ref> and '''Erik Galen Menendez''' (born November 27, 1970),<ref name="erikbday">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Erik Menendez|encyclopedia=]|last=McEvoy|first=Colin|url=https://www.biography.com/crime/erik-menendez|access-date=January 15, 2024|date=October 20, 2023|quote=FULL NAME: Erik Galen Menendez BORN: November 27, 1970|archive-date=January 15, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115130425/https://www.biography.com/crime/erik-menendez|url-status=live}}</ref> commonly referred to as the '''Menendez brothers''', are American brothers and convicted murderers who ], José and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez, at their ] home in 1989.


Following the murders, Lyle reported to authorities that he and Erik found their parents dead, claiming unknown intruders were responsible.<ref name=":8" /> Police initially investigated the case as a ]-related killing but soon grew suspicious due to the brothers' lavish spending of their multimillion-dollar ].<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":10" /> Erik later confessed to the murders to his ], which eventually led to their arrest.<ref name=":11" /> Following the murders, Lyle and Erik claimed that unknown intruders were responsible for the murders, framing it as a potential mob killing. Police initially investigated this claim, but grew suspicious due to the brothers' spending and their hiring of a computer expert to delete their father's recently updated ]. Erik confessed to the murders in sessions with his psychologist, citing a desire to be free of a controlling father with high standards, which led to their arrests months later.<ref name=":20" />


Lyle and Erik were charged with two counts of ] with ] for ], making them eligible for the ].<ref name=":12" /> They also faced charges of ]. During their first trial, the defense argued that the brothers killed their parents in ] after years of ], ], and ], while the prosecution argued that they were motivated by either hatred or a desire to inherit their father's multimillion-dollar estate.<ref name=":13" /> The juries were ], resulting in a ]. In a second trial, they were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to ] without the possibility of ].<ref name=":14" /> Lyle and Erik were charged with two counts of ] with ] for ], making them eligible for the ], and charges of ]. During their first trial, the defense argued that the brothers killed their parents in ] after years of alleged ], ], and ]. The prosecution argued that the murders were ], that allegations of sexual abuse were fabricated, and that the brothers were motivated by hatred and a desire to receive their father's multimillion-dollar estate after being disinherited from his will.<ref name=":8" /> The juries were ], resulting in ]s for both brothers.<ref>{{Cite news|first1=Christine|last1=Spolar|date=January 28, 1994|title=2ND MENENDEZ MISTRIAL CALLED|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/01/29/2nd-menendez-mistrial-called/834685be-d49e-4e71-94a6-6d069155e45f/|access-date=October 9, 2024|newspaper=The Washington Post|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|first1=Christine|last1=Spolar|date=January 13, 1994|location=Los Angeles|title=MISTRIAL DECLARED FOR ERIK MENENDEZ|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/01/14/mistrial-declared-for-erik-menendez/fa3fae51-4b47-48b4-aea2-b1bf2778ff53/|access-date=October 9, 2024|newspaper=The Washington Post|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> In a second trial, they were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to ] without the possibility of ].


Lyle and Erik currently serve life sentences at ] near ]. Multiple legal appeals of their convictions have been rejected by reviewing judges.<ref name=":5" /> In October 2024, Los Angeles district attorney ] recommended a resentencing after reviewing a '']'' petition.<ref name=":23">{{Cite web |first1=Emily |last1=Shapiro |date=October 24, 2024 |title=Menendez brothers latest: LA district attorney recommends resentencing|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/la-da-announce-decision-potential-resentencing-menendez-brothers/story?id=114811599|access-date=October 25, 2024|website=ABC News}}</ref>
The case was the subject of significant media attention, inspiring numerous documentaries, dramatizations, books, and parodies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adekaiyero |first=Ayomikun |title=Netflix released a new documentary about the Menendez Brothers. Here are 7 more TV shows and documentaries about the famous '90s murder trial. |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/menendez-brothers-shows-documentaries-to-watch-after-netflix-monsters-2024-10 |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> While financial gain was generally believed as the motive for the murders, ] views and the rise of the ] have led to more sympathy for the brothers, particularly regarding male sexual abuse.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murtha |first=Erin |title=The Menendez brothers are back in the zeitgeist thanks to teens on TikTok: Reporter’s Notebook |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/menendez-brothers-back-zeitgeist-teens-tiktok-reporters-notebook/story?id=76633687 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241005032207/https://abcnews.go.com/US/menendez-brothers-back-zeitgeist-teens-tiktok-reporters-notebook/story?id=76633687 |archive-date=October 5, 2024 |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 9, 2021 |title=The New Menendez Defenders |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/09/style/menendez-brothers-social-media-defenders.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004042017/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/09/style/menendez-brothers-social-media-defenders.html |archive-date=October 4, 2024 |work=New York Times}}</ref> As of October 2024, both Lyle and Erik continue to serve life sentences at the ] in ]. A ] petition, based upon another allegation against their father, is currently under review by the ].<ref name=":15" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mercuri |first=Monica |title=The Menendez Brothers Will Get A New Court Hearing Following Netflix’s ‘Monsters’ |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/monicamercuri/2024/10/03/the-menendez-brothers-will-get-a-new-court-hearing-following-netflixs-monsters/ |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>

The highly publicized trials received international media attention, inspiring numerous documentaries, dramatizations, books, and parodies. <!--Per WP:CITELEAD, references are not needed in the lead if it is sourced in the body of the article.-->


==Background== ==Background==
José Enrique Menendez was born on May 6, 1944, in ]. At age 16, at the beginning of the ], he moved to the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0580036/bio|title=Jose Menendez|website=IMDb|access-date=2017-12-07|archive-date=April 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180411084631/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0580036/bio|url-status=live}}</ref> José attended ], where he met Mary Louise "Kitty" Andersen (1941–1989). They were married in 1963 and moved to ] where José earned an accounting degree from ].<ref name= johnson>{{Cite news | last1=Johnson | first1=John | last2=Soble | first2=Ronald L. | title=The Menendez Brothers: Jose Menendez Gave His Sons Everything. Maybe Even a Motive for Murder. | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-22-tm-930-story.html | work=] |url-access=subscription | date=July 22, 1990 | page=3 | access-date=August 15, 2024 | archive-date=February 24, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224200045/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-22-tm-930-story.html | url-status=live }}</ref> José Enrique Menendez was born on May 6, 1944, in ]. At age 16, due to the ], he moved to the United States.{{cn|date=October 2024}} José attended ], where he met Mary Louise "Kitty" Andersen (1941–1989). They were married in 1963 and moved to ] where José earned an accounting degree from ].<ref name= johnson>{{Cite news|last1=Johnson|first1=John|last2=Soble|first2=Ronald L.|title=The Menendez Brothers: José Menendez Gave His Sons Everything. Maybe Even a Motive for Murder.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-22-tm-930-story.html|work=]|url-access=subscription|date=July 22, 1990|page=3|access-date=August 15, 2024|archive-date=February 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224200045/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-22-tm-930-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>


The couple's first son, Joseph Lyle, who goes by his middle name, was born on January{{Nbsp}}10, 1968, in New York.<ref name="Crime Library">{{Cite web | url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/menendez/life_5.html | title=The Menendez Brothers | last=Pergament | first=Rachel | website= ] | access-date=November 18, 2014 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141102021701/http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/menendez/life_5.html | archive-date=November 2, 2014 | df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |website=Biography.com |title=Lyle Menendez |url=https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/lyle-menendez |access-date=2022-11-29 |language=en-us |archive-date=November 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129184536/https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/lyle-menendez |url-status=live }}</ref> Kitty quit her teaching job after Lyle was born, and the family moved to ], where Erik Galen was born on November{{Nbsp}}27, 1970, in ].<ref name=biography>{{cite web|title=Erik Menendez |first=|last=|url=https://www.biography.com/crime/erik-menendez#life-behind-bars&|website=biography.com|publisher=A&E Television Networks|access-date=August 24, 2024|archive-date=August 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240824073646/https://www.biography.com/crime/erik-menendez#life-behind-bars&|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| url= https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1375835/bio| title= Kitty Menendez| website= IMDb| access-date= December 7, 2017| archive-date= September 26, 2024| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240926094910/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1375835/bio/| url-status= live}}</ref> The family lived in ] and both brothers attended ].<ref name=johnson/> The couple's first son, Joseph Lyle, who goes by his middle name, was born on January{{Nbsp}}10, 1968, in New York.<ref name="Crime Library">{{Cite web|url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/menendez/life_5.html|title=The Menendez Brothers|last=Pergament|first=Rachel|website=]|access-date=November 18, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102021701/http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/menendez/life_5.html|archive-date=November 2, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|website=Biography.com|title=Lyle Menendez|url=https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/lyle-menendez|access-date=November 29, 2022|archive-date=November 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129184536/https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/lyle-menendez|url-status=live}}</ref> Kitty quit her teaching job after Lyle was born, and the family moved to ], where Erik Galen was born on November{{Nbsp}}27, 1970, in ].<ref name=biography>{{cite web|title=Erik Menendez|url=https://www.biography.com/crime/erik-menendez#life-behind-bars&|website=biography.com|publisher=A&E Television Networks|access-date=August 24, 2024|archive-date=August 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240824073646/https://www.biography.com/crime/erik-menendez#life-behind-bars&|url-status=live}}</ref> The family lived in ] and both brothers attended ].<ref name=johnson/>


José became an executive at ] and later ].<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 20, 2024|title=Who was the Menendez brothers' dad, Jose Menendez?|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/menendez-brothers-dad-jose-menendez-rcna171304|access-date=October 8, 2024|website=TODAY.com}}</ref> After he was appointed as the CEO of ], the family moved to ], where Erik attended ].<ref name="biography" /><ref name="johnson" />
José became an executive at ] and later ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-20 |title=Who was the Menendez brothers' dad, Jose Menendez? |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/menendez-brothers-dad-jose-menendez-rcna171304 |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=TODAY.com |language=en}}</ref> After he was appointed as the CEO of ], the family moved to ], where Erik attended ].<ref name="biography" /><ref name="johnson" /> In 1988, Lyle and Erik were involved in multiple ] in their neighbourhood, prompting José to move to ].<ref name="vf" /> The following year, Erik attended ] where he earned average grades but displayed a remarkable talent for ], ranking 44th in the US as a junior.<ref>{{Cite news| url= https://communitynews.org/2017/09/26/look-back-at-the-story-and-coverage-of-the-menendez-murders/| title= A look back at the story — and coverage — of the Menendez murders| date= September 26, 2017| work= CommunityNews.org| access-date= December 7, 2017| language= en-US| archive-date= July 24, 2019| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190724022156/https://communitynews.org/2017/09/26/look-back-at-the-story-and-coverage-of-the-menendez-murders/| url-status= live}}</ref> About two weeks before the murders, Erik and his friend ] entered the 1989 ].<ref> by David Johnson '']'' (November 30, 2009); retrieved May 16, 2023 ''NOTE: Article erroneously states Menendez and Joyce played doubles at the 1989 Boys' USTA''</ref> Erik reached the second round of qualifying in the Boys' 18 singles, while Joyce reached the quarterfinals.<ref> retrieved May 16, 2023</ref> Lyle attended ], where he was placed on academic probation for poor grades and eventually suspended for plagiarism.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Latson |first=Jennifer |date=2015-04-17 |title=Why It Took Three Juries to Convict the Menendez Brothers |url=https://time.com/3774669/menendez-brothers/ |access-date=2024-09-24 |magazine=] |language=en |archive-date=September 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926094908/https://time.com/3774669/menendez-brothers/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-23 |title=Explained: What Lyle Menendez's short time at Princeton University was actually like |url=https://thetab.com/uk/2024/09/23/lyle-menendez-life-at-princeton-university-real-life-explained-388001 |access-date=2024-09-24 |website=The Tab |language=en-GB |archive-date=September 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923191020/https://thetab.com/uk/2024/09/23/lyle-menendez-life-at-princeton-university-real-life-explained-388001 |url-status=live }}</ref>


In 1988, Lyle and Erik committed multiple ] in their neighborhood, stealing more than $100,000 in cash and jewellery, prompting José to move to ].<ref name="vf2">{{cite magazine|last=Dunne|first=Dominick|author-link=Dominick Dunne|date=October 1990|title=Nightmare on Elm Drive|url=https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/1990/10/nightmare-on-elm-drive|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121040743/http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/archive/1990/10/dunne199010|archive-date=January 21, 2015|access-date=August 24, 2024|magazine=]}}</ref> The following year, Erik attended ] where he earned average grades but displayed a talent for ], ranking 44th in the US as a junior.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://communitynews.org/2017/09/26/look-back-at-the-story-and-coverage-of-the-menendez-murders/|title=A look back at the story — and coverage — of the Menendez murders|date=September 26, 2017|work=CommunityNews.org|access-date=December 7, 2017|archive-date=July 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724022156/https://communitynews.org/2017/09/26/look-back-at-the-story-and-coverage-of-the-menendez-murders/|url-status=live}}</ref> About two weeks before the murders, Erik and his friend ] entered the 1989 ].<ref> by David Johnson '']'' (November 30, 2009). Retrieved May 16, 2023 ''NOTE: Article erroneously states Menendez and Joyce played doubles at the 1989 Boys' USTA''</ref>
==Crimes==
On the evening of August 20, 1989, José and Kitty were watching television in the den of their Beverly Hills mansion when Lyle and Erik entered the den, carrying ] ] ]s.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/lyle-menendez-speaks-from-prison-27-years-after-killing-parents-w458981/|title=Lyle Menendez Finally Speaks From Prison, 27 Years After Killing His Parents|magazine=]|date=January 4, 2017|access-date=March 12, 2017|archive-date=March 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312195528/http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/lyle-menendez-speaks-from-prison-27-years-after-killing-parents-w458981|url-status=live}}</ref> José was shot six times, including a fatal shot to the back of his head.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.biography.com/news/menendez-brothers-murder-case-facts|title=True Crime Revisited: The Menendez Brothers Case|work=Biography.com|access-date=December 7, 2017|language=en-us|archive-date=December 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206235836/https://www.biography.com/news/menendez-brothers-murder-case-facts|url-status=live}}</ref> Kitty was shot ten times in total. Before the fatal shot to her cheek, she was on the ground, crawling away. Lyle ran to the car where Erik handed him ammunition to reload before firing the fatal shot to her face.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Natalie|last=Finn|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/845635/we-can-t-forget-just-how-insane-the-menendez-brothers-murder-case-was-in-its-day-or-in-any-day|title=Remembering the Insanity of the Menendez Brothers Murder Case|work=]|date=April 26, 2018|access-date=December 7, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=December 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207141545/http://www.eonline.com/news/845635/we-can-t-forget-just-how-insane-the-menendez-brothers-murder-case-was-in-its-day-or-in-any-day|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-a-beverly-hills-paradise-lost-vol-33-no-12/|title=A Beverly Hills Paradise Lost|work=]|first=Joseph|last=Poindexter|date=March 26, 1990|access-date=February 8, 2017|archive-date=September 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926094956/https://people.com/archive/cover-story-a-beverly-hills-paradise-lost-vol-33-no-12/|url-status=live}}</ref>


Lyle attended ], where he was placed on academic probation for poor grades and eventually suspended for plagiarism.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Latson|first=Jennifer|date=April 17, 2015|title=Why It Took Three Juries to Convict the Menendez Brothers|url=https://time.com/3774669/menendez-brothers/|access-date=September 24, 2024|magazine=]|archive-date=September 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926094908/https://time.com/3774669/menendez-brothers/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=September 23, 2024|title=Explained: What Lyle Menendez's short time at Princeton University was actually like|url=https://thetab.com/uk/2024/09/23/lyle-menendez-life-at-princeton-university-real-life-explained-388001|access-date=September 24, 2024|website=The Tab-GB|archive-date=September 23, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923191020/https://thetab.com/uk/2024/09/23/lyle-menendez-life-at-princeton-university-real-life-explained-388001|url-status=live}}</ref> He lived in the Gauss Hall dormitory, where he threw out his roommates' belongings as he did not wish to share a room, left sinks overflowing causing damage, and repainted his room in violation of university rules.{{sfn|Davis|1994|p=95}}
Immediately after the killings, both brothers remained in the house for a few minutes, expecting the police to respond due to the noise of the gunshots.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3PA37erNYw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/t3PA37erNYw |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Why the Menendez Brothers Say They Killed Their Parents: Part 1|access-date=2017-01-06|language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref> They later left to dispose of their clothes that were stained with blood, then buried the shotguns somewhere along ]. In between these, they also went to a movie theater and attempted to purchase tickets for the film ] to use as their alibi but abandoned the plan due to the timestamp on the ticket stub.<ref>{{Cite web |title=51-CA v. Menendez: Lyle Menendez (part 4) |url=https://www.courttv.com/title/51-ca-v-menendez-lyle-menendez-pt4/ |access-date=2024-10-03 |website=Court TV |language=en-US}}</ref> They then headed to the "Taste of L.A." festival at ]. After returning home and finding no police presence, Lyle called ] to report that his parents had been killed by unknown perpetrators.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Timnick |first=Lois |date=1990-05-25 |title=911 Call in Menendez Slayings: 'They Shot and Killed My Parents!' : Crime: Beverly Hills police release tape of a frantic son reporting the shootings. He and his brother are charged in the deaths. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-25-me-244-story.html |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> When the police arrived, they did not seek gunshot residue tests from the brothers, which would have indicated whether they had recently discharged a firearm.<ref name="vf">{{cite magazine |last=Dunne |first=Dominick |author-link=Dominick Dunne |date=October 1990 |title=Nightmare on Elm Drive |url=https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/1990/10/nightmare-on-elm-drive |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121040743/http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/archive/1990/10/dunne199010 |archive-date=January 21, 2015 |access-date=August 24, 2024 |magazine=] |quote=}}</ref>


In high school, Erik wrote an amateur screenplay with his classmate called ''"Friends";'' a story about a rich young man who killed his parents in the "perfect murder" for the inheritance money.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Erik Menendez's Friends Tell Story Behind His Racy Photos, Screenplay About a Son Who Kills Parents|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/erik-menendez-friends-story-racy-photos-screenplay-son/story?id=44470747|access-date=October 9, 2024|website=ABC News}}</ref><ref name="latimes.com">{{Cite web|last1=Johnson|first1=John|last2=Soble|first2=Ronald L.|date=March 9, 1990|title=Erik Menendez, Friend Wrote Screenplay of Perfect Murder|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-09-mn-2135-story.html|access-date=October 9, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
Detectives initially suspected that the murders were the result of ]-related activity due to its heinousness and José's business connections.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Soble |first=Ronald L. |last2=Johnson |first2=John |date=1989-08-30 |title=Menendez Murdered Mob Style : Killers Intended to Send a 'Message,' Police Source Says |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-08-30-me-1259-story.html |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Police officers and forensic staff who worked on the crime scene described it as "the most brutal" one they had ever encountered, noting the blood and brain matter splattered throughout the room.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=ZXkbyCbJlDLNjw-T&v=UYz3cNXD3ZY&feature=youtu.be |title=The Menendez Brothers’ Fight for Freedom {{!}} Full Episode |date=2024-03-08 |last=48 Hours |access-date=2024-10-07 |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Dunne |first=Dominick |date=2008-09-15 |title=Nightmare on Elm Drive |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/1990/10/dunne199010 |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=Vanity Fair |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Menendez Brothers |url=https://www.netflix.com/title/81506509 |website=Netflix}}</ref> Retired police detective Dan Stewart stated, "I’ve seen a lot of homicides, but nothing quite that brutal. Blood, flesh, skulls. It would be hard to describe, especially Jose, as resembling a human that you would recognize. That’s how bad it was.”<ref name=":2" /> According to the autopsy report, one blast caused “explosive decapitation with evisceration of the brain” and “deformity of the face” to José, while the first round of shots struck Kitty in her chest, right arm, left hip, and left leg, with the contact shot causing “multiple lacerations of the brain.”<ref name=":2" />


