Both boys were indicted on December 7, 1992 and tried separately for murder. I know.. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. The case made minor celebrities out of the brothers as well as the lawyers involved. Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez leave the courtroom in Santa Monica, Calif., after a judge ruled that conversations between the two brothers and their psychologist were admissible as evidence; The gravesite of Jose and Kitty Menendez, still serving their life sentences miles apart to this day, eight-hour NBC mini-series starring Emmy winner Edie Falco, Both have gotten married while behind bars. She even had an audiotape of the confessions. On August 20, 1989, the brothers brutally shot their parents multiple times in the den of their $5 million dollar family home in Beverly Hills, where they staged the murders to look like a mob hit. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Jose was shot six times in the back of the head, while Kitty was shot ten times. Its not unfathomable, then, to think that in the present climate, Lyle and Eriks charges would have sounded more plausible than they did at the timeand that no judge would have dared limit testimony about their alleged sexual abuse, as was the case in their second trial, when they were found guilty. The first trial lasted four and a half months and resulted in two hung juries one for each brother unable to agree on whether they were guilty of murder or acting in their own self-defense. Nonetheless, he thrived in the competitive landscape, raking in millions a year. The brother is serving life in prison for killing their parents on August 20, 1989. On August 20, 1989, the brothers brutally shot their parents multiple times in the den of their $5 million dollar family home in Beverly Hills, where they staged the murders to look like a mob hit. Previously, the Menendez brothers were jailed at separate prisons. Why Did The Menendez Brothers Kill Their Parents? | Crime News Lyle was arrested soon after. At the time of the murders, Lyle was 21 years old, and Erik was 18 years old. The story of .css-gegin5{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#9a0500;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-gegin5:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Eric and Lyle Menendez is one of the most notorious true-crime sagas in American history, and the thirst for more and more depictions of the saga cannot be sated. ", Kim Kardashian Teases 'American Horror Story' Role as Ryan Murphy Calls Her "True Force in the Culture", Does Buck Die on '9-1-1'? I was told during the trial by the bailiffs that the brothers would high five each other, particularly after a good day in court when they were testifying, Bozanich said. He moved his family to California, eventually settling into a Beverly Hills mansion, But Jose also had to negotiate with some less savory business associates,. Over the course of those those six months, they reportedly spent $1 million on parties, travel, and shopping. Lyle and Erik Menendez claimed that they killed their parents in 1989 because they feared for their safety following a lifetime of sexual abuse perpetrated by their father, Jos, an RCA Records executive, and condoned by their mother, Kitty. He smiled and looked up at her slowly. They were charged with the first-degree murders of their parents. Right: Menendez married his prison pen pal Tammi Saccoman, a wealthy widow, in a jailhouse ceremony in 1999. The effort fell short; both Lyle and Erik were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996. The Menendez brothers were the only children of entertainment businessman Jose Menendez and his wife Mary Louise, otherwise known as Kitty. The brothers have admitted to killing their parents. On August 20, 1989, a seemingly hysterical Lyle Menendez, then 21, called 911. The sensationalized trial of Lyle and Erik Menendez during the 1990s continues to be a source of fascination and debate, especially in light of social media and the #MeToo movement. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. ", Stream It Or Skip It: 'Moonage Daydream' on HBO Max, a David Bowie Biography That's More Sensual Experience than Documentary, Personality Crisis: One Night Only Finds Punk Pioneer David Johansen Recounting His Many Lives, Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Legacy of J Dilla' on FX/Hulu, Exploring The Life, Beats, And Career Of The Late Hip-Hop Hero, Stream It Or Skip It: Little Richard: I Am Everything on VOD, A Biodoc As Vibrant As Its Subject, The Peter Pan & Wendy Sea Shanty Is An Ear Worm That Will Haunt Your Dreams, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Peter Pan and Wendy' on Disney+, Director David Lowery's Lightly Visionary Disney Rehash, Where Was Peter Pan and Wendy Filmed? The stress of it all was giving Erik an ulcer. 