Inside the story of the notorious Menendez brothers case

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The question is not whether Lyle and Erik Menendez killed their parents. They admit that they did. Instead, the absorption of the lawsuit has agelong been connected wherefore they did it. They accidental they killed retired of fearfulness and successful self-defense aft a beingness of physical, affectional and intersexual maltreatment suffered astatine the hands of their parents. Here's a look astatine the case.

Aug. 20, 1989: Jose and Kitty Menendez are murdered

On the evening of Sunday, Aug. 20, 1989, Jose and Kitty Menendez were changeable aggregate times astatine adjacent scope with a shotgun portion successful the household country of their Beverly Hills mansion.

911 call: "Someone killed my parents"

Officers responded to the country aft Lyle Menendez, past 21, called 911, screaming, "Someone killed my parents."

The Menendez transgression country

First responders astatine Menendez location

Lyle and his then-18-year-old member Erik Menendez aboriginal told investigators that they had arrived location to find their parents changeable to death.

Who killed Jose and Kitty Menendez?

At the clip of his death, Jose Menendez was moving for a movie studio, moving its location video division. Investigators initially suspected that the killings whitethorn person been tied to his concern dealings, but attraction soon shifted to the couple's sons, Lyle and Erik Menendez.

Lyle and Erik Menendez' behaviour draws scrutiny

In the aftermath of the crime, the brothers appeared to beryllium spending their parents' money, and tons of it. They purchased Rolex watches and existent estate, and invested successful businesses.

A extremity leads to arrests

Judalon Smyth testifies successful court.

While the brothers' behaviour successful the aftermath of the transgression whitethorn person seemed unusual, it wasn't hard evidence. But then, astir six months aft the crime, successful March 1990, constabulary got a extremity from an improbable source: Judalon Smyth, the woman of a scientist who Lyle and Erik Menendez had been talking to. She told constabulary that the brothers had confessed to the killings successful therapy and determination was an audiotaped signaling of it.

March 1990: Lyle and Erik Menendez charged successful parents' murders

Lyle and Erik Menendez August 1990 tribunal proceeding

Days later, connected March 8, 1990, Lyle Menendez was arrested by Beverly Hills Police extracurricular the mansion wherever his parents were killed. Two days aft that, Erik Menendez surrendered astatine Los Angeles International Airport upon returning from Israel wherever helium had been playing tennis.

July 1993: Opening statements statesman successful the Menendez brothers' trial

Lyle and Erik Menendez during their archetypal trial.

On July 20, 1993, the highly publicized proceedings of Lyle and Erik Menendez began. Although they were tried together, they had abstracted juries deciding their fate. The brothers faced the anticipation of the decease punishment if convicted of first-degree murder.

Lyle Menendez testifies astatine the archetypal proceedings

Lyle Menendez testifying astatine the archetypal trial.

The defence argued that the brothers killed their parents successful self-defense and that they were deserving of a lesser complaint and punishment.

Menendez brothers attest astir intersexual maltreatment

Both brothers took the basal and described however they accidental they were abused. Lyle Menendez testified that helium was sexually abused by his parent and father. He said his begetter began sexually abusing him erstwhile helium was lone 6 years old.

Erik Menendez testifies astatine the archetypal proceedings

Erik Menendez testifying astatine the archetypal trial.

While Lyle Menendez testified that his begetter stopped sexually abusing him erstwhile helium was 8, Erik Menendez testified that it ne'er ended for him and that helium yet confided successful his older member Lyle days earlier the transgression — astatine property 18.

The Menendez transgression country

Jose and Kitty Menendez transgression country

The brothers testified that Lyle soon confronted their parents — and successful the days starring up to the crime, things grew truthful contentious that they believed their parents were going to termination them to support the household concealed from coming out. They said they believed their parents were going to termination them the nighttime of the transgression and that's wherefore they went into the household country and started shooting their parents.

Menendez brothers' relative shows enactment

To bolster their claims of abuse, galore relatives, friends, and acquaintances of the Menendez household testified for the defence astir incidents of carnal and affectional maltreatment that they said they observed. Alan Andersen, Lyle and Erik's cousin, was 1 of those witnesses.

While Andersen ne'er saw Lyle and Erik Menendez being sexually abused, helium did callback thing helium says was odd. He told "48 Hours" that increasing up, Jose Menendez would instrumentality showers with Lyle and Erik and that Kitty Menendez wouldn't fto him spell adjacent the room.

Former DA reviews the lawsuit for "48 Hours"

Former Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey didn't enactment connected the case, but reviewed it astatine "48 Hours'" request.

"After they killed their parents, they went astir and picked up the expended shotgun ammunition casings truthful that their fingerprints wouldn't beryllium discovered connected those shells. …There was a batch of thought and deliberation that went into it," Lacey said.

Prosecutors pushed backmost against the brothers' assertion of self-defense. They pointed to wealth arsenic the motive and argued the killings were premeditated since the brothers purchased shotguns days successful advance. They said that adjacent if the brothers were abused, it didn't springiness them the close to kill.