==Murders and investigation==
In the months after the killings, the brothers spent lavishly on luxury items, businesses, and travel.<ref name=debate>{{cite news|first1=Jessica|last1=Sagar|first2=Samantha|last2=Stutsman|url=https://people.com/the-menendez-brothers-true-story-8714540|title=The True Story of Netflix's Monsters: Why Did the Menendez Brothers Kill Their Parents?|date=September 20, 2024|access-date=September 20, 2024|archive-date=September 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920165026/https://people.com/the-menendez-brothers-true-story-8714540|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="vf"/> Lyle bought Chuck's Spring Street Café, a ] restaurant in ], as well as a ] watch and a ] sports car.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.princetonsrestaurants.com/restaurant/Princeton-NJ/Chuck%27s-Spring-Street-Cafe |title=Chuck's Spring Street Cafe in Princeton, NJ |publisher=Princetonsrestaurants.com |access-date=September 27, 2010}}</ref> Erik hired a full-time tennis coach and competed in a series of tournaments overseas. The brothers eventually left the Beverly Hills mansion unoccupied, choosing to live in adjoining ]s in nearby ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/09/174002/menendez-brothers-money-spent-shopping-law-and-order|title=Here's How Much The Menendez Brothers Spent On Their Spree|access-date=December 7, 2017|language=en|archive-date=January 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130110424/https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/09/174002/menendez-brothers-money-spent-shopping-law-and-order|url-status=live}}</ref> They also dined extravagantly and took overseas trips to the ] and ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/883055/lost-in-l-a-this-menendez-brothers-murder-map-will-help-you-put-the-crazy-sprawling-story-into-perspective|title=This Menendez Brothers Murder Map Puts the Crazy Story in Perspective|work=E! Online|access-date=December 7, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=December 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207143100/http://www.eonline.com/news/883055/lost-in-l-a-this-menendez-brothers-murder-map-will-help-you-put-the-crazy-sprawling-story-into-perspective|url-status=live}}</ref> Collectively, they spent approximately $700,000 before their arrests; family members later disputed a connection between their spending and the murder of their parents, claiming that there were no changes in their spending habits after the killings.<ref name="vf"/> At one point, they attended a ] basketball game which became immortalized when they appeared courtside in the background of a ] trading card.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 2019 |title=How Two Murderers Were Spotted on an Old Mark Jackson Trading Card |url=https://www.slamonline.com/nba/how-two-serial-killers-were-discovered-on-an-old-mark-jackson-basketball-card/ |access-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201532/https://www.slamonline.com/nba/how-two-serial-killers-were-discovered-on-an-old-mark-jackson-basketball-card/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


=== Murders and alibi ===
During the early stages of the investigation, police tried to narrow their search to suspects who had motives to kill José and Kitty and also investigated potential ] leads. As the investigation continued, they began to suspect the brothers were the most likely perpetrators due to the obvious financial motive and their exorbitant spending after the killings. In an attempt to get a confession from Erik, police arranged for his friend, Craig Cignarelli, to wear a ] during a lunch with Erik at a local beachfront restaurant. When Cignarelli asked Erik whether he had killed his parents, Erik denied it.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/1993/10/dunne199310|title=The Menendez Murder Trial|last=Dunne|first=Dominick|author-link=Dominick Dunne|magazine=]|language=en|date=September 15, 2008|access-date=May 10, 2019|archive-date=June 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603141638/https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/1993/10/dunne199310|url-status=live}}</ref> Erik eventually confessed to his ], Jerome Oziel, who then told his mistress, Judalon Smyth. Oziel later broke up with Smyth who, in a fit of rage,<!-- Note that this is describing someone's internal state of mind as a fact in Wikivoice. --> told the police about the brothers' involvement.<ref name=":11">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-16-me-57401-story.html|title=Menendez Therapist's Ex-Lover Testifies: Trial: She says Oziel wanted the brothers to confess on tape so he could 'control' them. Calls that the woman secretly recorded of the stormy affair are also played in court.|last=Abrahamson|first=Alan|date=November 16, 1993|work=]|access-date=December 7, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035|archive-date=September 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926093340/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-16-me-57401-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Lyle was arrested on March{{Nbsp}}8, 1990, and Erik turned himself in three days later after returning to Los Angeles from Israel. Both were held without bail and jailed separately.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/menendez-brothers/arrest|title=The Arrest|date=June 29, 2017|work=Crime + Investigation|access-date=December 7, 2017|language=en|archive-date=December 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207141320/http://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/menendez-brothers/arrest|url-status=live}}</ref>
On August 18, 1989, Lyle and Erik went to several ] in Southern California to buy ]s.<ref name=":17">{{Cite web|last=Abrahamson|first=Alan|date=October 2, 1993|title=Menendez Stumbles in Telling of Gun Buying : Trial: Prosecution dramatically shows that store where Erik says brothers examined weapons did not carry them.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-10-02-mn-41450-story.html|access-date=October 9, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref name=":18">{{Cite AV media|title=63-CA v. Menendez: Erik Menendez (part 6)|url=https://www.courttv.com/title/63-ca-v-menendez-erik-menendez-pt6/|access-date=October 9, 2024|publisher=Court TV}}</ref> However, due to issues with Lyle's California driver's license and a two-week waiting period mandated by gun laws, the brothers decided to purchase shotguns instead.<ref name=":19">{{Cite web|last=Abrahamson|first=Alan|date=October 5, 1993|title=Erik Menendez Stands by His Story of Trying to Buy Handguns : Trial: Defense tries to counter revelation that the weapons were not at the store he claimed to have visited. The defendant says he may have gone to a different one.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-10-05-me-42396-story.html|access-date=October 9, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> They acquired ] ] ]s along with boxes of birdshot and buckshot ammunition in a ] store in ], where Erik used a stolen driver's license from Lyle's friend, Donovan Goodreau.<ref name=":17" /><ref name=":19" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=June 7, 1990|title=Form Shows Menendezes' Friend Bought Shotguns|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-06-07-me-1648-story.html|access-date=October 9, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>


In August 1990, Judge James Albrecht ruled that tapes of the conversations between Erik and Oziel were admissible evidence since Oziel stated that Lyle threatened him and violated ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Reinhold |first=Robert |title=LAW; Case of Two Brothers Accused of Killing Parents May Test Secrecy Limit in Patient-Therapist Tie |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/07/us/law-case-two-brothers-accused-killing-parents-may-test-secrecy-limit-patient.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422212957/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/07/us/law-case-two-brothers-accused-killing-parents-may-test-secrecy-limit-patient.html |archive-date=April 22, 2024 |work=New York Times}}</ref> Albrecht's ruling was ]ed, after which the proceedings were delayed for two years. The ] ruled in August 1992 that most of the tapes were admissible, with the exception of the tape on which Erik discussed the murders.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/4th/3/435.html|title=Menendez v. Superior Court (People) (1992)|work=Justia Law|access-date=December 7, 2017|language=en|archive-date=December 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207140519/https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/4th/3/435.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Timnick |first=Lois |date=1991-03-21 |title=From the Archives: Menendez Tapes Ruled Acceptable as Evidence |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-menendez-19910321-story.html |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> After that decision, a ] grand jury issued indictments in December 1992, charging the brothers with the murders of their parents; the ] that the killings were committed for financial gain was deemed unsupported by evidence and was subsequently excluded from the charges.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-12-30-me-2458-story.html|title=Menendez Brothers Plead Innocent in Killings : Court: Grand jury indictment means trial in the deaths of their parents could begin in March.|last=McMilla|first=Penelope|date=December 30, 1992|work=]|access-date=December 7, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035|archive-date=February 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224211036/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-12-30-me-2458-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> They were charged with two counts of ] with special circumstances for ], which made them eligible for the ].<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Tribune |first=Chicago |date=1996-03-21 |title=MENENDEZ BROTHERS MAY FACE DEATH PENALTY |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/03/21/menendez-brothers-may-face-death-penalty/ |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> On the evening of August 20, 1989, José and Kitty were watching '']'' in the theatre den of their Beverly Hills mansion when Lyle and Erik entered the den, carrying loaded shotguns.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/dominick-dunne-erik-lyle-menendez-brothers-gay/|title=Inside Dominick Dunne's Ties to Menendez Brothers: Shared Parental Abuse, Gay Identity (Exclusive Book Excerpt)|publisher=]|last=Hofler|first=Robert|date=April 17, 2017|access-date=November 14, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/lyle-menendez-speaks-from-prison-27-years-after-killing-parents-w458981/|title=Lyle Menendez Finally Speaks From Prison, 27 Years After Killing His Parents|magazine=]|date=January 4, 2017|access-date=March 12, 2017|archive-date=March 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312195528/http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/lyle-menendez-speaks-from-prison-27-years-after-killing-parents-w458981|url-status=live}}</ref> José was shot six times, including a fatal shot to the back of his head.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.biography.com/news/menendez-brothers-murder-case-facts|title=True Crime Revisited: The Menendez Brothers Case|work=Biography.com|access-date=December 7, 2017|archive-date=December 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206235836/https://www.biography.com/news/menendez-brothers-murder-case-facts|url-status=live}}</ref> Kitty was shot ten times in total.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Soble|first=Ronald L.|date=September 18, 1989|title=Mob-Style Killings Test Mettle of Beverly Hills Police|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-18-me-104-story.html|access-date=October 9, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> Before the fatal shot to her cheek, she was on the ground, crawling away.<ref name=":18" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite AV media|title=59-CA v. Menendez: Erik Menendez (part 2)|url=https://www.courttv.com/title/59-ca-v-menendez-erik-menendez-pt2/|access-date=October 8, 2024|publisher=Court TV}}</ref> Lyle ran to the car where Erik handed him ammunition to reload before firing the fatal shot to her face.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Natalie|last=Finn|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/845635/we-can-t-forget-just-how-insane-the-menendez-brothers-murder-case-was-in-its-day-or-in-any-day|title=Remembering the Insanity of the Menendez Brothers Murder Case|publisher=]|date=April 26, 2018|access-date=December 7, 2017|archive-date=December 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207141545/http://www.eonline.com/news/845635/we-can-t-forget-just-how-insane-the-menendez-brothers-murder-case-was-in-its-day-or-in-any-day|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-a-beverly-hills-paradise-lost-vol-33-no-12/|title=A Beverly Hills Paradise Lost|work=]|first=Joseph|last=Poindexter|date=March 26, 1990|access-date=February 8, 2017|archive-date=September 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926094956/https://people.com/archive/cover-story-a-beverly-hills-paradise-lost-vol-33-no-12/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Immediately after the killings, both brothers remained in the house for a few minutes, expecting the police to respond due to the noise of the gunshots.<ref>{{Cite AV media |title=Why the Menendez Brothers Say They Killed Their Parents: Part 1 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3PA37erNYw |date=2017-01-06 |type=Television production |publisher=ABC News |access-date=2024-10-28 |via=YouTube}}</ref> They left to dispose of their clothes that were stained with blood, and later buried the shotguns somewhere along ]. They also went to a movie theater and attempted to purchase tickets for the film ] to use as their alibi but abandoned the plan due to the timestamp on the ticket stub.<ref>{{Cite web|title=51-CA v. Menendez: Lyle Menendez (part 4)|url=https://www.courttv.com/title/51-ca-v-menendez-lyle-menendez-pt4/|access-date=October 3, 2024|publisher=Court TV}}</ref> They then headed to the "Taste of L.A." festival at ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Abrahamson|first=Alan|date=September 18, 1993|title=Menendez Tells of Fear Before Slaying Parents : Trial: He says he and his brother were sure their father planned to kill them after confrontation over abuse claims.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-18-mn-36447-story.html|access-date=October 20, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

After returning home and finding no police presence, Lyle called ] and emotionally told the operator, "someone killed my parents", saying that he had just come home and discovered their bodies.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Timnick|first=Lois|date=May 25, 1990|title=911 Call in Menendez Slayings: 'They Shot and Killed My Parents!' : Crime: Beverly Hills police release tape of a frantic son reporting the shootings. He and his brother are charged in the deaths.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-25-me-244-story.html|access-date=October 7, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>{{Sfn|Trott|2005|loc=pinpoint 1019}} Erik was heard screaming and crying in the background. When the officers arrived, Lyle and Erik ran from the home toward the officers while screaming.{{Sfn|Trott|2005|loc=pinpoint 1019}} When the police arrived, they did not seek gunshot residue tests from the brothers, which would have indicated whether they had recently discharged a firearm.<ref name="vf2"/> Lyle and Erik both falsely told officers that they were elsewhere at the time of the killings. Lyle told officers he thought the killings might be "business-related", implying a Mafia hit.{{Sfn|Trott|2005|loc=pinpoint 1019}}

Police officers and forensic staff who worked on the crime scene described it as "the most brutal" one they had ever encountered, noting the blood and brain matter splattered throughout the room.<ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=ZXkbyCbJlDLNjw-T&v=UYz3cNXD3ZY&feature=youtu.be|title=The Menendez Brothers' Fight for Freedom {{!}} Full Episode|date=March 8, 2024|last=48 Hours|access-date=October 7, 2024|via=YouTube}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite magazine|last=Dunne|first=Dominick|date=September 15, 2008|title=Nightmare on Elm Drive|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/1990/10/dunne199010|access-date=October 7, 2024|magazine=Vanity Fair}}</ref> Retired police detective Dan Stewart stated, "I've seen a lot of homicides, but nothing quite that brutal. Blood, flesh, skulls. It would be hard to describe, especially José, as resembling a human that you would recognize. That's how bad it was."<ref name=":22" /> According to the autopsy report, one blast caused "explosive decapitation with evisceration of the brain" and "deformity of the face" to José, while the first round of shots struck Kitty in her chest, right arm, left hip, and left leg, with the contact shot causing "multiple lacerations of the brain".<ref name=":22" />

=== Investigation and arrests ===
Detectives initially investigated Lyle's suggestion that the murders were a result of ]-related activity due to its heinousness and José's business connections.{{Sfn|Trott|2005|loc=pinpoint 1019}}<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Soble|first1=Ronald L.|last2=Johnson|first2=John|date=August 30, 1989|title=Menendez Murdered Mob Style : Killers Intended to Send a 'Message,' Police Source Says|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-08-30-me-1259-story.html|access-date=October 8, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

In the months after the killings, the brothers spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on luxury items, businesses, and travel.<ref name=debate>{{cite news|first1=Jessica|last1=Sagar|first2=Samantha|last2=Stutsman|url=https://people.com/the-menendez-brothers-true-story-8714540|title=The True Story of Netflix's Monsters: Why Did the Menendez Brothers Kill Their Parents?|date=September 20, 2024|access-date=September 20, 2024|archive-date=September 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920165026/https://people.com/the-menendez-brothers-true-story-8714540|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="vf2"/> Lyle bought Chuck's Spring Street Café, a ] restaurant in ], as well as three ] watches and a ] sports car.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.princetonsrestaurants.com/restaurant/Princeton-NJ/Chuck%27s-Spring-Street-Cafe|title=Chuck's Spring Street Cafe in Princeton, NJ|publisher=Princetonsrestaurants.com|access-date=September 27, 2010}}{{dead link|date=May 2024}}</ref> Erik hired a full-time tennis coach and competed in a series of tournaments overseas. The brothers eventually left the Beverly Hills mansion unoccupied, choosing to live in adjoining ]s in nearby ].<ref>{{Cite news|first1=Elena|last1=Nicolaou|date=September 26, 2017|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/09/174002/menendez-brothers-money-spent-shopping-law-and-order|title=Here's How Much The Menendez Brothers Spent On Their Spree|website=Refinery29|access-date=December 7, 2017|archive-date=January 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130110424/https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/09/174002/menendez-brothers-money-spent-shopping-law-and-order|url-status=live}}</ref> They also dined at high-end restaurants and took overseas trips to the ] and ].<ref>{{Cite news|first1=Natalie|last1=Finn|date=September 26, 2017|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/883055/lost-in-l-a-this-menendez-brothers-murder-map-will-help-you-put-the-crazy-sprawling-story-into-perspective|title=This Menendez Brothers Murder Map Puts the Crazy Story in Perspective|publisher=E!|access-date=December 7, 2017|archive-date=December 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207143100/http://www.eonline.com/news/883055/lost-in-l-a-this-menendez-brothers-murder-map-will-help-you-put-the-crazy-sprawling-story-into-perspective|url-status=live}}</ref> Their courtside attendance at a ] basketball game was captured in the background of a ] trading card.<ref>{{Cite web|first1=Ben|last1=Collins|date=January 16, 2019|title=How Two Murderers Were Spotted on an Old Mark Jackson Trading Card|website=Slam|url=https://www.slamonline.com/nba/how-two-serial-killers-were-discovered-on-an-old-mark-jackson-basketball-card/|access-date=April 2, 2023|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201532/https://www.slamonline.com/nba/how-two-serial-killers-were-discovered-on-an-old-mark-jackson-basketball-card/|url-status=live}}</ref> During this time, they spent approximately $700,000.<ref name="vf2"/> Most of this money came from a $650,000 personal life insurance policy, which was paid out,<ref></ref> although a larger insurance policy for $15 million with LIVE Entertainment as beneficiaries, not the Menendez brothers, turned out to be invalid.{{cn|date=December 2024}} This spending caused police to begin to consider the brothers as suspects, with a possible financial motive. Family members disputed a connection between their spending and the murder of their parents, asserting that there were no changes in their spending habits after the killings.<ref name="vf2"/>

Erik's high school friend, Craig Cignarelli, reported to the police that Erik had confessed to him.<ref>{{Cite web|last=McMILLAN|first=PENELOPE|date=April 17, 1993|title=Erik Menendez Confessed to Killings, Transcript Indicates|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-04-17-me-23886-story.html|access-date=October 9, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> He also revealed that he and Erik had previously written a 66-page screenplay titled "Friends", which depicted a son killing his wealthy parents for their inheritance.<ref name="latimes.com"/> In an attempt to get a confession, police arranged for Cignarelli to wear a ] during a lunch with Erik. When Cignarelli asked Erik whether he had killed his parents, Erik denied it.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/1993/10/dunne199310|title=The Menendez Murder Trial|last=Dunne|first=Dominick|author-link=Dominick Dunne|magazine=]|date=September 15, 2008|access-date=May 10, 2019|archive-date=June 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603141638/https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/1993/10/dunne199310|url-status=live}}</ref>

Police also heard from Lyle's friend Glenn Stevens that one week after the killings, Lyle had made a sudden trip back home from Princeton to destroy something in the family computer. Stevens said that Lyle told him a family member "found a new will and I went there and erased it".<ref name= johnson/> A computer expert hired by Lyle, also said he was hired to ensure deletion of a new will José had prepared, that may have left less to his sons.<ref name= johnson/>

Erik eventually confessed to his ], Jerome Oziel, who then told his mistress, Judalon Smyth. Oziel began recording his sessions with Lyle and Erik.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Timnick|first=Lois|date=August 7, 1990|title=Alleged Confession in Menendez Case Ruled Admissible : Courts: The judge says a therapist's audiotape of sessions with the brothers is not protected by doctor-patient confidentiality.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-07-me-284-story.html|access-date=October 9, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> After breaking up with Oziel, Smyth informed the police about the brothers' involvement in the murders.<ref name=":11">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-16-me-57401-story.html|title=Menendez Therapist's Ex-Lover Testifies: Trial: She says Oziel wanted the brothers to confess on tape so he could 'control' them. Calls that the woman secretly recorded of the stormy affair are also played in court.|last=Abrahamson|first=Alan|date=November 16, 1993|work=]|access-date=December 7, 2017|issn=0458-3035|archive-date=September 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926093340/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-16-me-57401-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Lyle was arrested on March{{Nbsp}}8, 1990, outside their Beverly Hills home, while Erik turned himself in three days later after returning to Los Angeles from Israel.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Soble|first1=Ronald L.|last2=Johnson|first2=John|date=March 9, 1990|title=2nd Son Agrees to Return : Will Fly to L.A. to Face Charges in His Parents' Murder : Exits Tennis Tournament in Tel Aviv|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-09-mn-2417-story.html|access-date=October 9, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> Both were held without bail and jailed separately at the ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/menendez-brothers/arrest|title=The Arrest|date=June 29, 2017|work=Crime + Investigation|access-date=December 7, 2017|archive-date=December 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207141320/http://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/menendez-brothers/arrest|url-status=live}}</ref>


