- The Menendez brothers are named Erik and Lyle Menendez
- They were sentenced for two murders in 1996 that occurred in 1989
- Erik and Lyle murdered their parents, José and Kitty, in their Beverly Hills home
Soon, the Menendez brothers and their fate could change as their resentencing hearing goes ahead. Erik and Lyle Menendez, now 54 and 57, have been incarcerated since 1996 for the murders of their parents. At age 18 and 21, the brothers fatally shot their parents in a case that shocked the nation.
Since their incarcerations almost thirty years ago, family members have campaigned for their release. Recently, the Menendez brothers got a second chance as their resentencing hearing was given the go-ahead to continue. However, the hearing has been delayed until 9 May.
Read more: Is the Menendez brothers hearing today?
The controversial case has gripped the nation and was dramatized in the Netflix series Monsters. Unfortunately, the family of the brothers was not happy about the series and spoke out against it.
Although they may not like the series, it does tell the story. But what is the real story behind the brothers and their crime?
What is the real Menendez brothers’ story?
Background on Erik and Lyle
The brothers lived in Hopewell Township with their parents. Joseph Lyle Menendez was born on 10 January 1968, and Erik Galen was born on 27 November 1970. Both the Menendez parents lived a relatively wealthy life with their sons; the boys attended Princeton Day School, and their father became an executive at RCA Records.
Subsequently, they moved to the wealthy neighbourhood of Calabasas, in California, where Erik attended Calabasas High School. A year before the murders, the brothers stole $100,000 worth of goods in their Calabasas neighborhood, so their parents and the boys moved to Beverly Hills.
Lyle was a rowdy college student. He attended the prestigious Princeton University but was placed on academic probation for his grades and exhibited bad behavior. While in high school, Erik wrote a screenplay with his friend. It was about a wealthy man who committed a flawless murder, which raised eyebrows after the fact.
The Menendez brothers and their crime
Two nights before the murders, the brothers went to gun stores in Southern California to buy handguns. Instead, they bought shotguns and used a different ID to purchase them.
Following the purchase of the guns on 20 August 1989, the brothers went to their parents’ house as they watched a movie.
They shot José six times, delivering the fatal shot to the back of his head. Then they shot Kitty 10 times. She did not die immediately, and the fatal shot struck her face.
After the crime
Anticipating the police to hear gunshots, the brothers immediately went to get rid of their bloodstained clothes. They also disposed of the weapons somewhere along Mulholland Drive.
In order to try and establish an alibi, the brothers tried to buy tickets to a movie, but abandoned the plan due to the time printed on the ticket stub. Instead, they headed to the Taste of LA festival in Santa Monica.
Even after returning home, there was no police. Needing to cover their tracks, Lyle called 911 and claimed “someone killed my parents”, acting as if he had arrived home and just found the bodies.
Erik could also be heard hysterically crying in the back of the call, and when officers arrived, the brothers ran to them in an emotional state. Recklessly, officers at the scene did not request gunshot residue tests, which would indicate the brothers had recently fired or discharged a firearm.
Their alibi, which they told police, was simply that they were away when their parents were killed.
Upon investigation of the initial scene, officers detailed the brutality of the crime and the sheer amount of blood in the room of the crime. An Autopsy report detailed the horror of the shots that caused José’s deformed face and the multiple shots that caused lacerations to Kitty’s brain.
What happened in the investigation?
At first, the theory investigated by the police was that the murders were the result of the mob. José had business connections, which is where this theory came from.
That is not to say the police were not suspicious of the brothers. After the deaths, the brothers spent lots of money on luxuries like businesses and expensive trips abroad. Questions about where the money came from were answered – a $650,000 life insurance policy.
Consequently, the spending and behavior of the brothers caused police to reconsider them as suspicious, with the motive of the murders being financial. Friends of the brothers had alleged they confessed to them about the killings, but police did not have an on-tape confession yet.
Eventually, a confession came from Erik to his psychologist, Jerome Oziel, who told his mistress, Judalon Smyth. Oziel began to record his sessions with the brothers. Meanwhile, Judalon had broken up with Oziel and told the police about the murders. On 8 March 1990, Lyle was arrested, and on 11 March, Erik turned himself in after returning from a trip.
Trials of the Menendez brothers – 1st time
Leslie Abramson represented Erik, and Jill Lansing represented Lyle. In the first trial, the brothers admitted to killing their parents. However, they said they did so in self-defense after years of physical, mental, and sexual abuse, where Jose was the main perpetrator.
The defense for the brothers argued that they feared for their lives after finally confronting their parents, which led them to buy the weapons.
Countering this argument, the prosecution said the killings were premeditated and motivated by potential financial gain. Their evidence consisted of tapes from the brothers’ therapy sessions, witness testimonies, and points about inconsistencies in their accounts and stories.
Due to a deadlocked jury, a mistrial was declared, and a new trial began in 1995.
The 2nd trial
Due to the publicity of the case, the second trial was much stricter – less testimonies, limited cameras, and more restrictions.
Again, Erik testified for over 15 days about the alleged sexual abuse, though Lyle did not take the stand. Lyle’s ex-fiancé, Jamie Pisarcik, alleged that he had bribed her to say that their father had made advances towards her and that he had told her the mob had killed his parents.
Primarily, the prosecution focused on trying to show that Lyle had tried to fabricate stories and tamper with witnesses and their testimonies. Abramson’s argument in defense of the killings was that the brothers acted in fear because they were afraid of what their parents would do if they exposed the family’s secrets.
The judge on the case, Judge Weisenberg, rejected the argument that the brothers were ‘in danger’ when they killed their parents. He allowed the argument that they acted in the moment when they shot their dad. Arguments from the prosecution alleged that the brothers were trying to locate their parents’ will, supporting the financial motivation theory.
In the end, they were convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and were sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Did the brothers try to appeal?
Yes, they tried several times to appeal their sentences. In 1998, the Supreme Court of Appeals upheld their murder convictions. Even after a review of the case in 1998, further appeals in the United States District Court were denied.
In May 2023, the brothers requested a new hearing based on new allegations that their father had assaulted Menudo boyband member Roy Rosselló in the 1980s.
An alleged letter Erik wrote a year before the murder supported the claim, and this evidence, along with their long incarceration, prompted a recommendation for resentencing.
Eventually, the court began the resentencing hearing process but postponed it to May 2025.