The justice declares a mistrial

When deliberations began, they stretched connected for weeks earlier some juries determined they were divided implicit whether the brothers should beryllium convicted of execution oregon manslaughter. A mistrial was declared.

October 1995: The 2nd proceedings begins

Prosecutors decided to retry the Menendez brothers. At the retrial, which began successful October 1995, and consisted of lone 1 assemblage alternatively of two, prosecutors argued the brothers were lying astir the abuse. They referred to the brothers' defence arsenic "the maltreatment excuse." The prosecution besides successfully objected to the admittance of a ample magnitude of defence evidence. And, this time, Lyle Menendez declined to instrumentality the stand.

Evidence: The transgression country

Menendez transgression country photograph

The authorities placed much of an accent connected the brutality of the crime.

Lyle and Erik Menendez recovered blameworthy of first-degree murder

Erik and Lyle Menendez astatine 2nd proceedings

The assemblage deliberated for days earlier uncovering Lyle and Erik Menendez blameworthy of first-degree murder. At the jury's recommendation, the brothers were aboriginal sentenced to beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole.

2023: New grounds successful the Menendez lawsuit

Almost 3 decades aft their convictions, Cliff Gardner, 1 of the brothers' appellate attorneys, tells "48 Hours" that caller grounds has travel to airy proving that Lyle and Erik Menendez were telling the information astir being abused. In May 2023, Gardner filed a habeas petition asking that the brothers' convictions beryllium vacated.

"The boys were abused arsenic children. They were abused their full life. …And this is simply a manslaughter case, not a execution case. It's conscionable that simple," Gardner says.

Had the brothers been convicted of manslaughter, they would person received a overmuch shorter condemnation and been retired of situation a agelong clip ago.

Evidence: The missive

The archetypal portion of caller grounds is simply a missive that lawyer Cliff Gardner says was written by Erik Menendez to his relative Andy Cano successful December 1988, astir 8 months anterior to the killings. The missive reads, successful part, "I've been trying to debar dad. It's inactive happening Andy but it's worse for maine now… Every nighttime I enactment up reasoning helium mightiness travel in." Gardner says this is impervious the maltreatment took place.

Evidence: A caller witness

Jose Menendez, Edgardo Diaz and Menudo members

The different caller grounds involves a witnesser named Roy Rossello, pictured bottommost right, who has travel guardant successful a sworn affidavit alleging that helium was sexually abused by Jose Menendez too.

Rossello says the maltreatment took spot successful the aboriginal 80's erstwhile helium was a subordinate of the Puerto Rican lad set Menudo. Jose Menendez, apical row, 2nd from left, worked arsenic an enforcement astatine RCA Records astatine the clip and RCA signed Menudo to a signaling contract.

Lyle Menendez awaits judge's ruling

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office told "48 Hours" that it is investigating the claims made successful the habeas petition. Ultimately, it volition beryllium up to a justice to determine whether the convictions should beryllium vacated. If they are, past it would beryllium up to the D.A's bureau arsenic to whether they would retry the case. As Lyle Menendez awaits a judge's ruling, helium spoke to "48 Hours" contributor Natalie Morales.

He told Morales that erstwhile helium heard astir the caller evidence, helium was happy. "'Cause it's a load to beryllium telling what happened to you and conscionable person truthful overmuch uncertainty successful the nationalist air," helium said.

Menendez lawsuit nether reappraisal by DA's office

On Oct 3, 2024, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said the Menéndez execution case is being reviewed by his office, naming 2 caller factors that prosecutors are looking at. Gascón said that determination could beryllium imaginable for resentencing oregon perchance adjacent a caller trial.

Prosecutors urge resentencing of the Menendez brothers

On Oct. 24, 2024, Gascón announced helium will ask the tribunal for resentencing in the lawsuit of Erik and Lyle Menendez, decades aft the brothers were sentenced to beingness without parole for the 1989 killings of their parents successful Beverly Hills. If the justice accepts his recommendation, the brothers would beryllium instantly eligible for parole, helium said.

Gascón said helium volition inquire the justice to see resentencing the brothers to 50 years to life. Because they committed the crimes erstwhile they were nether the property of 26 years old, they would beryllium eligible for parole, helium said. Gascón said the last determination volition beryllium made by the judge, and past it would spell earlier a parole board, which volition find if the brothers should beryllium released.

New DA asks tribunal to contradict their petition seeking a caller trial

On Feb. 21, 2025, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman filed a effect to the Menendez brothers' habeas petition urging a justice to contradict it. It is unclear erstwhile a ruling volition beryllium made successful the case.

Menendez brothers resentenced

In May 2025, the brothers were resentenced to 50 years to beingness with the anticipation of parole. Due to that resentencing, they are present eligible for parole hearings nether younker offender parole laws. In August 2025, the brothers' first bids for parole were denied.

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