==Trials== ==Trials==
The Menendez case became an international sensation when ] broadcast the trial in 1993.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1993/11/12/confessions-court-tv-addict/|title=Confessions of a Court TV Addict|last=Cagle|first=Jess|date=November 12, 1993|magazine=]|access-date=June 9, 2019|language=en-US|archive-date=June 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190609104105/https://ew.com/article/1993/11/12/confessions-court-tv-addict/|url-status=live}}</ref> Represented by their ] lawyer, ], the brothers stated that they killed their parents out of fear for their lives after a lifetime of ] at the hands of their parents, especially ] at the hands of their father, who was described as a cruel ] and ]. Meanwhile, their mother was described as an enabling, selfish, mentally unstable ] and ] who encouraged her husband's behavior and was also violent toward the brothers.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Menendez Brothers |url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/famous/menendez/trial_16.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012213355/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/famous/menendez/trial_16.html |archive-date=October 12, 2012 |access-date=December 3, 2012}}</ref>


=== Pretrial detention and legal disputes ===
The defense presented over 50 witnesses and experts, including family members and medical professionals. Lyle and Erik's cousin, Diane Vander Molen, testified that during a stay with the family in the mid-1970s, Lyle confided in her that his father was sexually abusing him.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lyle and Erik Menendez's Cousin Who Testified About Their Sexual Abuse Speaks Out for 1st Time |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/lyle-erik-menendezs-cousin-testified-sexual-abuse-speaks/story?id=44420173 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214222/https://abcnews.go.com/US/lyle-erik-menendezs-cousin-testified-sexual-abuse-speaks/story?id=44420173 |archive-date=June 2, 2021 |access-date=2021-05-31 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref> Vander Molen claimed she told Kitty about the incident, but Kitty sided with her husband, accusing Lyle of lying. Vander Molen recalled that after this, Kitty sent Lyle upstairs, and she never heard of the issue again. Another cousin, Andy Cano, testified that as a child, Erik told him about the abuse, which they both described as "penis massages."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abrahamson |first=Alan |date=1993-10-13 |title=Erik Menendez Told of Being Abused Years Ago, Cousin Says |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-10-13-me-45197-story.html |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> As physical evidence, the defense presented photographs of Lyle and Erik's genitalia allegedly taken by their father when they were children.<ref>{{Cite web |title=115-CA v. Menendez: Erik Menendez Defense Closing Arguments: Leslie Abramson (part 2) |url=https://www.courttv.com/title/115-ca-v-menendez-erik-menendez-defense-closing-arguments-leslie-abramson-pt2/ |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Court TV |language=en-US}}</ref> The prosecution argued that there was no evidence the photographs were taken by Jose, despite them being documented and kept by Kitty.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=12508}}
In August 1990, Judge James Albracht ruled that tapes of the conversations between Erik and his psychologist Jerome Oziel were admissible evidence since Oziel claimed that Lyle threatened him and violated ].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Reinhold|first=Robert|title=LAW; Case of Two Brothers Accused of Killing Parents May Test Secrecy Limit in Patient-Therapist Tie|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/07/us/law-case-two-brothers-accused-killing-parents-may-test-secrecy-limit-patient.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422212957/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/07/us/law-case-two-brothers-accused-killing-parents-may-test-secrecy-limit-patient.html|archive-date=April 22, 2024|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Albracht's ruling was ]ed, after which the proceedings were delayed for two years. The ] ruled in August 1992 that most of the tapes were admissible, with the exception of the tape on which Erik discussed the murders.{{sfn|Albracht|1992|loc=pinpoint 457: "For the reasons stated above, we conclude that the claim of the psychotherapist-patient privilege must be rejected."}}<ref name=Timnick>{{Cite web|last=Timnick|first=Lois|date=March 21, 1991|title=From the Archives: Menendez Tapes Ruled Acceptable as Evidence|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-menendez-19910321-story.html|access-date=October 8, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>


After that decision, a ] grand jury issued indictments in December 1992, charging the brothers with the murders of their parents; the ] that the killings were committed for financial gain was deemed unsupported by evidence and was subsequently excluded from the charges.<ref>{{Cite news|last=McMilla|first=Penelope|date=December 30, 1992|title=Menendez Brothers Plead Innocent in Killings : Court: Grand jury indictment means trial in the deaths of their parents could begin in March.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-12-30-me-2458-story.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224211036/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-12-30-me-2458-story.html|archive-date=February 24, 2022|access-date=December 7, 2017|work=]|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> They were charged with two counts of ] with special circumstances for ], which made them eligible for the ].<ref name=":12">{{Cite web|last=Tribune|first=Chicago|date=March 21, 1996|title=MENENDEZ BROTHERS MAY FACE DEATH PENALTY|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/03/21/menendez-brothers-may-face-death-penalty/|access-date=October 8, 2024|website=Chicago Tribune}}</ref>
Erik testified that a couple of weeks before the killings, he told Lyle about the sexual abuse he was experiencing, leading to multiple confrontations within the family.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=59-CA v. Menendez: Erik Menendez (part 2) |url=https://www.courttv.com/title/59-ca-v-menendez-erik-menendez-pt2/ |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Court TV |language=en-US}}</ref> Both brothers testified that their father had threatened to kill them if they did not keep the abuse secret. As a result, they purchased shotguns from a ] store in San Diego, claiming they needed them for protection and self-defense. They alleged that the final confrontation occurred in their home's den on August 20, 1989, shortly before Kitty and José were killed. According to their testimony, José closed the den's door, which they described as "unusual." Paranoid and afraid that they would be killed by their parents, Lyle and Erik went outside to load their shotguns. Erik recalled, "As I went into the room, I just started firing."<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Citation |title=The Erik Menendez Testimony: Lies, Incest, & Murder (1993) |date=March 13, 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWxXLmNHtb4 |access-date=2021-05-31 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/PWxXLmNHtb4 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live |language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref>


=== First trial (1993–1994) ===
The prosecution initially argued that the killings were motivated by financial gain, despite the grand jury initially excluding this as a special circumstance due to insufficient evidence.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abrahamson |first=Alan |date=1993-09-22 |title=Lyle Menendez Admits Lies, Insists He Killed in Fear : Trial: Defendant keeps poise under piercing cross-examination. He calls a prison term 'very likely.' |url=https://archive.is/68gbW |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> This theory was disputed by the defense team, claiming that the brothers did not think they were getting an inheritance after José threatened to disinherit them.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Archives |first=L. A. Times |date=1993-10-28 |title=Father's Plans to Disinherit Menendez Brothers Described |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-10-28-me-50394-story.html |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Lyle's prosecutor, Pam Bozanich, argued that "men could not be ]d, because they lack the necessary equipment to be raped."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-23 |title=The twisted truth behind Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/monsters-lyle-erik-menendez-netflix-true-story-ryan-murphy-b2617398.html |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=87-CA v. Menendez: OPJ: Lyle Menendez Jury Instructions |url=https://www.courttv.com/title/87-ca-v-menendez-opj-lyle-menendez-jury-instructions/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602220137/https://www.courttv.com/title/87-ca-v-menendez-opj-lyle-menendez-jury-instructions/ |archive-date=June 2, 2021 |access-date=2021-06-01 |website=Court TV |language=en-US}}</ref> Erik's prosecutor, Lester Kuriyama, also theorized that Erik's confusion about his sexual orientation suggested that José's alleged molestation was consensual, or that it may have been the real cause of tensions within the family, ultimately leading the brothers to kill their parents.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abrahamson |first=Alan |date=1994-01-08 |title=Erik Menendez's Testimony on Sexual Identity Reviewed : Trial: Jury takes notes while listening to defendant's earlier description of confusion about his orientation. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-08-me-9572-story.html |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
Represented by lead ] lawyers, ] (for Erik) and Jill Lansing (for Lyle), the brothers stated that they killed their parents out of fear for their lives after a lifetime of ] at the hands of their parents, especially ] at the hands of their father, who was described as a cruel ] and ]. Meanwhile, their mother was described as an enabling, selfish, mentally unstable ]<ref>{{Cite web|first1=Steve|last1=Helling|date=August 20, 2019|title=30 Years After Menendez Brothers Murders, Read PEOPLE's 1990 Cover Story|url=https://people.com/crime/menendez-brothers-murders-30-years-later/|access-date=October 20, 2024|website=People}}</ref> and ]{{Failed verification|date=October 2024}} who encouraged her husband's behavior and was also violent toward the brothers.<ref name=":8">{{cite web|last=Pergament|first=Rachel|title=The Menendez Brothers: The First Trial|url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/famous/menendez/trial_16.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012213355/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/famous/menendez/trial_16.html|archive-date=October 12, 2012|access-date=December 3, 2012|website=Crime Library (TruTV)|publisher=Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc. A Time Warner Company}}</ref> Lyle alleged that his father began abusing him at age 6, but stopped when he was 8 without explanation.{{sfn|Davis|1994|p=211}} Erik alleged he was abused up until adulthood, shortly prior to the murders.{{sfn|Davis|1994|p=232}} Erik testified that two weeks before the killings, he first told Lyle about the sexual abuse he was experiencing, leading to multiple confrontations within the family.<ref name=":3" /> Both brothers testified that their father had threatened to kill them if they did not keep the abuse secret. As a result, they purchased shotguns for "protection and self-defense". They alleged that the final confrontation occurred in their home's den on August 20, 1989, shortly before Kitty and José were killed. According to their testimony, José closed the den's door, which they described as "unusual". They testified that they were afraid that they would be killed by their parents, so went outside to load their shotguns, and Erik recalled, "As I went into the room, I just started firing."<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v&#61;PWxXLmNHtb4|title=The Erik Menendez Testimony: Lies, Incest, & Murder (1993)|date=2021-03-13|publisher=The Enquiry|access-date=2024-10-28|via=YouTube}}</ref>


Evidence from a taped therapy session between the brothers and their psychologist, Jerome Oziel, was also presented in court, after legal attempts by the defense to exclude it.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Timnick |first=Lois |date=1991-03-21 |title=From the Archives: Menendez Tapes Ruled Acceptable as Evidence |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-menendez-19910321-story.html |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> The prosecution used the tapes to disprove the abuse claims, as the brothers made no mention of sexual abuse, and instead complained about their dictatorial father and suicidal mother.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Abrahamson |first=Alan |date=1993-11-13 |title=Tape Could Undermine Key Menendez Claims : Courts: Brothers never mention self-defense or sexual abuse. They talk of putting mother 'out of her misery.' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-13-mn-56491-story.html |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://archive.is/CQMPG |archive-date=27 September 2024 |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> According to Oziel's account, “They didn’t kill their parents for money but rather out of hatred and out of a desire to be free from their father’s domination, messages of inadequacy, and impossible standards."<ref name=":1" /> Lyle also stated that by killing their mother, they may be "doing her and a favor... putting her out of her misery."<ref name=":4" /> This was rebutted by the defense through mental health professor ], who characterized Oziel as "manipulative" and "controlling," claiming he directed many of the statements made by the brothers in the tape recordings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abrahamson |first=Alan |date=1993-11-18 |title=Witness for Menendez Brothers Attempts to Discredit Therapy Session Tape in Which They Discuss Killings |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-18-me-57967-story.html |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> His ex-mistress, Judalon Smyth, also testified that Oziel wanted to "control" the brothers by taping their sessions.<ref name=":11" /> Under California law, the brothers could only be acquitted for manslaughter if they could prove they were in immediate or imminent danger.{{sfn|Davis|1994|p=236}} The prosecution argued there was no evidence of imminent danger or self defense. Prosecutor Pam Bozanich argued this was contradicted by the brothers purchasing shotguns in advance.<ref name=":8" /> Prosecutors used the taped conversation between the brothers and their psychologist, in which the brothers said they had planned the murders "beforehand".<ref name=":20">{{Cite web|last=Abrahamson|first=Alan|date=November 13, 1993|title=Tape Could Undermine Key Menendez Claims : Courts: Brothers never mention self-defense or sexual abuse. They talk of putting mother 'out of her misery.'|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-13-mn-56491-story.html|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240927232356/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-13-mn-56491-story.html|archive-date=September 27, 2024|access-date=October 24, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> Prosecution argued the murders were inconsistent with a self defense killing; after they had shot their mother Kitty who was "moaning and trying to crawl away", Lyle went to reload his shotgun and returned to finish her off.{{Sfn|Davis|1994|p=189}}{{Sfn|Soble|Johnson|1994|p=278}}


The prosecution argued that the sexual abuse allegations were fabricated; as nobody mentioned abuse until seven months after the murders while a legal defense was being formulated. The prosecution told jurors that mention of sexual abuse was absent in discussions and tapes with their psychologist, Jerome Oziel, and that Erik did not mention abuse in his earlier confession to his friend Craig Cignarelli.{{sfn|Davis|1994|p=170}} The prosecution told jurors throughout the trial that Lyle and Erik were capable of lying frequently and in great detail to avoid being caught, and thus they were also capable of lying about child abuse to avoid death sentences.<ref name=":8" /> Prosecutor Pam Bozanich played Lyle's staged 911 call for the jurors with the intention of showing how good an actor he was.<ref name=":8" />
The trial ended with two deadlocked juries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Levenson |first=Eric |date=2024-10-06 |title=A timeline of the Menendez brothers’ murder case and the push to reexamine it |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/06/us/menendez-brothers-timeline/index.html |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> As a result, ] ] immediately announced that the brothers would be retried. The second trial was less publicized, in part because Judge ] did not allow cameras in the courtroom.<ref name=":13">{{cite book|last1=Chiasson|first1=Lloyd|title=The Press on Trial: Crimes and Trials as Media Events|publisher=]|location=Westport, Connecticut|date=1997|page=200|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qdGpzU_qWA0C&q=stanley+weisberg+refuse+cameras+menendez&pg=PA200|access-date=June 3, 2015|isbn=9780313300226|archive-date=September 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913045310/https://books.google.com/books?id=qdGpzU_qWA0C&q=stanley+weisberg+refuse+cameras+menendez&pg=PA200|url-status=live}}</ref> During the second trial, Weisberg, relying upon a legal decision by the Supreme Court in an unrelated case, limited testimony about the sexual abuse claims and only allowed the jury to vote manslaughter charges for the father but not for the mother.<ref>{{cite web|title=Legal Loophole Could Give Murderous Brothers Erik And Lyle Menendez Chance For New Trial|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/legal-loophole-could-give-murderous-brothers-erik-lyle-menendez-chance-for-new-trial/|website=]|date=November 17, 2016|access-date=August 24, 2024|archive-date=September 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926093337/https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/legal-loophole-could-give-murderous-brothers-erik-lyle-menendez-chance-for-new-trial/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Tammi Menendez on Loving Erik|url=https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123804&page=1|website=]|date=September 27, 2002|access-date=June 28, 2020|archive-date=February 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225215034/https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123804&page=1|url-status=live}}</ref>


Prior to the trial, Lyle offered his ex-girlfriend Jamie Pisarcik money if she would lie for him in the trial and claim that José Menendez had made sexual advances towards her; which Pisarcik reported to the police. Before Lyle was cross-examined by the prosecution, he pre-emptively admitted this under questioning by his own lawyer.{{sfn|Davis|1994|p=212}}
Both brothers were eventually convicted on two counts of ] with ] for ], as well as ]; in the penalty phase of the trial, they were sentenced to ] without the possibility of ].<ref name=":14">{{Cite news |last=Noble |first=Kenneth |date=March 21, 1996 |title=Menendez Brothers Guilty Of Killing Their Parents |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/21/us/menendez-brothers-guilty-of-killing-their-parents.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927032209/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/21/us/menendez-brothers-guilty-of-killing-their-parents.html |archive-date=September 27, 2024 |access-date= |work=New York Times}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite news |date=July 3, 1996 |title=Menendez Brothers Sentenced to Life in Prison |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/03/us/menendez-brothers-sentenced-to-life-in-prison.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004041948/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/03/us/menendez-brothers-sentenced-to-life-in-prison.html |archive-date=October 4, 2024 |work=New York Times}}</ref> The jury noted the abuse defense was not a factor in its deliberations but it decided not to impose the ] because both brothers had no prior criminal record or history of violence. However, unlike the juries in the previous trials, the jury in the penalty phase rejected the defense's theory that the brothers killed their parents out of fear and believed that they committed the killings in order to inherit their father's wealth.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Abrahamson|first1=Alan|title=Little Remains of Menendez Estate, Records Show : Courts: Inheritance of $14.5&nbsp;million was lost to taxes, lawyers' fees and inflated real estate appraisals, probate files reveal|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-04-03-me-41704-story.html|newspaper=]|date=April 3, 1994|access-date=August 15, 2024|archive-date=February 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225212447/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-04-03-me-41704-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>


Lyle and Erik's cousin, Diane Vander Molen, testified that during a stay with the family in the mid-1970s, Lyle confided in her that his father was sexually abusing him. Vander Molen claimed she told Kitty about the incident, but Kitty sided with her husband, accusing Lyle of lying. Vander Molen recalled that after this, Kitty sent Lyle upstairs, and she never heard of the issue again.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} Under questioning from Pam Bozanich, Vander Molen said she had never witnessed any abuse.{{sfn|Davis|1994|p=204}} Lyle testified that Vander Molen was the only person he ever told of the abuse.{{sfn|Davis|1994|p=212}} Another cousin, Andy Cano, alleged that as a child, Erik told him about the abuse, which they both described as genital "massages". Prosecutors pressed Cano, asking him if he would lie for his cousin, which he denied.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Abrahamson|first=Alan|date=October 13, 1993|title=Erik Menendez Told of Being Abused Years Ago, Cousin Says|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-10-13-me-45197-story.html|access-date=October 8, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
During the penalty phase, Abramson apparently told defense witness William Vicary to edit his own notes of meetings with Erik to remove potentially damning information, but the district attorney's office decided not to launch a criminal investigation of Abramson.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/12/us/menendez-lawyer-won-t-face-investigation.html | title = Menendez Lawyer Won't Face Investigation | work = ] | date = October 12, 1997 | access-date = May 26, 2014 | archive-date = September 26, 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240926093352/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/12/us/menendez-lawyer-won-t-face-investigation.html | url-status = live }}</ref> Both brothers also filed motions for a ], claiming that they suffered irreversible damage in the penalty phase as a result of possible misconduct and ineffective representation by Abramson. On July{{Nbsp}}2, 1996, Weisberg sentenced the brothers to life in prison without the possibility of parole to be served as consecutive sentences for the killings and the charges of conspiracy to commit murder.<ref name=":6" />


The defense presented two faceless photographs of baby boys from the waist down, which Lyle alleged were taken by their father when they were little.{{sfn|Davis|1994|p=211}} The prosecution argued that there was no evidence the photographs were taken by José,<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=12508}} and the photos were found on a roll of film interspersed with photos from a children's birthday party.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/11/us/in-tearful-testimony-son-says-he-was-raped-by-father-he-is-accused-of-killing.html|date=September 11, 1993|agency=Associated Press|title=In Tearful Testimony, Son Says He Was Raped by Father He Is Accused of Killing|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210625214402/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/11/us/in-tearful-testimony-son-says-he-was-raped-by-father-he-is-accused-of-killing.html|access-date=October 9, 2024|archive-date=25 June 2021|work=The New York Times|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Incarceration==
As in their pretrial detention, the ] separated the brothers and sent them to different prisons. Since they were considered to be ] inmates, they were segregated from other prisoners. They remained in separate prisons until February 2018, when Lyle was moved from ] to the ], where they were housed in separate units.<ref>{{cite report |publisher=State of California |title=Inmate Locator |department=CDCR |url=https://inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov/Details.aspx?ID=K14101}}</ref> Erik had also been incarcerated at ] in ], and ] in ].{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}


