The Menendez Brothers: The Story of the Murder of Their Parents and the Long Path to Resolution
22 august 2025 в 23:13
Lyle and Erik Menendez are serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of their parents on August 20, 1989, when the brothers, then 21 and 18 years old, shot Jose and Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills mansion.
More than three decades later, the Menendez brothers are once again in the spotlight, the subject of the series «Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story». The ten-episode series reexamines the central question of their case: were they cold-blooded killers motivated by greed, as the prosecutors claimed, or victims of years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as the defense argued — and as the brothers themselves claim to this day?
On May 13, 2025, Judge Michael Jessick of the Los Angeles County Superior Court reviewed Lyle and Erik’s sentence to 50 years in prison with the possibility of parole after serving more than 35 years. Their parole hearings were scheduled for August 2025, and Erik was denied parole, while Lyle is still awaiting his fate on August 22, 2025.
Here’s what you need to know about the Menendez brothers and their infamous case.
At the time of their parents' murder on August 20, 1989, Lyle was studying at Princeton, and Erik was a freshman at the University of California, Los Angeles. The brothers grew up in Beverly Hills, enjoying a privileged life thanks to their wealthy parents — Jose, a Hollywood executive, and Kitty, a former beauty queen.
After Jose and Kitty were found brutally shot in their Beverly Hills mansion, Lyle and Erik spent money recklessly, spending an estimated $ 700,000 of their parents' estate on cars, jewelry, and even purchasing restaurants and cafes. But their downfall came when Erik confessed to his psychiatrist, Jerome Oziel, who then shared the information with his mistress Judalon Smyth. Smyth informed the police that Erik had confessed to the murders in therapy and that there were audio recordings of the confession. The brothers were arrested in March 1990, sparking a years-long legal battle over the admissibility of Oziel’s recordings.
«I never thought I believed in evil, but when I heard those boys talk, I believed», - Smyth told investigative journalist Dominick Dunne in 1990.
The brothers claimed in court that their father — who was nearly decapitated by a close-range shotgun blast — was a child abuser. These allegations were supported by the testimony of their cousins, Andy Cano and Diana Vander Molen, who said that Lyle and Erik had confessed to them about sexual abuse when they were children. As for their mother, who was shot 14 times, the brothers said she was an alcoholic who encouraged and condoned their father’s violence.
Their first trial, which began in 1993, ended in a mistrial. In the second trial, the judge limited testimony about alleged abuse and prohibited the jury from considering manslaughter charges instead of murder charges. Both brothers were found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
«Erik and Lyle Menendez have been in prison for 34 years and 6 months, and I believe they are in prison for killing their lifelong abusers», - said Robert Rand, who spent significant time with the brothers after the crime and is the author of the book «The Menendez Murders: The Shocking Untold Story of the Menendez Family and the Murders that Rocked the Nation».
«The correct verdict for the trial of the Menendez brothers should have been manslaughter, not murder».
Despite their heinous crimes and life behind bars, there was no shortage of women interested in the Menendez brothers. Lyle married Anna Eriksson on July 2, 1996, but they divorced on April 1, 2001, when she discovered he was «cheating» on her with another woman through correspondence (as joint visits are not allowed). In November 2003, Lyle married Rebecca Sneed, a former magazine employee
More than three decades later, the Menendez brothers are once again in the spotlight, the subject of the series «Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story». The ten-episode series reexamines the central question of their case: were they cold-blooded killers motivated by greed, as the prosecutors claimed, or victims of years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as the defense argued — and as the brothers themselves claim to this day?
On May 13, 2025, Judge Michael Jessick of the Los Angeles County Superior Court reviewed Lyle and Erik’s sentence to 50 years in prison with the possibility of parole after serving more than 35 years. Their parole hearings were scheduled for August 2025, and Erik was denied parole, while Lyle is still awaiting his fate on August 22, 2025.
Here’s what you need to know about the Menendez brothers and their infamous case.
At the time of their parents' murder on August 20, 1989, Lyle was studying at Princeton, and Erik was a freshman at the University of California, Los Angeles. The brothers grew up in Beverly Hills, enjoying a privileged life thanks to their wealthy parents — Jose, a Hollywood executive, and Kitty, a former beauty queen.
After Jose and Kitty were found brutally shot in their Beverly Hills mansion, Lyle and Erik spent money recklessly, spending an estimated $ 700,000 of their parents' estate on cars, jewelry, and even purchasing restaurants and cafes. But their downfall came when Erik confessed to his psychiatrist, Jerome Oziel, who then shared the information with his mistress Judalon Smyth. Smyth informed the police that Erik had confessed to the murders in therapy and that there were audio recordings of the confession. The brothers were arrested in March 1990, sparking a years-long legal battle over the admissibility of Oziel’s recordings.
«I never thought I believed in evil, but when I heard those boys talk, I believed», - Smyth told investigative journalist Dominick Dunne in 1990.
The brothers claimed in court that their father — who was nearly decapitated by a close-range shotgun blast — was a child abuser. These allegations were supported by the testimony of their cousins, Andy Cano and Diana Vander Molen, who said that Lyle and Erik had confessed to them about sexual abuse when they were children. As for their mother, who was shot 14 times, the brothers said she was an alcoholic who encouraged and condoned their father’s violence.
Their first trial, which began in 1993, ended in a mistrial. In the second trial, the judge limited testimony about alleged abuse and prohibited the jury from considering manslaughter charges instead of murder charges. Both brothers were found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
«Erik and Lyle Menendez have been in prison for 34 years and 6 months, and I believe they are in prison for killing their lifelong abusers», - said Robert Rand, who spent significant time with the brothers after the crime and is the author of the book «The Menendez Murders: The Shocking Untold Story of the Menendez Family and the Murders that Rocked the Nation».
«The correct verdict for the trial of the Menendez brothers should have been manslaughter, not murder».
Despite their heinous crimes and life behind bars, there was no shortage of women interested in the Menendez brothers. Lyle married Anna Eriksson on July 2, 1996, but they divorced on April 1, 2001, when she discovered he was «cheating» on her with another woman through correspondence (as joint visits are not allowed). In November 2003, Lyle married Rebecca Sneed, a former magazine employee
© Puhova Marina
