Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder and abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
In August 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills residence. Reports indicate that Lyle called 911 after killing his parents and told the dispatcher that someone murdered them. Investigators then arrived at the crime scene and interrogated the siblings. After initiating an investigation, they soon received a tip that prompted the authorities to arrest the siblings. The court found the Menendez Brothers guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Currently, they are serving their sentence in a prison in California.
According to CBS News, the behavior exhibited by the Menendez Brothers after the death of their parents drew much attention. The outlet reported that the siblings spent their parents’ money on luxury watches and real estate. However, their therapist told the investigators that the brothers confessed to the killings during one of their sessions. The therapist also revealed that she had an audio recording of the confession. As a result, police apprehended Lyle Menendez in March 1990, and two days after his arrest, Erik Menendez surrendered at the Los Angeles Airport.
Almost four years after the murder, in July 1993, the trial of the Menendez Brothers began. Per CBS, both brothers had different juries, and if found guilty, they could have faced the death penalty. Citing the testimonies, the publication mentioned that they killed their parents in self-defense. Additionally, they opened up about the sexual abuse they endured at the hands of their parents.
The trial lasted six months, and after weeks of deliberations, the jury couldn’t come to a unanimous decision. According to CBS News, they couldn’t determine if the siblings should be jailed for murder or manslaughter. Correspondingly, the judge declared it a mistrial.
Can the Menendez Brothers get out of jail and where are they now?
Despite the judge declaring a mistrial the first time, the Menendez Brothers faced a second trial in October 1995. During the first trial, the Menendez Brothers mentioned that they faced a lot of abuse from their mother and father. CBS News reported that their father stopped sexually abusing Lyle when he turned eight. However, the abuses continued for Erik until he turned 18. Several people close to the Menendez family solidified their claims by noticing that they knew about the abuse.
But during the second trial, the prosecution team argued that the siblings lied about their abuse. According to People Magazine, the prosecutors claimed that the Menendez brothers slayed their parents for the money. Almost six months later, the jury announced their verdict and found the siblings guilty of first-degree murder, per The Washington Post. After the verdict, Erik looked at her grandmother and said, “I Love You,” before being taken away by the officers. In July 1996, the court sentenced them to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The New York Times stated that the jury recommended the court not to give the culprits a death sentence.
Although the siblings are currently serving their sentence at the RJ Donovan Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, new evidence claims the Menendez brothers to be telling the truth about the sexual abuse. Per CBS News, the attorneys for Erik and Lyle Menendez noted that they filed a Habeas petition, requesting the convictions to be relinquished. The new evidence included a letter in which Erik told one of his cousins, “It’s still happening Andy but it’s worse for me now… Every night I stay up thinking he might come in.”
Meanwhile, a person claimed that Erik and Lyle’s father, Jose Menendez, sexually abused him in the early 1980s. Subsequently, the LA County DA office told CBS News that they would investigate the allegations made in the petition. Currently, they don’t have a release date, and they have already exhausted their appeals. However, the new evidence still gives them a glimmer of hope.
In February 2024, Netflix announced a series based on the Menendez Brothers. Titled Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, the show stars Javier Bardem as Jose Menendez and Chloe Sevigny as Kitty Menendez. Meanwhile, Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch portray the Menendez Brothers.