Evidence from a taped therapy session between the brothers and their psychologist, Jerome Oziel, was also presented in court, after legal attempts by the defense to exclude it.<ref name=Timnick/> The prosecution used the tapes to disprove the abuse claims, as the brothers made no mention of sexual abuse, and instead complained about their dictatorial father and suicidal mother.<ref name=":20" /> Lyle also stated that by killing their mother, they may be "doing her and a favor... putting her out of her misery" and that they had "shown great courage by killing their mother".<ref name=":20" /> According to Oziel's account, "They didn't kill their parents for money but rather out of hatred and out of a desire to be free from their father's domination, messages of inadequacy, and impossible standards."<ref name=Timnick/> Oziel said that Lyle had confided that "he knew his father would have been proud of him for killing him" for pulling off the task.{{Sfn|Davis|1994|p=189}}
On April{{Nbsp}}4, 2018, Lyle was moved into the same housing unit as Erik, reuniting them for the first time since they began serving their sentences nearly 22 years earlier. The brothers said that they burst into tears and hugged each other during their first meeting in the housing unit. The unit where they are housed is reserved for inmates who agree to participate in education and rehabilitation programs without creating disruptions.<ref>{{cite news |title=Menendez brothers who killed parents reunited in California prison |date=April 7, 2018 |newspaper=] |page=3C |language=en |url=https://freep-mi.newsmemory.com/?token=62b248b84fa909472d7737ac1bb2b800&cnum=7361672&fod=1111111STD&selDate=20180407&licenseType=paid_subscriber& |access-date=April 7, 2018 |archive-date=June 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620125844/https://freep-mi.newsmemory.com/?token=62b248b84fa909472d7737ac1bb2b800&cnum=7361672&fod=1111111STD&selDate=20180407&licenseType=paid_subscriber& |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Sommerfeldt |first=Chris |date=2018-04-06 |title=Parent-killing Menendez brothers 'burst into tears' upon reuniting for first time since sentencing |newspaper=] |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2018/04/06/parent-killing-menendez-brothers-burst-into-tears-upon-reuniting-for-first-time-since-sentencing/ |access-date=2018-04-06 |archive-date=August 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240824073646/https://www.nydailynews.com/2018/04/06/parent-killing-menendez-brothers-burst-into-tears-upon-reuniting-for-first-time-since-sentencing/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Menendez brothers convicted of killing parents reunite in jail |website=] |publisher=] |date=April 7, 2018 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43663451 |access-date=July 21, 2018 |archive-date=June 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619181635/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43663451 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The defense consultant ] argued Oziel was "manipulative" and "controlling", arguing he directed many of the statements made by the brothers in the tape recordings.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Abrahamson|first=Alan|date=November 18, 1993|title=Witness for Menendez Brothers Attempts to Discredit Therapy Session Tape in Which They Discuss Killings|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-18-me-57967-story.html|access-date=October 8, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> Oziel's ex-mistress, Judalon Smyth, also testified that Oziel wanted to "control" the brothers by taping their sessions.<ref name=":11" /> Smyth's testimony was challenged by the prosecution, noting she was the one who notified the authorities of the confession tapes, but had now joined the defense to discredit Oziel after a tumultuous breakup.{{sfn|Davis|1994|p=260}}

Erik testified that he put cinnamon in his father's tea and coffee to make his semen taste better. The plausibility of this claim was disputed because cinnamon is a detectable flavor.{{sfn|Soble|Johnson|1994|p=328}} Prosecutor Lester Kuriyama proposed that José had not forced Erik into sex acts, but was furious that his son was potentially homosexual, and this may have caused tensions within the family.{{sfn|Davis|1994|p=270}}<ref>{{Cite web|last=Abrahamson|first=Alan|date=January 8, 1994|title=Erik Menendez's Testimony on Sexual Identity Reviewed : Trial: Jury takes notes while listening to defendant's earlier description of confusion about his orientation.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-08-me-9572-story.html|access-date=October 8, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> Judge Weisberg refused to allow Kuriyama to discuss the idea.<ref name=":20" /> The defense argued Kuriyama's idea was "disgusting",{{sfn|Davis|1994|p=270}} while Kuriyama argued it was relevant because one witness claimed to have seen gay porn magazines in the house, implying that José was sexually attracted to men; however, the meaning would change if they belonged to Erik.<ref name=":20" /> Erik alleged his mother "made it seem like it was worse than death to be gay, and I didn't think I was, I just—I don’t know", and followed up by saying he liked girls and enjoyed his relationship with his girlfriend.{{sfn|Davis|1994|p=271}}

The prosecution wanted to allow the jury to see a screenplay that Erik had written with his friend Craig in high school, a story about a wealthy young man who killed his parents for the inheritance money. Judge Weisberg ruled against it, saying the play was written too long before the shooting to have relevance.{{sfn|Davis|1994|p=181}}

The defense also won a ruling against the use of the word "sociopath" in front of juries. Oziel told the court he had described to the boys the difference between a crime of passion, and a crime of assault, and that in response they described themselves as "sociopaths". The judge said the label was too prejudicial to announce in front of a jury.{{sfn|Davis|1994|p=187}} A defense witness, psychologist Anne Tyler, described Erik's burglaries of more than $100,000 in cash and jewellery as the "acting out behavior" of an adolescent.{{sfn|Davis|1994|p=257}}

Both verdicts for the brothers were divided by gender; female jurors suggested voluntary manslaughter, while male jurors pushed for first-degree murder.{{sfn|Thornton|Wrightsman|Posey|Scheflin|2017|p=}}{{page needed|date=October 2024}} After a month of deliberations, the trial ended in a ] due to the two deadlocked juries.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Levenson|first=Eric|date=October 6, 2024|title=A timeline of the Menendez brothers' murder case and the push to reexamine it|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/06/us/menendez-brothers-timeline/index.html|access-date=October 8, 2024|publisher=CNN}}</ref> As a result, ] ] immediately announced that the brothers would be retried.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

=== Second trial (1995–1996) ===
The second trial was less publicized, in part because Judge ] did not allow cameras in the courtroom because it would "increase the risk that jurors would be exposed to information and commentary about the case outside of the courtroom".{{sfn|Chiasson|1997|p=200}}<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|last=Pergament|first=Rachel|date=October 12, 2012|title=The Menendez Brothers, notorious killers of their parents — truTV's Crime Library — The Second Trial — Crime Library on truTV.com|url=https://www.crimelibrary.org/notorious_murders/famous/menendez/trial_17.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012213447/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/famous/menendez/trial_17.html|archive-date=October 12, 2012|access-date=October 18, 2024}}</ref>

Erik testified over 15 days about allegations of abuse. Judge Weisberg limited some of testimony about some of the allegations of abuse on the third day.<ref name=":9" /> Judge Weisberg limited the defense to 64 total witnesses in the retrial.<ref name=":9" /> Erik alleged that José had told him he was written out of the will.<ref name=":9" />

Lyle's former fiancé, Jamie Pisarcik, testified that Lyle had tried to bribe her to testify falsely in the first trial. Pisarcik said that Lyle told her fictitious stories about the mob killing of his parents, which she originally believed. She testified that during a regular visit to see Lyle in prison, he offered her a large sum of money to claim that José Menendez made sexual advances towards her.<ref>{{Cite web|last=O’neill|first=Ann W.|date=November 2, 1995|title=Menendez Confession Recounted : Trial: Lyle's ex-fiancee tells of jailhouse admission that he killed his parents because of sexual abuse.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-11-02-me-63840-story.html|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241005144023/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-11-02-me-63840-story.html|archive-date=October 5, 2024|access-date=October 9, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

Lyle did not testify in the second trial.<ref name=":9" /> Prosecutor David Conn told jurors that Lyle had asked his friend Brian Eslaminia to fabricate a story in the first trial. A 7-page letter was found by the police, allegedly written by Lyle detailing how he wanted him to testify.<ref>{{Cite web|last=O’neill|first=Ann W.|date=October 24, 1995|title=Letter Tells Menendez Plan for Testimony : Courts: Son of victim slain by Billionaire Boys Club was willing to help 'fabricate' account, according to warrant.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-24-me-60532-story.html|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240801233303/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-24-me-60532-story.html|archive-date=August 1, 2024|access-date=October 24, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

The prosecution also had another letter that Lyle had allegedly written to his ex-girlfriend Traci Baker from jail. It included instructions on how to testify, with the sentence: "We will decide later around what date this incident occurred."<ref name=":21">{{Cite web|last=Abrahamson|first=Alan|date=February 11, 1994|title=Purported Lyle Menendez Letter Sparks Controversy : Courts: Note allegedly gave advice on testimony. Defense questions the document's authenticity.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-02-11-me-21682-story.html|access-date=October 24, 2024|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> The defense disputed its authenticity. Baker was not reached for comment.<ref name=":21" />

Conn challenged Erik's allegation that he was raped at the age of 18, when he had a vehicle and enough money to leave his parents' home. Conn asked him why he did not join the army. Erik said he would not be safe from his father in the army, because he was "the most powerful man I've ever met". Erik said there was no witnesses to his allegations of sexual abuse.<ref name=":9" />

Psychology professor John Wilson, an expert witness for the defense testified that Erik had symptoms of PTSD which supported his allegations of abuse. Prosecution expert witness, psychiatrist Park Elliot Dietz countered that there was no way to know if he had PTSD because the allegations were unproven. He argued Erik did not show symptoms of "learned helplessness", as he had purchased guns and practiced with them at the shooting range.<ref name=":9" />

Leslie Abramson argued that the brothers acted out fear that their parents would harm them for threatening to reveal the family's secrets,<ref name=":9" /> and that the killings were a "highly emotional overkill".<ref name=":9" />

Judge Weisberg determined that there was insufficient evidence to support the claim that the brothers were in imminent danger when they murdered their parents. Weisberg did allow the defense to argue that the brothers shot José in the heat of passion, but not their mother Kitty. He concluded there was enough evidence to suggest that José might have provoked his sons into committing homicide, but not enough to indicate that Kitty did.<ref name=":9" />

Klara Wright, wife of the attorney hired by the brothers, testified that the brothers had brought a safe to her home in hopes of locating a copy of their parents' will. The safe was opened two days after the murders, in the presence of Brian Andersen and Carlos Baralt, the brothers' uncles. It was found to be empty.<ref name=":9" /> Conn argued this was evidence the brothers were trying to access their parents' money as quickly as possbile.<ref name=":9" />

Both brothers were eventually convicted on two counts of ] with ] for ], as well as ]; in the penalty phase of the trial, they were sentenced to ] without the possibility of ].<ref name=":14">{{Cite news|last=Noble|first=Kenneth|date=March 21, 1996|title=Menendez Brothers Guilty Of Killing Their Parents|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/21/us/menendez-brothers-guilty-of-killing-their-parents.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927032209/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/21/us/menendez-brothers-guilty-of-killing-their-parents.html|archive-date=September 27, 2024|access-date=|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite news|date=July 3, 1996|title=Menendez Brothers Sentenced to Life in Prison|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/03/us/menendez-brothers-sentenced-to-life-in-prison.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004041948/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/03/us/menendez-brothers-sentenced-to-life-in-prison.html|archive-date=October 4, 2024|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

During the penalty phase, Abramson reportedly told defense witness William Vicary to edit his own notes of meetings with Erik to remove potentially damning information, but the district attorney's office decided not to launch a criminal investigation of Abramson.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/12/us/menendez-lawyer-won-t-face-investigation.html|title=Menendez Lawyer Won't Face Investigation|work=]|date=October 12, 1997|access-date=May 26, 2014|archive-date=September 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926093352/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/12/us/menendez-lawyer-won-t-face-investigation.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Both brothers also filed motions for a ], claiming that they suffered irreversible damage in the penalty phase as a result of possible misconduct and ineffective representation by Abramson. On July{{Nbsp}}2, 1996, Weisberg sentenced the brothers to life in prison without the possibility of parole, to be served as consecutive sentences for the killings and the charges of conspiracy to commit murder.<ref name=":6" />


In 2018, Lyle and Erik founded the ] and beautification initiative "The Green Space Project," which aims to make prisons more "livable" and rehabilitative by painting murals on walls and planting trees.<ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |title=Meet the Green Space Project Team |url=https://www.greenspace-project.com/meet-the-rtb-team/ |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=The Greenspace Project |language=en}}</ref> In June 2024, Lyle earned a bachelor's degree in ] through the ]'s special college program for inmates of Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-23 |title=Inmates earn bachelor's degrees in first-of-its-kind partnership with the University of California |url=https://abc7.com/post/inmates-earn-bachelors-degrees-thanks-to-partnership-with-university-of-california/14990451/ |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=ABC7 Los Angeles |language=en}}</ref>
==Appeals== ==Appeals==
On February{{Nbsp}}27, 1998, the ] upheld the brothers' murder convictions and, on May{{Nbsp}}28, 1998, the ] declined to review the case, thus allowing the decision of the appellate court to stand.<ref name="Crime Library"/> Both brothers filed '']'' petitions with the Supreme Court of California, which were denied in 1999. Having exhausted their appeal remedies in state court, they filed separate ''habeas corpus'' petitions in the ]. On March{{Nbsp}}4, 2003, a magistrate judge recommended the denial of the petitions,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Christian |date=2019-04-22 |title=Case Summary |url=https://menendezcase.com/2019/04/22/case-summary/ |access-date=2022-09-15 |website=Menendez Brothers Case |language=en-GB |archive-date=September 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220915171818/https://menendezcase.com/2019/04/22/case-summary/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the district court adopted the recommendation. The brothers then decided to appeal to the ]. On September{{Nbsp}}7, 2005, a three-judge panel denied both their ''habeas corpus'' petitions,<ref name=":5">{{cite web|title=United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit|url=https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2005/09/07/0355863.pdf|website=uscourts.gov|access-date=June 8, 2017|archive-date=February 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228160631/http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2005/09/07/0355863.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> although Judge ] noted that the trial judge changed many of his rulings during the two trials.<ref>{{cite web|title=Law Offices of Cliff Gardner|url=https://www.cliffgardner.com/resources/menendez.mp3|website=cliffgardner.com/index.php|access-date=April 29, 2019|archive-date=March 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320113442/http://cliffgardner.com/resources/menendez.mp3|url-status=live}}</ref> On February{{Nbsp}}27, 1998, the ] upheld the brothers' murder convictions and, on May{{Nbsp}}28, 1998, the ] declined to review the case, thus allowing the decision of the appellate court to stand.<ref name="Crime Library"/> Both brothers filed '']'' petitions with the Supreme Court of California, which were denied in 1999. Having exhausted their appeal remedies in state court, they filed separate ''habeas corpus'' petitions in the ]. On March{{Nbsp}}4, 2003, a magistrate judge recommended the denial of the petitions,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Christian|date=April 22, 2019|title=Case Summary|url=https://menendezcase.com/2019/04/22/case-summary/|access-date=September 15, 2022|website=Menendez Brothers Case-GB|archive-date=September 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220915171818/https://menendezcase.com/2019/04/22/case-summary/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the district court adopted the recommendation. The brothers then decided to appeal to the ]. On September{{Nbsp}}7, 2005, a three-judge panel denied both their ''habeas corpus'' petitions.<ref name=":5">{{cite web|title=United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit|url=https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2005/09/07/0355863.pdf|website=uscourts.gov|access-date=June 8, 2017|archive-date=February 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228160631/http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2005/09/07/0355863.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 2023, the brothers requested a new hearing based upon an allegation that their father had raped former ] member ], who, at that time, was signed under ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/05/us/menendez-brothers-new-evidence-claims/index.html|title=Attorneys for Menendez brothers claim new evidence could overturn life sentences|first=Taylor|last=Romine|date=May 6, 2023|publisher=CNN|access-date=May 6, 2023|archive-date=May 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506034130/https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/05/us/menendez-brothers-new-evidence-claims/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Specifically, on April 18, 2023, on a segment of the '']'' about a ], Rosselló stated that when he was 14 years old, he was drugged and raped by José Menendez while he was visiting the Menendez family's home in New Jersey.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Stevens|first=Matt|date=April 18, 2023|title=Ex-Member of Menudo Says He Was Raped by Father of the Menendez Brothers|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/18/arts/television/menendez-brothers-menudo-roy-rossello-documentary.html|access-date=April 19, 2023|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926093425/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/18/arts/television/menendez-brothers-menudo-roy-rossello-documentary.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The appeal cites a letter that appears to have been written by Erik to his cousin, Andy Cano, in 1988, where Erik talked about the abuse. Robert Rand, the author of ''The Menendez Murders'' says he found it in 2018 in a dresser in Cano's bedroom.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gamson|first=Benjamin|date=October 4, 2024|title=How author found key evidence that could free Menendez brothers|url=https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/california-news/author-describes-how-he-found-key-evidence-that-could-free-menendez-brothers/3528153/?amp=1|access-date=October 9, 2024|website=NBC Los Angeles}}</ref>

On October 3, 2024, Los Angeles District Attorney ] announced in a press conference that his office was actively reviewing the appeal.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Casiano|first=Louis|date=October 3, 2024|title=Los Angeles DA George Gascon will review new evidence in Menendez brothers murder case|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/los-angeles-da-george-gascon-review-evidence-menendez-brothers-murder-case|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004034010/https://www.foxnews.com/us/los-angeles-da-george-gascon-review-evidence-menendez-brothers-murder-case|archive-date=October 4, 2024|access-date=October 4, 2024|publisher=Fox News}}</ref><ref name=":15">{{Cite magazine|last=Millman|first=Ethan|date=October 3, 2024|title=Menendez Brothers: New Evidence Being Reviewed in Murder Case|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/menendez-brothers-evidence-being-reviewed-murder-case-1235124411/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004015001/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/menendez-brothers-evidence-being-reviewed-murder-case-1235124411/|archive-date=October 4, 2024|access-date=October 4, 2024|magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref> On October 24, 2024, George Gascón announced he was asking the court for a resentencing of the case.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last=Breen|first=Kerry|date=October 24, 2024|title=Menendez brothers should be resentenced, Los Angeles County DA recommends - CBS News|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/menendez-brothers-murder-case-sentencing-george-gascon-recommendation/|access-date=October 25, 2024|publisher=CBS News}}</ref> If a judge accepts his recommendation, the brothers will be eligible for parole.<ref name=":4" /> Gascón stated, "I don't believe that manslaughter would have been the appropriate charge given the premeditation that was involved", and "I do believe that the brothers was subjected to a tremendous amount of dysfunction in the home and molestation."<ref name=":23" /> Gascón's recommendation considered the length of time the brothers had already served, and their behavior while in prison.<ref name=":23" />


