The story of the life and fate of the Menendez brothers: what made their father wealthy?
25 september 2024 в 20:13
The life story and legal proceedings of Lyle Menendez and Erik Menendez became headlines due to the release of Ryan Murphy’s series «Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story». After the brothers shot their parents, Jose Menendez and Mary Louise «Kitty» Menendez, in August 1989, Lyle and Erik spent a large part of their family’s fortune. Prosecutors accused the brothers of killing their mother and father to inherit the money, but Lyle and Erik claimed a different motivation. So what did Jose do to make their family so wealthy?
Below, Hollywood Life breaks down details about Jose and how the Menendez family developed their wealthy lifestyle.
Before moving to Los Angeles, Jose worked as an accountant after graduating from Queens College in New York. Eventually, he landed a job at the car rental company Hertz, where he worked as a commercial leasing manager.
RCA later acquired Hertz, and Jose reportedly worked on contracts with various music artists in Hollywood. According to the Los Angeles Times, Jose left his job at RCA and worked at Carolco Pictures, an independent film studio that eventually owned International Video Entertainment (IVE). Although IVE was initially heavily in debt in the 1980s, Jose helped the company earn millions of dollars.
During his time at the film studio, Jose made deals with major stars, including Sylvester Stallone for his «Rambo» franchise, and reportedly cut hundreds of jobs in the company to reduce expenses.
During Lyle and Erik’s trials, their defense claimed that they killed Jose and Kitty in self-defense after years of alleged sexual, emotional, and physical abuse.
In August 1989, Lyle was 21 years old, and Erik was 18 when they shot their parents. As of September 2024, Lyle is 56 years old, and Erik is 53.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual violence, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1−800−656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, unbiased support, as well as local resources to help with healing, recovery, and more
Below, Hollywood Life breaks down details about Jose and how the Menendez family developed their wealthy lifestyle.
Before moving to Los Angeles, Jose worked as an accountant after graduating from Queens College in New York. Eventually, he landed a job at the car rental company Hertz, where he worked as a commercial leasing manager.
RCA later acquired Hertz, and Jose reportedly worked on contracts with various music artists in Hollywood. According to the Los Angeles Times, Jose left his job at RCA and worked at Carolco Pictures, an independent film studio that eventually owned International Video Entertainment (IVE). Although IVE was initially heavily in debt in the 1980s, Jose helped the company earn millions of dollars.
During his time at the film studio, Jose made deals with major stars, including Sylvester Stallone for his «Rambo» franchise, and reportedly cut hundreds of jobs in the company to reduce expenses.
During Lyle and Erik’s trials, their defense claimed that they killed Jose and Kitty in self-defense after years of alleged sexual, emotional, and physical abuse.
In August 1989, Lyle was 21 years old, and Erik was 18 when they shot their parents. As of September 2024, Lyle is 56 years old, and Erik is 53.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual violence, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1−800−656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, unbiased support, as well as local resources to help with healing, recovery, and more
© Zhinobaeva Margarita