A re-sentencing trial was initially scheduled to begin on December 11, 2024.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Jaimie |last1=Ding|title=Resentencing hearing for Erik and Lyle Menendez in 1989 killings of their parents set for Dec. 11|url=https://apnews.com/article/menendez-brothers-killings-netflix-los-angeles-9158091f8f602bea3c234218f4e51b78|date=October 31, 2024 |work=Associated Press News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tmz.com/2024/11/06/new-los-angeles-county-district-attorney-nathan-hochman-menendez-brothers-case-priority/ | title=New L.A. D.A. Nathan Hochman Says Menendez Brothers Case is High Priority | date=November 6, 2024 }}</ref> However, during a court hearing on November 25, 2024, the trial would be pushed back to January 30 and 31, 2025.<ref>{{Cite news | last1=Turner | first2=Kimberly | last2=Cheng | url=https://ktla.com/news/california/menendez-brothers-resentencing-request-hearing-pushed-back-to-january/ | title=Menendez brothers' resentencing hearing pushed back to January | first1=Austin| publisher=KTLA | date=November 25, 2024 | accessdate=November 27, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1=Kelly |last1=Hessedal |first2=Shannon |last2=Handy |url=https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/menendez-brothers-resentencing-hearing-pushed-back-to-january/509-56667380-51bc-4f03-a2b9-d1dbcca5ba0a |title=Menendez brothers resentencing hearing pushed back to January |date=November 25, 2024 |work=CBS 8 San Diego| accessdate=November 27, 2024}}</ref>
In May 2023, the brothers requested a new hearing based upon allegations that their father had molested boy-band member ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/05/us/menendez-brothers-new-evidence-claims/index.html|title=Attorneys for Menendez brothers claim new evidence could overturn life sentences|first=Taylor|last=Romine|date=May 6, 2023|website=CNN|access-date=May 6, 2023|archive-date=May 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506034130/https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/05/us/menendez-brothers-new-evidence-claims/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Specifically, on April 18, 2023, on a segment of the '']'' about a ], Rosselló stated that when he was 14 years old, he was drugged and raped by José Menendez while he was visiting the Menendez family's home in New Jersey.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stevens |first=Matt |date=2023-04-18 |title=Ex-Member of Menudo Says He Was Raped by Father of the Menendez Brothers |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/18/arts/television/menendez-brothers-menudo-roy-rossello-documentary.html |access-date=2023-04-19 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926093425/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/18/arts/television/menendez-brothers-menudo-roy-rossello-documentary.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On October 3, 2024, Los Angeles District Attorney ] announced in a press conference that his office is actively reviewing the appeal.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Casiano |first=Louis |date=2024-10-03 |title=Los Angeles DA George Gascon will review new evidence in Menendez brothers murder case |url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/los-angeles-da-george-gascon-review-evidence-menendez-brothers-murder-case |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004034010/https://www.foxnews.com/us/los-angeles-da-george-gascon-review-evidence-menendez-brothers-murder-case |archive-date=October 4, 2024 |access-date=2024-10-04 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":15">{{Cite magazine |last=Millman |first=Ethan |date=2024-10-03 |title=Menendez Brothers: New Evidence Being Reviewed in Murder Case |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/menendez-brothers-evidence-being-reviewed-murder-case-1235124411/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004015001/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/menendez-brothers-evidence-being-reviewed-murder-case-1235124411/ |archive-date=October 4, 2024 |access-date=2024-10-04 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>


== Marriages == == Marriages ==
On July 2, 1996, Lyle married Anna Eriksson at a ceremony attended by Abramson and his aunt Marta Menendez, officiated by Judge Nancy Brown; they divorced on April 1, 2001,<ref name="Crime Library" /> after Eriksson discovered that Lyle was cheating on her with another woman. In November 2003, Lyle married Rebecca Sneed at a ceremony in a visiting area of Mule Creek State Prison; they had known each other for around 10 years before their engagement.<ref>{{cite web |last=Abrams |first=Dan |date=January 18, 2006 |title=Should single guys trade their pinstripes for prison stripes? |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12134256 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122140034/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12134256 |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |access-date=September 2, 2008 |website=NBCNews.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=November 23, 2003 |title=Parent-killer Menendez marries in Calif. prison |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3540836 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225215035/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3540836 |archive-date=February 25, 2022 |access-date=September 2, 2008 |website=NBCNews.com}}</ref> On July 2, 1996, Lyle married Anna Eriksson at a ceremony attended by Abramson and his aunt Marta Menendez, officiated by Judge Nancy Brown; they divorced on April 1, 2001,<ref name="Crime Library" /> after Eriksson discovered that Lyle was cheating on her with another woman. In November 2003, Lyle married Rebecca Sneed at a ceremony in a visiting area of Mule Creek State Prison; they had known each other for around 10 years before their engagement.<ref>{{cite web|last=Abrams|first=Dan|date=January 18, 2006|title=Should single guys trade their pinstripes for prison stripes?|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12134256|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122140034/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12134256|archive-date=January 22, 2021|access-date=September 2, 2008|publisher=NBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=November 23, 2003|title=Parent-killer Menendez marries in Calif. prison|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3540836|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225215035/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3540836|archive-date=February 25, 2022|access-date=September 2, 2008|publisher=NBC News}}</ref>


On June 12, 1999, Erik married Tammi Ruth Saccoman at ] in a prison waiting room. Tammi later stated: "Our wedding cake was a ]. We improvised. It was a wonderful ceremony until I had to leave. That was a very lonely night."<ref name="people">{{cite magazine |last=Hewitt |first=Bill |date=November 7, 2005 |title=Life & Love Behind Bars |url=https://people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20144791,00.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829111030/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20144791,00.html |archive-date=August 29, 2016 |access-date=August 24, 2024 |magazine=] |volume=64 |number=19}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=June 16, 1999 |title=Convicted murderer Erik Menendez marries in prison |url=http://edition.cnn.com/US/9906/16/menendez/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926093338/http://edition.cnn.com/US/9906/16/menendez/ |archive-date=September 26, 2024 |access-date=July 19, 2008 |website=]}}</ref> In an October 2005 interview with ], she described her relationship with Erik as "something that I've dreamed about for a long time. And it's just something very special that I never thought that I would ever have."<ref name="ABC1">{{cite news |date=October 25, 2005 |title=Erik Menendez's life behind bars |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1255023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929220803/http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1255023 |archive-date=September 29, 2008 |access-date=July 19, 2008 |website=]}}</ref> On June 12, 1999, Erik married Tammi Ruth Saccoman in the waiting room of ]. Tammi later stated: "Our wedding cake was a ]. We improvised. It was a wonderful ceremony until I had to leave. That was a very lonely night."<ref name="people">{{cite magazine|last=Hewitt|first=Bill|date=November 7, 2005|title=Life & Love Behind Bars|url=https://people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20144791,00.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829111030/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20144791,00.html|archive-date=August 29, 2016|access-date=August 24, 2024|magazine=]|volume=64|number=19}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=June 16, 1999|title=Convicted murderer Erik Menendez marries in prison|url=http://edition.cnn.com/US/9906/16/menendez/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926093338/http://edition.cnn.com/US/9906/16/menendez/|archive-date=September 26, 2024|access-date=July 19, 2008|publisher=]|url-status=dead}}</ref> In an October 2005 interview with ], she described her relationship with Erik as "something that I've dreamed about for a long time. And it's just something very special that I never thought that I would ever have."<ref name="ABC1">{{cite news|date=October 25, 2005|title=Erik Menendez's life behind bars|url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1255023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929220803/http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1255023|archive-date=September 29, 2008|access-date=July 19, 2008|website=]}}</ref>


In 2005, Saccoman self-published a book, ''They Said We'd Never Make It – My Life with Erik Menendez'', but she said on ]'s '']'' that Erik also "did a lot of editing on the book".<ref name="cnn_tammy">{{cite news |date=December 20, 2005 |title=Interview with Tammi Menendez |url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2005-12-20/segment/01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602042704/https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2005-12-20/segment/01 |archive-date=June 2, 2023 |access-date=2015-06-13 |website=]}}</ref> In an interview with ], she stated: In 2005, Saccoman self-published a book, ''They Said We'd Never Make It – My Life with Erik Menendez''; however, she said on ]'s '']'' that Erik also "did a lot of editing on the book".<ref name="cnn_tammy">{{cite news|date=December 20, 2005|title=Interview with Tammi Menendez|url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2005-12-20/segment/01|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602042704/https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2005-12-20/segment/01|archive-date=June 2, 2023|access-date=June 13, 2015|work=]}}</ref> In an interview with ], she stated:


{{blockquote|Not having sex in my life is difficult, but it's not a problem for me. I have to be emotionally attached, and I'm emotionally attached to Erik ... My family does not understand. When it started to get serious, some of them just threw up their hands.<ref name= "people"/>}} {{blockquote|Not having sex in my life is difficult, but it's not a problem for me. I have to be emotionally attached, and I'm emotionally attached to Erik ... My family does not understand. When it started to get serious, some of them just threw up their hands.<ref name= "people"/>}}


Saccoman also stated that she and her daughter drove {{cvt|150|mi}} every weekend to visit Erik, and that her daughter refers to him as her "Earth Dad".<ref name="people" /> Discussing his life sentence, Erik stated: "Tammi is what gets me through. I can't think about the sentence. When I do, I do it with a great sadness and a primal fear. I break into a cold sweat. It's so frightening I just haven't come to terms with it."<ref name="people" /> Saccoman also stated that she and her daughter drove {{cvt|150|mi}} every weekend to visit Erik, and that her daughter refers to him as her "Earth Dad".<ref name="people" /> Discussing his life sentence, Erik stated: "Tammi is what gets me through. I can't think about the sentence. When I do, I do it with a great sadness and a primal fear. I break into a cold sweat. It's so frightening I just haven't come to terms with it."<ref name="people" />
==In popular culture==

=== Books ===

* 1994 – ''Blood Brothers: The Inside Story of the Menendez Murders'' by Ron Soble, John Johnson<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blood Brothers: The Inside Story of the Menendez Murder… |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/132121.Blood_Brothers |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Goodreads |language=en}}</ref>
* 1995 – ''The Private Diary of Lyle Menendez: In His Own Words!'' by ], Norma Novelli<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Private Diary of Lyle Menendez: In His Own Words! |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/368204.The_Private_Diary_of_Lyle_Menendez |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Goodreads |language=en}}</ref>
* 1995 – ''Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror'' by Hazel Thornton<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36519585-hung-jury |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Goodreads |language=en}}</ref>
* 2005 – ''They Said We'd Never Make It – My Life with Erik Menendez'' by Tammi Menendez<ref name="cnn_tammy" />
* 2010 – ''The Abuse Excuse'' by ]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Caplan |first=Lincoln |date=1994 |title=(Fill In The Blank) Made Me Do It |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/16/books/fill-in-the-blank-made-me-do-it.html |url-status=live |work=New York Times}}</ref>
* 2016 – ''The Menendez Murders'' by Robert Rand<ref>{{Cite web |last=Waxman |first=Olivia B. |date=2024-09-24 |title=What to Read, Watch and Listen to About the Menendez Brothers |url=https://time.com/7023814/menendez-brothers-guide-stories/ |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=TIME |language=en}}</ref>
* 2024 – ''The Menendez Murders'' (Updated Edition) by Robert Rand<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Menendez Murders, Updated Edition by Robert Rand: 9781637745977 {{!}} PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books |url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/770509/the-menendez-murders-updated-edition-by-robert-rand/ |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=PenguinRandomhouse.com |language=en-US}}</ref>


==In popular culture==
===Documentaries=== ===Documentaries===
* In 2000, "Menendez Brothers – Blood Brothers", an episode from the documentary series by Court TV (now ]) ''Mugshots'', was aired at '']''.<ref>{{cite web| title= Mugshots: Menendez Brothers| url= https://filmrise.com/mugshots-menendez-brothers/| access-date= November 8, 2017| website= FilmRise.com| language= en| archive-date= October 19, 2017| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171019112147/http://filmrise.com/mugshots-menendez-brothers/| url-status= live}}</ref> * In 2000, "Menendez Brothers – Blood Brothers", an episode from the documentary series by Court TV (now ]) ''Mugshots'', was aired at ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Mugshots: Menendez Brothers|url=https://filmrise.com/mugshots-menendez-brothers/|access-date=November 8, 2017|website=FilmRise.com|archive-date=October 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019112147/http://filmrise.com/mugshots-menendez-brothers/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* In 2015, ''] Presents: American Scandals'' featured the Menendez brothers in an episode, "Menendez Brothers: The Bad Sons".<ref>{{Cite web| url= https://www.youtube.com/show/SCCj_184WZveB10wdZv7eaqQ?season=1| access-date= 2021-05-07| website= | title= Menendez Brothers: The Bad Sons| via= YouTube| archive-date= May 7, 2021| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210507030540/https://www.youtube.com/show/SCCj_184WZveB10wdZv7eaqQ?season=1| url-status= live}}</ref> * In 2015, ''] Presents: American Scandals'' featured the Menendez brothers in an episode, "Menendez Brothers: The Bad Sons".<ref>{{Cite AV media|title=Menendez Brothers: The Bad Sons|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXZP5ma9urM|date=November 23, 2015|type=Television production|publisher=Discovery Communications|series=4|access-date=October 27, 2024|via=YouTube}}</ref>
* In 2017, the Menendez brothers were featured in a documentary, ''Truth and Lies: The Menendez Brothers – American Sons, American Murderers'' on ].<ref>{{Cite web|first1=Matthew|last1=Acosta|date=September 26, 2024|title=Finished 'Monsters'? 8 Gripping Shows and Documentaries About the Menendez Brothers to Watch Next|url=https://people.com/shows-documentaries-about-menendez-brothers-8718570|access-date=October 9, 2024|website=People}}</ref>
* In 2016, the Menendez brothers were featured in the true-crime documentary, '']''.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}
* In 2017, A&E aired a five-part documentary titled ''The Menendez Murders: Erik Tells All'', in which Erik describes via telephone the murders and the aftermath. The series also shows never-before-seen photos and new interviews with prosecutors, law enforcement, close family and friends, and medical experts.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Watch The Menendez Murders: Erik Tells All Full Episodes, Video & More|url=https://www.aetv.com/shows/the-menendez-murders|access-date=2024-10-28|website=A&E}}</ref>
* In 2017, the Menendez brothers were featured in a documentary, ''Truth and Lies: The Menendez Brothers – American Sons, American Murderers'' on ].{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}
* In 2017, A&E aired a five-part documentary titled ''The Menendez Murders: Erik Tells All'', in which Erik describes via telephone the murders and the aftermath. The series also shows never-before-seen photos and new interviews with prosecutors, law enforcement, close family and friends, and medical experts.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Menendez Murders: Erik tells all |website=] |date=November 30, 2017 |url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/menendez-murders-erik-tells-all/listings/ |access-date=November 8, 2019 |archive-date=September 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926094911/http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/menendez-murders-erik-tells-all/listings/ |url-status=live }}</ref> * In 2017, ] launched the new series ], with an episode featuring the Menendez brothers story. The episode, "The Menendez Brothers: Murder in Beverly Hills", ends with a telephone interview of Lyle from jail with ].<ref>{{cite news|series=How it Really Happened with Hill Harper|title=The Menendez Brothers: Murder in Beverly Hills|date=January 27, 2017|work=HLN|publisher=Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.|url=https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2017/hln/how-it-really-happened/the-menendez-brothers/|access-date=October 14, 2017|archive-date=October 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020213745/http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2017/hln/how-it-really-happened/the-menendez-brothers/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In 2020, '']'' featured the Menendez brothers in a one-episode special, "How They Were Caught: The Menendez Brothers".<ref>{{Citation|title=How They Were Caught: The Menendez Brothers|date=July 31, 2020|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YA1yBhoHBg|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/7YA1yBhoHBg|archive-date=December 21, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=May 7, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* In 2017, ] launched the new series ], with an episode featuring the Menendez brothers story. The episode, "The Menendez Brothers: Murder in Beverly Hills", ends with a telephone interview of Lyle from jail with ].<ref>{{cite news |series=How it Really Happened with Hill Harper |title=The Menendez Brothers: Murder in Beverly Hills |date=January 27, 2017 |work=HLN |publisher=Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. |url=https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2017/hln/how-it-really-happened/the-menendez-brothers/ |access-date=October 14, 2017 |archive-date=October 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020213745/http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2017/hln/how-it-really-happened/the-menendez-brothers/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* In 2020, ] featured the Menendez brothers in a one-episode special, "How They Were Caught: The Menendez Brothers".<ref>{{Citation|title=How They Were Caught: The Menendez Brothers| date=July 31, 2020 | url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YA1yBhoHBg |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/7YA1yBhoHBg |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status= live| language=en|access-date=2021-05-07}}{{cbignore}}</ref> * In 2021, the Menendez brothers were the subject of ABC's '']'' special, ''Inside the Menendez Movement''. The special features the popularity of the brothers on the video-sharing social media application ] and their growing number of supporters from young adults outside and inside of the United States.<ref>{{Citation|title=Inside the Menendez Movement {{pipe}} 20/20 {{pipe}} PART 1|date=April 3, 2021|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnFKUmVUwPo|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/GnFKUmVUwPo|archive-date=December 21, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=May 7, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* In August 2022, ] released ''Menendez Brothers: Misjudged?'', a two-hour documentary focusing on the Menendez brothers' case and trial.<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 28, 2022|title=World Premiere of ID's Exclusive Menendez Brothers: Misjudged? Documentary Offers a New Perspective & Fascinating Look at the Evidence in Shocking 1990 Trial|url=https://wbd.com/world-premiere-of-ids-exclusive-menendez-brothers-misjudged-documentary-offers-a-new-perspective-fascinating-look-at-the-evidence-in-shocking-1990/|access-date=May 14, 2023|website=Warner Bros. Discovery|archive-date=May 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514163852/https://wbd.com/world-premiere-of-ids-exclusive-menendez-brothers-misjudged-documentary-offers-a-new-perspective-fascinating-look-at-the-evidence-in-shocking-1990/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* In 2021, the Menendez brothers were the subject of ABC's '']'' special, ''Inside the Menendez Movement''. The special features the popularity of the brothers on the video-sharing social media application ] and their growing number of supporters from young adults outside and inside of the United States.<ref>{{Citation |title= Inside the Menendez Movement {{pipe}} 20/20 {{pipe}} PART 1| date=April 3, 2021 |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnFKUmVUwPo |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/GnFKUmVUwPo |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status= live| language=en|access-date=2021-05-07}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* In May 2023, ] released a documentary series titled ''Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed'', which features Puerto Rican singer and former ] member ] alleging that he was sexually assaulted as a teenager by José Menendez.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Vlessing|first=Etan|date=April 18, 2023|title=Menendez Father Allegedly Assaulted Menudo Member, Peacock Docuseries Claims|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/menendez-brothers-father-allegedly-abused-menudo-member-docuseries-1235391272/|access-date=May 14, 2023|website=The Hollywood Reporter|archive-date=May 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514163401/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/menendez-brothers-father-allegedly-abused-menudo-member-docuseries-1235391272/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Vognar|first=Chris|date=May 2, 2023|title=A Menudo Boy Bander's Disturbing Link to the Menendez Brothers|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/menendez-menudo-boys-betrayed-roy-rossello-jose-menendez-child-rape-menendez-brothers-murder-1234726905/|access-date=May 14, 2023|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-date=May 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514163359/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/menendez-menudo-boys-betrayed-roy-rossello-jose-menendez-child-rape-menendez-brothers-murder-1234726905/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In August 2022, ] released ''Menendez Brothers: Misjudged?'', a two-hour documentary focusing on the Menendez brothers' case and trial.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-28 |title=World Premiere of ID's Exclusive Menendez Brothers: Misjudged? Documentary Offers a New Perspective & Fascinating Look at the Evidence in Shocking 1990 Trial |url=https://wbd.com/world-premiere-of-ids-exclusive-menendez-brothers-misjudged-documentary-offers-a-new-perspective-fascinating-look-at-the-evidence-in-shocking-1990/ |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=Warner Bros. Discovery |language=en |archive-date=May 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514163852/https://wbd.com/world-premiere-of-ids-exclusive-menendez-brothers-misjudged-documentary-offers-a-new-perspective-fascinating-look-at-the-evidence-in-shocking-1990/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* In March 2024, the case was the topic of the ] episode ''The Menendez Brothers’ Fight for Freedom''.<ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=CIPB7AFDYqVMnYPc&v=UYz3cNXD3ZY&feature=youtu.be|title=The Menendez Brothers' Fight for Freedom {{!}} Full Episode|date=March 8, 2024|last=48 Hours|access-date=October 7, 2024|via=YouTube}}</ref>
* In May 2023, ] released a documentary series titled ''Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed'', which features Puerto Rican singer and former ] member ] alleging that he was sexually assaulted as a teenager by José Menendez.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vlessing |first=Etan |date=2023-04-18 |title=Menendez Father Allegedly Assaulted Menudo Member, Peacock Docuseries Claims |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/menendez-brothers-father-allegedly-abused-menudo-member-docuseries-1235391272/ |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |archive-date=May 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514163401/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/menendez-brothers-father-allegedly-abused-menudo-member-docuseries-1235391272/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Vognar |first=Chris |date=2023-05-02 |title=A Menudo Boy Bander's Disturbing Link to the Menendez Brothers |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/menendez-menudo-boys-betrayed-roy-rossello-jose-menendez-child-rape-menendez-brothers-murder-1234726905/ |access-date=2023-05-14 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |archive-date=May 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514163359/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/menendez-menudo-boys-betrayed-roy-rossello-jose-menendez-child-rape-menendez-brothers-murder-1234726905/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* In July 2024, the brothers were featured in the third episode of '']''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sledge|first1=Philip|title=Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer Revisits The Menendez Brothers' Trial, And Now I Have A New Understanding Of The Landmark Murder Case|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/mastermind-to-think-like-a-killer-revisits-menendez-brothers-trial-new-understanding-landmark-murder-case|website=CINEMABLEND|date=July 12, 2024|access-date=September 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240714185041/https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/mastermind-to-think-like-a-killer-revisits-menendez-brothers-trial-new-understanding-landmark-murder-case|archive-date=July 14, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Smith|first=David|title='They couldn't stop themselves': what do we really know about serial killers?|website=The Guardian|date=July 8, 2024|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jul/08/mastermind-documentary-serial-killers|access-date=July 20, 2024|archive-date=September 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926094955/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jul/08/mastermind-documentary-serial-killers|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In March 2024, the case was the topic of the ] episode "The Menendez Brothers’ Fight for Freedom."<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=CIPB7AFDYqVMnYPc&v=UYz3cNXD3ZY&feature=youtu.be |title=The Menendez Brothers’ Fight for Freedom {{!}} Full Episode |date=2024-03-08 |last=48 Hours |access-date=2024-10-07 |via=YouTube}}</ref>
* In July 2024, the brothers were featured in the third episode of '']''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sledge |first1=Philip |title=Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer Revisits The Menendez Brothers' Trial, And Now I Have A New Understanding Of The Landmark Murder Case |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/mastermind-to-think-like-a-killer-revisits-menendez-brothers-trial-new-understanding-landmark-murder-case |website=CINEMABLEND |date=July 12, 2024 |access-date=24 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240714185041/https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/mastermind-to-think-like-a-killer-revisits-menendez-brothers-trial-new-understanding-landmark-murder-case |archive-date=14 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Smith | first=David | title='They couldn't stop themselves': what do we really know about serial killers? | website=the Guardian | date=2024-07-08 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jul/08/mastermind-documentary-serial-killers | access-date=2024-07-20 | archive-date=September 26, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926094955/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jul/08/mastermind-documentary-serial-killers | url-status=live }}</ref> * In October 2024, '']'', a documentary film featuring prison interviews with the brothers, was released on ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sharf|first=Zack|date=September 23, 2024|title=Menendez Brothers Speak Out in New Interviews From Prison in Netflix Documentary: 'Everyone Asks Why We Killed Our Parents'|url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/menendez-brothers-netflix-documentary-trailer-audio-interviews-1236153317/|access-date=September 23, 2024|website=Variety|archive-date=September 23, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923150321/https://variety.com/2024/film/news/menendez-brothers-netflix-documentary-trailer-audio-interviews-1236153317/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* On October 7, 2024, <!-- Do not add or change to "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story", or change the date to September 19. This is about the documentary of a different name; Monsters is not a documentary. Do not say it has been released before October 7.-->'']'',{{Efn|Not to be confused with '']'', which is a dramatization of the case created by ] and ] for Netflix, released on September 19, 2024.}} a documentary film featuring prison interviews with the brothers, was released on ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharf |first=Zack |date=2024-09-23 |title=Menendez Brothers Speak Out in New Interviews From Prison in Netflix Documentary: 'Everyone Asks Why We Killed Our Parents' |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/menendez-brothers-netflix-documentary-trailer-audio-interviews-1236153317/ |access-date=2024-09-23 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=September 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923150321/https://variety.com/2024/film/news/menendez-brothers-netflix-documentary-trailer-audio-interviews-1236153317/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


===Dramatizations=== ===Dramatizations===
* In 1994, the Menendez brothers were depicted in the ] television film '']'', with Lyle portrayed by ] and Erik by ]. * In 1994, the Menendez brothers were depicted in the ] television film '']'', with Lyle portrayed by ] and Erik by ].<ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/menendez-a-killing-in-beverly-hills-am121923|title=Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills (1994) - Larry Elikann {{!}} Synopsis, Movie Info, Moods, Themes and Related {{!}} AllMovie|access-date=October 9, 2024|publisher=AllMovie}}</ref>
* Also in 1994, the television film '']'' starred ] and David Berón as Lyke and Erik, respectively. * Also in 1994, the television film '']'' starred ] and David Berón as Lyle and Erik, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web|last=O'Connell|first=Patricia|date=April 18, 1994|title=Fox Night at the Movies Honor Thy Father and Mother: The True Story of the Menendez Murders|url=https://variety.com/1994/tv/reviews/fox-night-at-the-movies-honor-thy-father-and-mother-the-true-story-of-the-menendez-murders-1200436663/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009063155/https://variety.com/1994/tv/reviews/fox-night-at-the-movies-honor-thy-father-and-mother-the-true-story-of-the-menendez-murders-1200436663/|archive-date=October 9, 2024|access-date=October 9, 2024|website=Variety}}</ref>
* The case was dramatized in the ] television film ] (2017). Lyle was portrayed by Nico Tortorella, and Erik by Myko Olivier.<ref>{{cite web| last= Kent| first= Ellen Goosenberg| title= Menendez Brothers – Blood Brothers| url= https://www.amazon.com/Mugshots-Menendez-Brothers-Blood/dp/B00D0XOBSQ| access-date= November 9, 2017| via= amazon.com| archive-date= April 15, 2015| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150415194326/http://www.amazon.com/Mugshots-Menendez-Brothers-Blood/dp/B00D0XOBSQ| url-status= live}}</ref> Courtney Love also starred as Kitty Menendez. * The case was dramatized in the ] television film '']'' (2017). Lyle was portrayed by Nico Tortorella, and Erik by Myko Olivier.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kent|first=Ellen Goosenberg|title=Menendez Brothers – Blood Brothers|publisher=Amazon |url=https://www.amazon.com/Mugshots-Menendez-Brothers-Blood/dp/B00D0XOBSQ|access-date=November 9, 2017|archive-date=April 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415194326/http://www.amazon.com/Mugshots-Menendez-Brothers-Blood/dp/B00D0XOBSQ|url-status=live}}</ref> Courtney Love also starred as Kitty Menendez.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Courtney Love talks Menendez brothers movie role, bond with daughter Frances Bean|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/courtney-love-talks-menendez-brothers-movie-role-bond/story?id=47865737|access-date=October 9, 2024|website=ABC News}}</ref>
* ] produced '']'', which was released on ] in 2017''.''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Konrad|first=Erin|date=April 21, 2024|title='Law & Order' Tackled This Real-Life Crime Before Ryan Murphy Could|url=https://collider.com/law-and-order-true-crime-menendez-murders/|access-date=October 9, 2024|website=Collider}}</ref>
* ] produced '']'', which was released on ] in 2017''.'' An 8-episode special from the '']'' franchise, the series depicted the detailed killings, investigation, arrests, and trials of the Menendez brothers. Compared to its predecessors, the series portrayed the brothers more sympathetically, focusing on the defense led by lawyer ], as well as the physical and sexual abuse allegations. Lyle was portrayed by Miles Gaston Villanueva, who received a Best Actor nomination at the 33rd ], and Erik was portrayed by actor and singer ]. Its premiere at the ] was attended by Lyle's family and friends, who praised the series' depiction of the brothers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Log into Facebook|url=https://www.facebook.com/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMenendezBrothers%2Fposts%2F1851951448451934|access-date=2021-05-07|website=Facebook|language=en|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In an interview with '']'' after the first episode premiere, Lyle revealed that the series was "painful to watch", but said the depiction of him by Villanueva is "surprisingly accurate" despite the producers and the actor not being able to communicate with him.<ref>{{Citation|title=Lyle Menendez: 'Law And Order' Series On His Parents' Murder 'Painful To Watch' {{!}} Megyn Kelly Today|date=September 28, 2017|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYfyo-rE7CQ|language=en|access-date=2021-05-07|archive-date=May 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507030540/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYfyo-rE7CQ|url-status=live}}</ref> The 2018 ] nominated ] for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series for her portrayal of Abramson.<ref>{{cite web |last=Lowry |first=Brian |date=September 26, 2017 |title='Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders' |type=TV review |website=CNN.com |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/26/entertainment/law-and-order-true-crime-menendez-murders-review/index.html |access-date=October 4, 2017 |archive-date=October 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001005600/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/26/entertainment/law-and-order-true-crime-menendez-murders-review/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* '']'', the second season of ] and ]'s Netflix anthology series '']'', was released on September 19, 2024.<ref name=":0sept19">{{cite news |last=Dunn |first=Jack |url=https://variety.com/lists/monsters-the-lyle-and-erik-menendez-story-cast-guide/ |title='Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' Cast Guide: Meet the Actors Portraying the Menendez Family |access-date=September 20, 2024 |publisher=Variety |date=September 19, 2024 |archive-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920002133/https://variety.com/lists/monsters-the-lyle-and-erik-menendez-story-cast-guide/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-02 |title=Ryan Murphy tells 'chilling' story of murderous brothers in Monsters season 2 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/monsters-ryan-murphy-menendez-brothers-b2330647.html |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=The Independent |language=en |archive-date=May 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514163359/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/monsters-ryan-murphy-menendez-brothers-b2330647.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title='Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' is Coming Soon |url=https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/monster-season-2-the-lyle-and-erik-menendez-story |access-date=2024-05-14 |website=Netflix Tudum |language=en |archive-date=February 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228060006/https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/monster-season-2-the-lyle-and-erik-menendez-story |url-status=live }}</ref> ] and ] portrayed Erik and Lyle, respectively, while ] and ] respectively starred as José and Kitty.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cordero |first=Rosy |date=2023-06-29 |title='Monster' Season 2: Netflix's Ryan Murphy Anthology Series Finds Its Menendez Brothers In Cooper Koch & Nicholas Alexander Chavez |url=https://deadline.com/2023/06/monster-2-netflix-ryan-murphy-anthology-series-menendez-brothers-casting-1235427532/ |access-date=2023-07-27 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |archive-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720185455/https://deadline.com/2023/06/monster-2-netflix-ryan-murphy-anthology-series-menendez-brothers-casting-1235427532/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":0sept19" /> Its first teaser was released on the 35th anniversary of José and Kitty's deaths.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hailu |first=Selome |date=2024-08-20 |title='Monsters': Ryan Murphy's Menendez Brothers Series Sets Netflix Premiere Date, Drops Teaser |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/monsters-ryan-murphy-menendez-brothers-netflix-release-date-1236111539/ |access-date=2024-08-20 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=August 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820152847/https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/monsters-ryan-murphy-menendez-brothers-netflix-release-date-1236111539/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The season incorporates the ] in its portrayal of the Menendez family, basing it on various witnesses and testimonies, leaving the killings open to interpretation and allowing the viewers to decide which version of events they believe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kinane |first=Ruth |date=September 20, 2024 |title=Inside the Cryptic Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story Ending |url=https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/monsters-the-lyle-and-erik-menendez-story-ending |website=Netflix |access-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921080251/https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/monsters-the-lyle-and-erik-menendez-story-ending |url-status=live }}</ref> It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances, music, and overall production quality, but criticized its runtime, inconsistent tone, and the ] depiction of the brothers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fienberg |first=Daniel |date=2024-09-20 |title='Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' Review: Despite a Terrifying Javier Bardem, Ryan Murphy's Netflix True-Crime Saga Falls Flat |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/monsters-the-lyle-and-erik-menendez-story-review-netflix-ryan-murphy-javier-bardem-chloe-sevigny-1236007678/ |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |archive-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921044019/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/monsters-the-lyle-and-erik-menendez-story-review-netflix-ryan-murphy-javier-bardem-chloe-sevigny-1236007678/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Vassell |first=Nicole |date=2024-09-20 |title=The Menendez brothers incest plot in Monsters shows true crime has gone too far |url=https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/menendez-brothers-incest-plot-monsters-netflix |access-date=2024-09-23 |website=Glamour UK |language=en-GB |archive-date=September 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923150100/https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/menendez-brothers-incest-plot-monsters-netflix |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bellusci |first=Alexandra |date=2024-09-21 |title=Netflix fans angry over incest storyline in new Menendez series |url=https://nypost.com/2024/09/21/entertainment/netflix-fans-angry-over-incest-storyline-in-new-menendez-series/ |access-date=2024-09-23 |language=en-US |archive-date=September 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923150101/https://nypost.com/2024/09/21/entertainment/netflix-fans-angry-over-incest-storyline-in-new-menendez-series/ |url-status=live }}</ref> After its release, Erik issued a statement denouncing the season, calling it a "dishonest portrayal" and claiming that "Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of lives so as to do this without bad intent."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Knolle |first=Sharon |date=2024-09-21 |title=Erik Menendez Trashes 'Ruinous Character Portrayals' in Netflix's Monsters: 'Is the Truth Not Enough?' |url=https://www.thewrap.com/erik-menendez-reacts-monsters-netflix-show/ |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US |archive-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921080250/https://www.thewrap.com/erik-menendez-reacts-monsters-netflix-show/ |url-status=live }}</ref> * '']'', the second season of ] and ]'s Netflix anthology series '']'', was released in September 2024.<ref name=":0sept19">{{cite news|last=Dunn|first=Jack|url=https://variety.com/lists/monsters-the-lyle-and-erik-menendez-story-cast-guide/|title='Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' Cast Guide: Meet the Actors Portraying the Menendez Family|access-date=September 20, 2024|work=Variety|date=September 19, 2024|archive-date=September 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920002133/https://variety.com/lists/monsters-the-lyle-and-erik-menendez-story-cast-guide/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|first1=Inga|last1=Parkel|date=May 2, 2023|title=Ryan Murphy tells 'chilling' story of murderous brothers in Monsters season 2|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/monsters-ryan-murphy-menendez-brothers-b2330647.html|access-date=May 14, 2023|website=The Independent|archive-date=May 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514163359/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/monsters-ryan-murphy-menendez-brothers-b2330647.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|first1=Tara|last1=Bitran|first2=Phillipe|last2=Thao|date=September 22, 2024|title='Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' is Coming Soon|url=https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/monster-season-2-the-lyle-and-erik-menendez-story|access-date=May 14, 2024|website=Netflix Tudum|archive-date=February 28, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228060006/https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/monster-season-2-the-lyle-and-erik-menendez-story|url-status=live}}</ref>


=== Podcasts === === Podcasts ===
* In October 2024, the brothers participated in Netflix's ''You Can't Make This Up'', an accompanying podcast to the documentary film ].<ref name=":10">{{Cite web|first1=KC|last1=Baker|date=October 4, 2024|title=The Surprising Reason Why the Menendez Brothers Went on a $700K Shopping Spree After Murdering Their Parents|url=https://people.com/menendez-brothers-spending-spree-netflix-documentary-8722931|access-date=October 5, 2024|website=People}}</ref>

* In 2016, the Menendez brothers were subjects of the weekly comedic "true-crime" podcast '']''.
* The case has been discussed multiple times across various podcasts from ], including ''Murder and the Menendez Brothers''.
* On October 9, 2024, the brothers are set to participate in Netflix's ''You Can't Make This Up'', an accompanying podcast to the documentary film ] and the crime drama series ].<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |title=The Surprising Reason Why the Menendez Brothers Went on a $700K Shopping Spree After Murdering Their Parents |url=https://people.com/menendez-brothers-spending-spree-netflix-documentary-8722931 |access-date=2024-10-05 |website=People.com |language=en}}</ref>


===References, parody, and dark comedy=== ===References, parody, and dark comedy===
* In 1990, the '']'' season 1 episode "]" is loosely based on the Menendez brothers case. * In 1990, the '']'' season 1 episode "]" is loosely based on the Menendez brothers case, although the show contains its usual disclaimer that the story and characters are fictional.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}
* '']'' aired a comedy sketch in 1993 featuring guest host ] where the Menendez brothers cry in an exaggerated manner, and blame the murder of their parents on their identical twin brothers.<ref>{{cite web |title= Menendez trial sketch |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=7oDtm7L2nNs&list=PLS_gQd8UB-hJgNs_5teANaRI97hv1w99w&index=2&t=0s |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/7oDtm7L2nNs |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status= live| publisher=YouTube |work=Saturday Night Live| date=October 25, 2013 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2015, the Menendez brothers are referenced again in the sketch song "First Got Horny 2 U" from a Season 41 episode hosted by ].<ref>{{Cite web| work=Saturday Night Live |date=November 15, 2015|title=First Got Horny 2 U| url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3twGmSu1MI0 |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/3twGmSu1MI0 |archive-date=2021-12-21|url-status= live| publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> * '']'' parodied the Menendez brothers' first trial in the fourth episode of ], aired on October 23, 1993. Actor and host ] and comedian ] starred as Lyle and Erik Menendez, respectively, accusing their ] brothers of murdering their parents.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Menendez Trial - Saturday Night Live|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7oDtm7L2nNs&list=PLS_gQd8UB-hJgNs_5teANaRI97hv1w99w&index=2&t=0s|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/7oDtm7L2nNs|archive-date=2021-12-21|publisher=Youtube|work=Saturday Night Live| date=October 25, 2013 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* In the crime film '']'' (1994), archived footage of Erik's testimony from the first trial is included in the credits, which references various crime cases in the United States.{{cn|date=October 2024}}
* In the 1994 film, '']'', an '']'' episode playing on TV states: "Inside the home of the Menendez brother's attorney."
* The media hype surrounding the first trial was parodied in the dark comedy film '']'' (1996).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Seibold |first1=Witney |title=An Underrated Comedy Gem Satirized The Menendez Brothers Trial And Our True Crime Obsession |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1671425/ben-stiller-cable-guy-menendez-brothers-parody-true-crime-obsession/ |website=SlashFilm |access-date=28 October 2024 |date=24 September 2024}}</ref>
* The sitcom '']'' makes various comedic passing references to the Menendez case. One such example is in season 4, episode 14, 19:20 into the episode.
* In 1997, ] published his novel ''Resentment: A Comedy'', which is drawn in part from the Menendez murders and trial.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hester|first1=Diarmuid|title=Resentment: A Comedy – Gary Indiana|url=https://www.full-stop.net/2016/01/31/reviews/diarmuid-hester/resentment-a-comedy-gary-indiana/|website=Full Stop|access-date=November 16, 2023|archive-date=November 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116102220/https://www.full-stop.net/2016/01/31/reviews/diarmuid-hester/resentment-a-comedy-gary-indiana/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In the crime film '']'' (1994), archived footage of Erik's testimony from the first trial is featured in the credits, which references various sensationalized crime cases in the United States.
* In '']'' episode "]", Junior Soprano makes a reference to the brothers' case, citing how their psychiatrist had appeared as a witness in the trial.{{sfn|Lavery|2002|p=246}}
* In the episode "The D'Arcy Files" of '']'', Al says the line "It's too late to hire the Menendez brothers."
* In the ] of '']'', Lorelai tells Rory to make it through dinner and then she can "pull a Menendez".{{sfn|Stache|Davidson|2019|p=77}}
* The media hype surrounding the first trial was parodied in the dark comedy film '']'' (1996).
* In 2016, the Menendez brothers were mentioned several times in the ] drama '']'' (2016). Based on ]'s homicide case, the series was set at the same time as the Menendez brothers' trials. There are several characters who have worked in the brothers' and O. J. Simpson's respective cases, such as ], ], and ]. Shapiro (portrayed by ]) mentioned Erik in Episode 2 stating, "In fact, I arranged the surrender of Erik Menendez from Israel." This statement is based on the actual speech by Shapiro during Simpson's infamous Bronco chase, in an attempt to have him surrender to the police.<ref>{{Cite AV media|title=OJ still missing|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxt2dmcFUS8|date=January 28, 2014|type=News broadcast|via=YouTube}}</ref>
* In 1997, ] published his novel ''Resentment: A Comedy'', which is drawn in part from the Menendez murders and trial.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hester |first1=Diarmuid |title=Resentment: A Comedy – Gary Indiana |url=https://www.full-stop.net/2016/01/31/reviews/diarmuid-hester/resentment-a-comedy-gary-indiana/ |website=Full Stop |access-date=16 November 2023 |archive-date=November 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116102220/https://www.full-stop.net/2016/01/31/reviews/diarmuid-hester/resentment-a-comedy-gary-indiana/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* In '']'' season 1 episode "Boca", Junior Soprano makes a reference to the brothers' case, citing how their psychiatrist had appeared as a witness in the trial.<ref>{{cite book |title=This Thing of Ours Investigating the Sopranos |date=2002 |publisher=Columbia University Press |editor1-last=Lavery |editor1-first=David |page=246}}</ref>
* In '']'', season 1 episode 1, Lorelai tells Rory to make it through dinner and then she can "pull a Menendez".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stache |first1=Lara C. |title=Gilmore Girls A Cultural History |last2=Davidson |first2=Rachel |date=2019 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |page=77}}</ref>
* The Menendez brothers' mugshots appear in the intro of the police procedural series '']'' (2005–2020).
* "]", a season 3 episode of the TV series '']'', features ] (portrayed by ]) making multiple references to the Menendez brothers as he fears that his own children will similarly attempt to kill him for his wealth, an act he termed as "Menendez-ing". In 2012, Lyle Menendez was briefly referenced in season six episode "]", in which a character has a tattoo with the text "Free Lyle Menendez".
* In 2009, '']'' featured two former boy detectives named Lance and Dale Hale who are strongly implied to have killed their father with a shotgun.
* The brothers were referenced by ] (portrayed by ]) in season 6, episode 12 of ] series '']'' (2005-2020).
* In 2016, the Menendez brothers were mentioned several times in the ] drama '']'' (2016). Based on ]'s homicide case, the series was set at the same time as the Menendez brothers' trials. There are several characters who have worked in the brothers' and O. J. Simpson's respective cases, such as ], ], and ]. Shapiro (portrayed by ]) mentioned Erik in Episode 2 stating, "In fact, I arranged the surrender of Erik Menendez from Israel." This statement is based on the actual speech by Shapiro during Simpson's infamous Bronco chase, in an attempt to have him surrender to the police.<ref>{{Citation |title=OJ still missing |date=January 28, 2014 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxt2dmcFUS8 |access-date=2021-05-07 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/bxt2dmcFUS8 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live |language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* The urban fantasy series ] (2016-2022) features a reference to the brothers in the episode "Pops."
* In ]'s '']'', Red made a reference to the Menendez brothers while talking to his wife Kitty; coincidentally "Kitty" was also the nickname of their mother.


===Others=== ===Others===
* The Menendez brothers are seen in the background of the ] NBA Hoops' ] basketball card, in which the ] point guard is seen making a bounce pass. They are sitting courtside behind Jackson.<ref>{{cite news|last=Skiver|first=Kevin|date=December 10, 2018|title=Menendez brothers appear in background of Mark Jackson basketball card|website=CBSSports.com|url=https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/menendez-brothers-appear-in-background-of-mark-jackson-basketball-card/|access-date=December 13, 2018|archive-date=December 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211203839/https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/menendez-brothers-appear-in-background-of-mark-jackson-basketball-card/|url-status=live}}</ref> In December 2018, ] began terminating auctions in which the brothers are mentioned in the listing. The ] played 28 games during the period in which the Menendez brothers went on a spending spree after the murders. Some ] sellers have continued to sell the card and have also altered the images accompanying the listing so that the Menendez brothers are neither mentioned nor seen in photos of the card accompanying the listing.<ref>{{cite news|last=d'Angelo|first=Bob|date=December 8, 2018|title=Double take: Infamous Menendez brothers and the 1990–91 hoops Mark Jackson|publisher=SportsCollectorsDaily.com|url=https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/double-take-infamous-menendez-brothers-and-the-1990-91-hoops-mark-jackson/|access-date=December 13, 2018|archive-date=December 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215222525/https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/double-take-infamous-menendez-brothers-and-the-1990-91-hoops-mark-jackson/|url-status=live}}</ref> * The Menendez brothers are seen in the background of the ] NBA Hoops' ] basketball card, in which the ] point guard is seen making a bounce pass. They are sitting courtside behind Jackson.<ref>{{cite news|last=Skiver|first=Kevin|date=December 10, 2018|title=Menendez brothers appear in background of Mark Jackson basketball card|website=CBSSports.com|url=https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/menendez-brothers-appear-in-background-of-mark-jackson-basketball-card/|access-date=December 13, 2018|archive-date=December 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211203839/https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/menendez-brothers-appear-in-background-of-mark-jackson-basketball-card/|url-status=live}}</ref> In December 2018, ] began terminating auctions in which the brothers are mentioned in the listing. Some ] sellers have continued to sell the card by altering the images accompanying the listing so that the Menendez brothers are neither mentioned nor seen in photos of the card accompanying the listing.<ref>{{cite news|last=d'Angelo|first=Bob|date=December 8, 2018|title=Double take: Infamous Menendez brothers and the 1990–91 hoops Mark Jackson |publisher=SportsCollectorsDaily.com|url=https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/double-take-infamous-menendez-brothers-and-the-1990-91-hoops-mark-jackson/|access-date=December 13, 2018|archive-date=December 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215222525/https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/double-take-infamous-menendez-brothers-and-the-1990-91-hoops-mark-jackson/|url-status=live}}</ref>


== Notes == == See also ==
{{Notelist}}

==See also==
* ] * ]
* ]
* ], the 2003 killing of a mother in the Toronto area by two sisters who claimed that she neglected them due to her ], and they also lived lavishly off of the inheritance for a year until a boyfriend told the police.
* ], the 2003 killing of a Canadian woman by two daughters who lived lavishly off the inheritance for a year until a boyfriend told the police, then alleged she had neglected them due to her alcoholism.
* ], two American brothers who were convicted of murdering their parents and three siblings.
* ], two American brothers who were convicted in 2018 of murdering their parents and three siblings in 2015 after being raised in an allegedly abusive home environment.


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{cite court |litigants=Menendez v. Superior Court (People) (1992) |litigants-force-plain= |vol=3 |reporter=Cal.4th |opinion=435 |pinpoint=457 |court=Cal. |year=1992 |url=https://casetext.com/case/menendez-v-superior-court |ref={{SfnRef|Albracht|1992}}}}
* {{cite court|litigants=Menendez v. Terhune|litigants-force-plain=|vol=422|reporter=F.3d|opinion=1012|pinpoint=|court=9th Cir.|year=2005|url=https://casetext.com/case/menendez-v-terhune|ref={{SfnRef|Trott|2005}} }}
* {{cite book|last1=Chiasson|first1=Lloyd|title=The Press on Trial: Crimes and Trials as Media Events|date=August 30, 1997|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic|isbn=978-0-313-30022-6|ol=OL1012387M|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qo2bAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book|last1=Davis|first1=Don|title=Bad blood: the shocking true story behind the Menendez killings|date=1994|publisher=St. Martin's Paperbacks|isbn=978-0-312-95334-8|edition=St. Martin's Paperbacks|ol=1182758M |url=https://openlibrary.org/books/OL1182758M/Bad_blood}}
* {{cite book|last1=Lavery|first1=David|title=This Thing of Ours: Investigating the Sopranos|date=2002|publisher=Wallflower Press|isbn=978-1-903364-44-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KLwTa8bZquoC}}
* {{Cite book|last=Rand|first=Robert|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CX8JEQAAQBAJ|title=The Menendez Murders, Updated Edition: The Shocking Untold Story of the Menendez Family and the Killings that Stunned the Nation|date=2024-09-10|publisher=BenBella Books|isbn=978-1-63774-650-9}}
* {{cite book|last1=Soble|first1=Ron|last2=Johnson|first2=John|title=Blood brothers: the inside story of the Menendez murders|date=1994|publisher=Onyx|isbn=978-0-451-40547-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8RUKAAAACAAJ|ol=OL1186778M}}
* {{cite book|last1=Stache|first1=Lara C.|last2=Davidson|first2=Rachel|title=Gilmore Girls: A Cultural History|date=September 9, 2019|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-5381-1284-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D-qhDwAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book|last1=Thornton|first1=Hazel|last2=Wrightsman|first2=Lawrence S.|last3=Posey|first3=Amy J.|last4=Scheflin|first4=Alan W.|title=Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror|date=February 2017|publisher=Temple University Press|isbn=978-1-4399-1513-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e7krMQAACAAJ}}


==Further reading== ==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last1=Menendez|first1=Lyle|last2=Novelli|first2=Norma|title=The Private Diary of Lyle Menendez: In His Own Words!|date=1995|publisher=Dove Books|isbn=978-0-7871-0474-0|ol=OL905954M|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mdBHAAAAYAAJ}}
* Davis, Don (1994) ''Bad Blood: The Shocking True Story Behind the Menendez Killings'' St. Martin, New York, {{ISBN|0-312-95334-8}}
* {{cite book|last1=Menendez|first1=Tammi|title=They Said We'd Never Make It: My Life with Erik Menendez|date=October 2005|publisher=New Galen Publishing|isbn=978-0-9768744-0-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6VgbPQAACAAJ}}
* Menendez, Lyle; Novelli, Norma; Walker, Mike; and Spreckels, Judith (1995) ''The Private Diary of Lyle Menendez: In His Own Words!'' Dove Books, Beverly Hills, California, {{ISBN|0-7871-0474-4}}
* {{cite book|last1=Rand|first1=Robert|title=The Menendez Murders: The Shocking Untold Story of the Menendez Family and the Killings that Stunned the Nation|date=September 4, 2018|publisher=BenBella Books|isbn=978-1-946885-26-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DO5KEAAAQBAJ}}
* Menendez, Tammi (2005) ''They Said We'd Never Make It: My Life With Erik Menendez'' NewGalen Publishing, Santa Clarita, California, {{ISBN|0-9768744-0-7}}
* Soble, Ronald L. and Johnson, John (1994) ''Blood Brothers: The Inside Story of the Menendez Murders'' Onyx, New York, {{ISBN|0-451-40547-1}}
* Thornton, Hazel; Wrightsman, Lawrence S.; Posey, Amy J. and Scheflin, Alan W. (1995) ''Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror'' Temple University Press, Philadelphia; new "20 Years Later" edition updated with new material, Graymalkin Media (2017) {{ISBN|978-1631681622}}
* Rand, Robert (2018) ''The Menendez Murders: The Shocking Untold Story of the Menendez Family and the Killings that Stunned the Nation'' BenBella Books {{ISBN|978-1946885265}}


==External links== ==External links==

Latest revision as of 09:08, 19 December 2024

American brothers convicted of murdering their parents "The Menendez Brothers" redirects here. For the documentary, see The Menendez Brothers (film).

Lyle and Erik Menendez
Mugshots of Lyle and Erik, two middle-aged white men.Mug shots of Lyle (left) and Erik (right) Menendez taken in 2023
Born
Alma materLyle: University of California, Irvine (BA)
Criminal statusIncarcerated at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (both)
Spouses
  • Lyle:
    • Anna Eriksson ​ ​(m. 1996; div. 2001)
    • Rebecca Sneed ​(m. 2003)
  • Erik: Tammi Saccoman ​(m. 1999)
Parent(s)José and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez
Conviction(s)First-degree murder, conspiracy to murder
Criminal penaltyLife in prison without the possibility of parole (both)
Details
VictimsJosé and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez
DateAugust 20, 1989
Location(s)Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Target(s)José and Mary Louise Menendez
WeaponsMossberg 12-gauge shotgun
Date apprehended
  • Lyle: March 8, 1990
  • Erik: March 11, 1990

Joseph Lyle Menendez (born January 10, 1968) and Erik Galen Menendez (born November 27, 1970), commonly referred to as the Menendez brothers, are American brothers and convicted murderers who killed their parents, José and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez, at their Beverly Hills home in 1989.

Following the murders, Lyle and Erik claimed that unknown intruders were responsible for the murders, framing it as a potential mob killing. Police initially investigated this claim, but grew suspicious due to the brothers' spending and their hiring of a computer expert to delete their father's recently updated will. Erik confessed to the murders in sessions with his psychologist, citing a desire to be free of a controlling father with high standards, which led to their arrests months later.

Lyle and Erik were charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances for lying in wait, making them eligible for the death penalty, and charges of conspiracy to murder. During their first trial, the defense argued that the brothers killed their parents in self-defense after years of alleged sexual, emotional, and physical abuse. The prosecution argued that the murders were premeditated, that allegations of sexual abuse were fabricated, and that the brothers were motivated by hatred and a desire to receive their father's multimillion-dollar estate after being disinherited from his will. The juries were unable to reach a verdict, resulting in mistrials for both brothers. In a second trial, they were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Lyle and Erik currently serve life sentences at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego, California. Multiple legal appeals of their convictions have been rejected by reviewing judges. In October 2024, Los Angeles district attorney George Gascón recommended a resentencing after reviewing a habeas corpus petition.

The highly publicized trials received international media attention, inspiring numerous documentaries, dramatizations, books, and parodies.

Background

José Enrique Menendez was born on May 6, 1944, in Havana, Cuba. At age 16, due to the Cuban Revolution, he moved to the United States. José attended Southern Illinois University, where he met Mary Louise "Kitty" Andersen (1941–1989). They were married in 1963 and moved to New York City where José earned an accounting degree from Queens College.

The couple's first son, Joseph Lyle, who goes by his middle name, was born on January 10, 1968, in New York. Kitty quit her teaching job after Lyle was born, and the family moved to New Jersey, where Erik Galen was born on November 27, 1970, in Gloucester Township. The family lived in Hopewell Township and both brothers attended Princeton Day School.

José became an executive at Hertz Corporation and later RCA Records. After he was appointed as the CEO of Live Entertainment, the family moved to Calabasas, California, where Erik attended Calabasas High School.

In 1988, Lyle and Erik committed multiple burglaries in their neighborhood, stealing more than $100,000 in cash and jewellery, prompting José to move to Beverly Hills. The following year, Erik attended Beverly Hills High School where he earned average grades but displayed a talent for tennis, ranking 44th in the US as a junior. About two weeks before the murders, Erik and his friend Michael Joyce entered the 1989 Boys' Junior National Tennis Championship.

Lyle attended Princeton University, where he was placed on academic probation for poor grades and eventually suspended for plagiarism. He lived in the Gauss Hall dormitory, where he threw out his roommates' belongings as he did not wish to share a room, left sinks overflowing causing damage, and repainted his room in violation of university rules.

In high school, Erik wrote an amateur screenplay with his classmate called "Friends"; a story about a rich young man who killed his parents in the "perfect murder" for the inheritance money.

Murders and investigation

Murders and alibi

On August 18, 1989, Lyle and Erik went to several gun stores in Southern California to buy handguns. However, due to issues with Lyle's California driver's license and a two-week waiting period mandated by gun laws, the brothers decided to purchase shotguns instead. They acquired Mossberg 12-gauge shotguns along with boxes of birdshot and buckshot ammunition in a Big 5 Sporting Goods store in San Diego, California, where Erik used a stolen driver's license from Lyle's friend, Donovan Goodreau.

On the evening of August 20, 1989, José and Kitty were watching The Spy Who Loved Me in the theatre den of their Beverly Hills mansion when Lyle and Erik entered the den, carrying loaded shotguns. José was shot six times, including a fatal shot to the back of his head. Kitty was shot ten times in total. Before the fatal shot to her cheek, she was on the ground, crawling away. Lyle ran to the car where Erik handed him ammunition to reload before firing the fatal shot to her face.

Immediately after the killings, both brothers remained in the house for a few minutes, expecting the police to respond due to the noise of the gunshots. They left to dispose of their clothes that were stained with blood, and later buried the shotguns somewhere along Mulholland Drive. They also went to a movie theater and attempted to purchase tickets for the film Batman to use as their alibi but abandoned the plan due to the timestamp on the ticket stub. They then headed to the "Taste of L.A." festival at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

After returning home and finding no police presence, Lyle called 911 and emotionally told the operator, "someone killed my parents", saying that he had just come home and discovered their bodies. Erik was heard screaming and crying in the background. When the officers arrived, Lyle and Erik ran from the home toward the officers while screaming. When the police arrived, they did not seek gunshot residue tests from the brothers, which would have indicated whether they had recently discharged a firearm. Lyle and Erik both falsely told officers that they were elsewhere at the time of the killings. Lyle told officers he thought the killings might be "business-related", implying a Mafia hit.

Police officers and forensic staff who worked on the crime scene described it as "the most brutal" one they had ever encountered, noting the blood and brain matter splattered throughout the room. Retired police detective Dan Stewart stated, "I've seen a lot of homicides, but nothing quite that brutal. Blood, flesh, skulls. It would be hard to describe, especially José, as resembling a human that you would recognize. That's how bad it was." According to the autopsy report, one blast caused "explosive decapitation with evisceration of the brain" and "deformity of the face" to José, while the first round of shots struck Kitty in her chest, right arm, left hip, and left leg, with the contact shot causing "multiple lacerations of the brain".

Investigation and arrests

Detectives initially investigated Lyle's suggestion that the murders were a result of mob-related activity due to its heinousness and José's business connections.

In the months after the killings, the brothers spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on luxury items, businesses, and travel. Lyle bought Chuck's Spring Street Café, a Buffalo wing restaurant in Princeton, New Jersey, as well as three Rolex watches and a Porsche Carrera sports car. Erik hired a full-time tennis coach and competed in a series of tournaments overseas. The brothers eventually left the Beverly Hills mansion unoccupied, choosing to live in adjoining condominiums in nearby Marina del Rey. They also dined at high-end restaurants and took overseas trips to the Caribbean and London. Their courtside attendance at a New York Knicks basketball game was captured in the background of a Mark Jackson trading card. During this time, they spent approximately $700,000. Most of this money came from a $650,000 personal life insurance policy, which was paid out, although a larger insurance policy for $15 million with LIVE Entertainment as beneficiaries, not the Menendez brothers, turned out to be invalid. This spending caused police to begin to consider the brothers as suspects, with a possible financial motive. Family members disputed a connection between their spending and the murder of their parents, asserting that there were no changes in their spending habits after the killings.

Erik's high school friend, Craig Cignarelli, reported to the police that Erik had confessed to him. He also revealed that he and Erik had previously written a 66-page screenplay titled "Friends", which depicted a son killing his wealthy parents for their inheritance. In an attempt to get a confession, police arranged for Cignarelli to wear a wire during a lunch with Erik. When Cignarelli asked Erik whether he had killed his parents, Erik denied it.

Police also heard from Lyle's friend Glenn Stevens that one week after the killings, Lyle had made a sudden trip back home from Princeton to destroy something in the family computer. Stevens said that Lyle told him a family member "found a new will and I went there and erased it". A computer expert hired by Lyle, also said he was hired to ensure deletion of a new will José had prepared, that may have left less to his sons.

Erik eventually confessed to his psychologist, Jerome Oziel, who then told his mistress, Judalon Smyth. Oziel began recording his sessions with Lyle and Erik. After breaking up with Oziel, Smyth informed the police about the brothers' involvement in the murders. Lyle was arrested on March 8, 1990, outside their Beverly Hills home, while Erik turned himself in three days later after returning to Los Angeles from Israel. Both were held without bail and jailed separately at the Los Angeles County Jail.

Trials

Pretrial detention and legal disputes

In August 1990, Judge James Albracht ruled that tapes of the conversations between Erik and his psychologist Jerome Oziel were admissible evidence since Oziel claimed that Lyle threatened him and violated doctor–patient privilege. Albracht's ruling was appealed, after which the proceedings were delayed for two years. The Supreme Court of California ruled in August 1992 that most of the tapes were admissible, with the exception of the tape on which Erik discussed the murders.

After that decision, a Los Angeles County grand jury issued indictments in December 1992, charging the brothers with the murders of their parents; the special circumstances that the killings were committed for financial gain was deemed unsupported by evidence and was subsequently excluded from the charges. They were charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances for lying in wait, which made them eligible for the death penalty.

First trial (1993–1994)

Represented by lead defense lawyers, Leslie Abramson (for Erik) and Jill Lansing (for Lyle), the brothers stated that they killed their parents out of fear for their lives after a lifetime of abuse at the hands of their parents, especially sexual abuse at the hands of their father, who was described as a cruel perfectionist and pedophile. Meanwhile, their mother was described as an enabling, selfish, mentally unstable alcoholic and drug addict who encouraged her husband's behavior and was also violent toward the brothers. Lyle alleged that his father began abusing him at age 6, but stopped when he was 8 without explanation. Erik alleged he was abused up until adulthood, shortly prior to the murders. Erik testified that two weeks before the killings, he first told Lyle about the sexual abuse he was experiencing, leading to multiple confrontations within the family. Both brothers testified that their father had threatened to kill them if they did not keep the abuse secret. As a result, they purchased shotguns for "protection and self-defense". They alleged that the final confrontation occurred in their home's den on August 20, 1989, shortly before Kitty and José were killed. According to their testimony, José closed the den's door, which they described as "unusual". They testified that they were afraid that they would be killed by their parents, so went outside to load their shotguns, and Erik recalled, "As I went into the room, I just started firing."

Under California law, the brothers could only be acquitted for manslaughter if they could prove they were in immediate or imminent danger. The prosecution argued there was no evidence of imminent danger or self defense. Prosecutor Pam Bozanich argued this was contradicted by the brothers purchasing shotguns in advance. Prosecutors used the taped conversation between the brothers and their psychologist, in which the brothers said they had planned the murders "beforehand". Prosecution argued the murders were inconsistent with a self defense killing; after they had shot their mother Kitty who was "moaning and trying to crawl away", Lyle went to reload his shotgun and returned to finish her off.

The prosecution argued that the sexual abuse allegations were fabricated; as nobody mentioned abuse until seven months after the murders while a legal defense was being formulated. The prosecution told jurors that mention of sexual abuse was absent in discussions and tapes with their psychologist, Jerome Oziel, and that Erik did not mention abuse in his earlier confession to his friend Craig Cignarelli. The prosecution told jurors throughout the trial that Lyle and Erik were capable of lying frequently and in great detail to avoid being caught, and thus they were also capable of lying about child abuse to avoid death sentences. Prosecutor Pam Bozanich played Lyle's staged 911 call for the jurors with the intention of showing how good an actor he was.

Prior to the trial, Lyle offered his ex-girlfriend Jamie Pisarcik money if she would lie for him in the trial and claim that José Menendez had made sexual advances towards her; which Pisarcik reported to the police. Before Lyle was cross-examined by the prosecution, he pre-emptively admitted this under questioning by his own lawyer.

Lyle and Erik's cousin, Diane Vander Molen, testified that during a stay with the family in the mid-1970s, Lyle confided in her that his father was sexually abusing him. Vander Molen claimed she told Kitty about the incident, but Kitty sided with her husband, accusing Lyle of lying. Vander Molen recalled that after this, Kitty sent Lyle upstairs, and she never heard of the issue again. Under questioning from Pam Bozanich, Vander Molen said she had never witnessed any abuse. Lyle testified that Vander Molen was the only person he ever told of the abuse. Another cousin, Andy Cano, alleged that as a child, Erik told him about the abuse, which they both described as genital "massages". Prosecutors pressed Cano, asking him if he would lie for his cousin, which he denied.

The defense presented two faceless photographs of baby boys from the waist down, which Lyle alleged were taken by their father when they were little. The prosecution argued that there was no evidence the photographs were taken by José, and the photos were found on a roll of film interspersed with photos from a children's birthday party.

Evidence from a taped therapy session between the brothers and their psychologist, Jerome Oziel, was also presented in court, after legal attempts by the defense to exclude it. The prosecution used the tapes to disprove the abuse claims, as the brothers made no mention of sexual abuse, and instead complained about their dictatorial father and suicidal mother. Lyle also stated that by killing their mother, they may be "doing her and a favor... putting her out of her misery" and that they had "shown great courage by killing their mother". According to Oziel's account, "They didn't kill their parents for money but rather out of hatred and out of a desire to be free from their father's domination, messages of inadequacy, and impossible standards." Oziel said that Lyle had confided that "he knew his father would have been proud of him for killing him" for pulling off the task.

The defense consultant Ann Burgess argued Oziel was "manipulative" and "controlling", arguing he directed many of the statements made by the brothers in the tape recordings. Oziel's ex-mistress, Judalon Smyth, also testified that Oziel wanted to "control" the brothers by taping their sessions. Smyth's testimony was challenged by the prosecution, noting she was the one who notified the authorities of the confession tapes, but had now joined the defense to discredit Oziel after a tumultuous breakup.

Erik testified that he put cinnamon in his father's tea and coffee to make his semen taste better. The plausibility of this claim was disputed because cinnamon is a detectable flavor. Prosecutor Lester Kuriyama proposed that José had not forced Erik into sex acts, but was furious that his son was potentially homosexual, and this may have caused tensions within the family. Judge Weisberg refused to allow Kuriyama to discuss the idea. The defense argued Kuriyama's idea was "disgusting", while Kuriyama argued it was relevant because one witness claimed to have seen gay porn magazines in the house, implying that José was sexually attracted to men; however, the meaning would change if they belonged to Erik. Erik alleged his mother "made it seem like it was worse than death to be gay, and I didn't think I was, I just—I don’t know", and followed up by saying he liked girls and enjoyed his relationship with his girlfriend.

The prosecution wanted to allow the jury to see a screenplay that Erik had written with his friend Craig in high school, a story about a wealthy young man who killed his parents for the inheritance money. Judge Weisberg ruled against it, saying the play was written too long before the shooting to have relevance.

The defense also won a ruling against the use of the word "sociopath" in front of juries. Oziel told the court he had described to the boys the difference between a crime of passion, and a crime of assault, and that in response they described themselves as "sociopaths". The judge said the label was too prejudicial to announce in front of a jury. A defense witness, psychologist Anne Tyler, described Erik's burglaries of more than $100,000 in cash and jewellery as the "acting out behavior" of an adolescent.

Both verdicts for the brothers were divided by gender; female jurors suggested voluntary manslaughter, while male jurors pushed for first-degree murder. After a month of deliberations, the trial ended in a mistrial due to the two deadlocked juries. As a result, Los Angeles County District Attorney Gil Garcetti immediately announced that the brothers would be retried.

Second trial (1995–1996)

The second trial was less publicized, in part because Judge Stanley Weisberg did not allow cameras in the courtroom because it would "increase the risk that jurors would be exposed to information and commentary about the case outside of the courtroom".

Erik testified over 15 days about allegations of abuse. Judge Weisberg limited some of testimony about some of the allegations of abuse on the third day. Judge Weisberg limited the defense to 64 total witnesses in the retrial. Erik alleged that José had told him he was written out of the will.

Lyle's former fiancé, Jamie Pisarcik, testified that Lyle had tried to bribe her to testify falsely in the first trial. Pisarcik said that Lyle told her fictitious stories about the mob killing of his parents, which she originally believed. She testified that during a regular visit to see Lyle in prison, he offered her a large sum of money to claim that José Menendez made sexual advances towards her.

Lyle did not testify in the second trial. Prosecutor David Conn told jurors that Lyle had asked his friend Brian Eslaminia to fabricate a story in the first trial. A 7-page letter was found by the police, allegedly written by Lyle detailing how he wanted him to testify.

The prosecution also had another letter that Lyle had allegedly written to his ex-girlfriend Traci Baker from jail. It included instructions on how to testify, with the sentence: "We will decide later around what date this incident occurred." The defense disputed its authenticity. Baker was not reached for comment.

Conn challenged Erik's allegation that he was raped at the age of 18, when he had a vehicle and enough money to leave his parents' home. Conn asked him why he did not join the army. Erik said he would not be safe from his father in the army, because he was "the most powerful man I've ever met". Erik said there was no witnesses to his allegations of sexual abuse.

Psychology professor John Wilson, an expert witness for the defense testified that Erik had symptoms of PTSD which supported his allegations of abuse. Prosecution expert witness, psychiatrist Park Elliot Dietz countered that there was no way to know if he had PTSD because the allegations were unproven. He argued Erik did not show symptoms of "learned helplessness", as he had purchased guns and practiced with them at the shooting range.

Leslie Abramson argued that the brothers acted out fear that their parents would harm them for threatening to reveal the family's secrets, and that the killings were a "highly emotional overkill".

Judge Weisberg determined that there was insufficient evidence to support the claim that the brothers were in imminent danger when they murdered their parents. Weisberg did allow the defense to argue that the brothers shot José in the heat of passion, but not their mother Kitty. He concluded there was enough evidence to suggest that José might have provoked his sons into committing homicide, but not enough to indicate that Kitty did.

Klara Wright, wife of the attorney hired by the brothers, testified that the brothers had brought a safe to her home in hopes of locating a copy of their parents' will. The safe was opened two days after the murders, in the presence of Brian Andersen and Carlos Baralt, the brothers' uncles. It was found to be empty. Conn argued this was evidence the brothers were trying to access their parents' money as quickly as possbile.

Both brothers were eventually convicted on two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances for lying in wait, as well as conspiracy to murder; in the penalty phase of the trial, they were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

During the penalty phase, Abramson reportedly told defense witness William Vicary to edit his own notes of meetings with Erik to remove potentially damning information, but the district attorney's office decided not to launch a criminal investigation of Abramson. Both brothers also filed motions for a mistrial, claiming that they suffered irreversible damage in the penalty phase as a result of possible misconduct and ineffective representation by Abramson. On July 2, 1996, Weisberg sentenced the brothers to life in prison without the possibility of parole, to be served as consecutive sentences for the killings and the charges of conspiracy to commit murder.

Appeals

On February 27, 1998, the California Court of Appeal upheld the brothers' murder convictions and, on May 28, 1998, the Supreme Court of California declined to review the case, thus allowing the decision of the appellate court to stand. Both brothers filed habeas corpus petitions with the Supreme Court of California, which were denied in 1999. Having exhausted their appeal remedies in state court, they filed separate habeas corpus petitions in the United States District Court. On March 4, 2003, a magistrate judge recommended the denial of the petitions, and the district court adopted the recommendation. The brothers then decided to appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. On September 7, 2005, a three-judge panel denied both their habeas corpus petitions.

In May 2023, the brothers requested a new hearing based upon an allegation that their father had raped former Menudo member Roy Rosselló, who, at that time, was signed under RCA Records. Specifically, on April 18, 2023, on a segment of the Today Show about a television documentary, Rosselló stated that when he was 14 years old, he was drugged and raped by José Menendez while he was visiting the Menendez family's home in New Jersey. The appeal cites a letter that appears to have been written by Erik to his cousin, Andy Cano, in 1988, where Erik talked about the abuse. Robert Rand, the author of The Menendez Murders says he found it in 2018 in a dresser in Cano's bedroom.

On October 3, 2024, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced in a press conference that his office was actively reviewing the appeal. On October 24, 2024, George Gascón announced he was asking the court for a resentencing of the case. If a judge accepts his recommendation, the brothers will be eligible for parole. Gascón stated, "I don't believe that manslaughter would have been the appropriate charge given the premeditation that was involved", and "I do believe that the brothers was subjected to a tremendous amount of dysfunction in the home and molestation." Gascón's recommendation considered the length of time the brothers had already served, and their behavior while in prison.

A re-sentencing trial was initially scheduled to begin on December 11, 2024. However, during a court hearing on November 25, 2024, the trial would be pushed back to January 30 and 31, 2025.

Marriages

On July 2, 1996, Lyle married Anna Eriksson at a ceremony attended by Abramson and his aunt Marta Menendez, officiated by Judge Nancy Brown; they divorced on April 1, 2001, after Eriksson discovered that Lyle was cheating on her with another woman. In November 2003, Lyle married Rebecca Sneed at a ceremony in a visiting area of Mule Creek State Prison; they had known each other for around 10 years before their engagement.

On June 12, 1999, Erik married Tammi Ruth Saccoman in the waiting room of Folsom State Prison. Tammi later stated: "Our wedding cake was a Twinkie. We improvised. It was a wonderful ceremony until I had to leave. That was a very lonely night." In an October 2005 interview with ABC News, she described her relationship with Erik as "something that I've dreamed about for a long time. And it's just something very special that I never thought that I would ever have."

In 2005, Saccoman self-published a book, They Said We'd Never Make It – My Life with Erik Menendez; however, she said on CNN's Larry King Live that Erik also "did a lot of editing on the book". In an interview with People magazine, she stated:

Not having sex in my life is difficult, but it's not a problem for me. I have to be emotionally attached, and I'm emotionally attached to Erik ... My family does not understand. When it started to get serious, some of them just threw up their hands.

Saccoman also stated that she and her daughter drove 150 mi (240 km) every weekend to visit Erik, and that her daughter refers to him as her "Earth Dad". Discussing his life sentence, Erik stated: "Tammi is what gets me through. I can't think about the sentence. When I do, I do it with a great sadness and a primal fear. I break into a cold sweat. It's so frightening I just haven't come to terms with it."

In popular culture

Documentaries

  • In 2000, "Menendez Brothers – Blood Brothers", an episode from the documentary series by Court TV (now TruTV) Mugshots, was aired at FilmRise.
  • In 2015, Barbara Walters Presents: American Scandals featured the Menendez brothers in an episode, "Menendez Brothers: The Bad Sons".
  • In 2017, the Menendez brothers were featured in a documentary, Truth and Lies: The Menendez Brothers – American Sons, American Murderers on ABC.
  • In 2017, A&E aired a five-part documentary titled The Menendez Murders: Erik Tells All, in which Erik describes via telephone the murders and the aftermath. The series also shows never-before-seen photos and new interviews with prosecutors, law enforcement, close family and friends, and medical experts.
  • In 2017, HLN launched the new series How It Really Happened – with Hill Harper, with an episode featuring the Menendez brothers story. The episode, "The Menendez Brothers: Murder in Beverly Hills", ends with a telephone interview of Lyle from jail with Chris Cuomo.
  • In 2020, BuzzFeed Unsolved featured the Menendez brothers in a one-episode special, "How They Were Caught: The Menendez Brothers".
  • In 2021, the Menendez brothers were the subject of ABC's 20/20 special, Inside the Menendez Movement. The special features the popularity of the brothers on the video-sharing social media application TikTok and their growing number of supporters from young adults outside and inside of the United States.
  • In August 2022, Discovery+ released Menendez Brothers: Misjudged?, a two-hour documentary focusing on the Menendez brothers' case and trial.
  • In May 2023, Peacock released a documentary series titled Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, which features Puerto Rican singer and former Menudo member Roy Rosselló alleging that he was sexually assaulted as a teenager by José Menendez.
  • In March 2024, the case was the topic of the 48 Hours episode The Menendez Brothers’ Fight for Freedom.
  • In July 2024, the brothers were featured in the third episode of Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer.
  • In October 2024, The Menendez Brothers, a documentary film featuring prison interviews with the brothers, was released on Netflix.

Dramatizations

Podcasts

  • In October 2024, the brothers participated in Netflix's You Can't Make This Up, an accompanying podcast to the documentary film The Menendez Brothers.

References, parody, and dark comedy

  • In 1990, the Law & Order season 1 episode "The Serpent's Tooth" is loosely based on the Menendez brothers case, although the show contains its usual disclaimer that the story and characters are fictional.
  • Saturday Night Live parodied the Menendez brothers' first trial in the fourth episode of its 19th season, aired on October 23, 1993. Actor and host John Malkovich and comedian Rob Schneider starred as Lyle and Erik Menendez, respectively, accusing their identical twin brothers of murdering their parents.
  • In the crime film Natural Born Killers (1994), archived footage of Erik's testimony from the first trial is included in the credits, which references various crime cases in the United States.
  • The media hype surrounding the first trial was parodied in the dark comedy film The Cable Guy (1996).
  • In 1997, Gary Indiana published his novel Resentment: A Comedy, which is drawn in part from the Menendez murders and trial.
  • In The Sopranos episode "Boca", Junior Soprano makes a reference to the brothers' case, citing how their psychiatrist had appeared as a witness in the trial.
  • In the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls, Lorelai tells Rory to make it through dinner and then she can "pull a Menendez".
  • In 2016, the Menendez brothers were mentioned several times in the FX drama The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016). Based on O. J. Simpson's homicide case, the series was set at the same time as the Menendez brothers' trials. There are several characters who have worked in the brothers' and O. J. Simpson's respective cases, such as Robert Shapiro, Lance Ito, and Gil Garcetti. Shapiro (portrayed by John Travolta) mentioned Erik in Episode 2 stating, "In fact, I arranged the surrender of Erik Menendez from Israel." This statement is based on the actual speech by Shapiro during Simpson's infamous Bronco chase, in an attempt to have him surrender to the police.

Others

  • The Menendez brothers are seen in the background of the 1990–91 NBA Hoops' Mark Jackson basketball card, in which the New York Knicks point guard is seen making a bounce pass. They are sitting courtside behind Jackson. In December 2018, eBay began terminating auctions in which the brothers are mentioned in the listing. Some eBay sellers have continued to sell the card by altering the images accompanying the listing so that the Menendez brothers are neither mentioned nor seen in photos of the card accompanying the listing.

See also

References

  1. "Joseph Lyle Menendez". California Incarcerated Records & Information Search (CIRIS) - CDCR. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  2. "Erik Galen Menendez". California Incarcerated Records & Information Search (CIRIS) - CDCR. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  3. McEvoy, Colin (October 23, 2023). "Lyle Menendez". Biography.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024. FULL NAME: Joseph Lyle Menendez BORN: January 10, 1968
  4. McEvoy, Colin (October 20, 2023). "Erik Menendez". Biography.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024. FULL NAME: Erik Galen Menendez BORN: November 27, 1970
  5. ^ Abrahamson, Alan (November 13, 1993). "Tape Could Undermine Key Menendez Claims : Courts: Brothers never mention self-defense or sexual abuse. They talk of putting mother 'out of her misery.'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ Pergament, Rachel. "The Menendez Brothers: The First Trial". Crime Library (TruTV). Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc. A Time Warner Company. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  7. Spolar, Christine (January 28, 1994). "2ND MENENDEZ MISTRIAL CALLED". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  8. Spolar, Christine (January 13, 1994). "MISTRIAL DECLARED FOR ERIK MENENDEZ". The Washington Post. Los Angeles. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
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  13. "Lyle Menendez". Biography.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
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  27. "Form Shows Menendezes' Friend Bought Shotguns". Los Angeles Times. June 7, 1990. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
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  38. Timnick, Lois (May 25, 1990). "911 Call in Menendez Slayings: 'They Shot and Killed My Parents!' : Crime: Beverly Hills police release tape of a frantic son reporting the shootings. He and his brother are charged in the deaths". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  39. ^ Trott 2005, pinpoint 1019.
  40. 48 Hours (March 8, 2024). The Menendez Brothers' Fight for Freedom | Full Episode. Retrieved October 7, 2024 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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Works cited

Further reading

External links

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