998, This story has been shared 972 times. The investigation eventually turned to Lyle and Erik. Finally, the Supreme Court of California ruled that two of the three tapes were eligible to be used in the trial, including one that contained Lyles admission of guilt. 'They deserve to be set free': Aunt of Menendez brothers says of their Kitty was 44. U kunt uw keuzes te allen tijde wijzigen door te klikken op de links 'Privacydashboard' op onze sites en in onze apps. In 1980, he became head of the companys record division, RCA-Ariola. Or is there something so evil at the core of this family that the brothers actions might have been justified? "It was similar to a situation where you have pro-life and pro-choice people and put them in an argument together.". Where Was 'John Mulaney: Baby J' on Netflix Filmed? Jos was born in Cuba, emigrated to the United States after the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s, living in the attic of a cousins home until he earned a college scholarship for swimming. The second trial took place in 1995 and was far less sensational, as the judge did not allow TV cameras into the courthouse. Is The Nurse On Netflix Based On A True Story? They believe this was an improper prosecution.. Who was missing woman Kim Mason and how did she die? The case especially gained attention as the world faced the COVID-19 pandemic. Ex-Member of Menudo Says He Was Raped by Father of the Menendez Brothers The streaming platform also shared that they have exclusive access to Lyle and Erik Menendez, who are still serving life sentences in prison, for a forthcoming documentary. You can navigate days by using left and right arrows. 2,229, This story has been shared 1,964 times. Lyle Menendez on parents' 1989 murder: 'I still cry over my mother' - Today Lyle and Erik Menendez shot and killed their parents Jose Menendez, 45, a wealthy entertainment executive, and Kitty Menendez, 47, at their Beverly Hills mansion on Aug. 20, 1989. The duo committed the crime after years of sexual abuse suffering at the hands of their father. On March 20, 1996, Lyle and Erik Menendez were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Menendez was affiliated with Menudo because he had signed the group to RCA Records. Menendez brothers reunite nearly 30 years after killing parents The trial began in 1993 and was broadcast on a relatively new cable network called Court TV, which was devoted to turning the legal system into a hybrid of entertainment and sporting event. Leads ran dry, until months later, in March 1990, when a woman named Judalon Smyth went to detectives. Both Lyle and Erik gave convincing and emotional testimony that they were subjected to physical abuse at the hands of their father. A Bombshell Docuseries Makes the Case for Menendez Brothers' Innocence They were shot multiple times at close range with a shotgun and rendered unrecognizable. I had been told that right after his murder, people were pretty pleased that he was no longer on the earth.. The population was then around 5 million. But it became one of Netflixs biggest series ever, snagging a Critics Choice Award for Niecy Nash and a Golden Globe for Peters. We took a first vote: Six women, manslaughter, six men, first-degree, said Delahunt. The first two juries (one for each brother) deadlocked, and a mistrial had to be called. After a merger with a Minnesota-based record company, IVE became known as Live Entertainment and is now known as Artisan Entertainment. The whole process took nearly seven years. 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Lyle was a star tennis player who attended Princeton and seemed destined for a career in business like the father he openly worshipped; Erik turned out to be even better at tennis, helped along by his fathers obsessive intervention, and wound up as a nationally ranked player in his age bracket. Instead, people still interested in the Menendez Brothers fate had to wait for written news accounts of the events. In 1996 Lyle and Erik Menendez were each sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, but even today Hart views the homicides as a reaction to gross parental misconduct, rather than the work of cold, calculating killers. Lyle, however, stayed on the East Coast to attend Princeton University. Opinions nationwide were divided over whether they deserved to live and die behind bars. 1,358, This story has been shared 1,126 times. Lyle showed promise as an up-and-coming tennis athlete, while Erik had aspirations of getting into politics. The Menendez brothers, who were convicted of killing their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion nearly three decades ago, have been reunited in a . Smyth claimed her former boyfriend, a psychologist named Dr. Jerome Oziel whod professionally seen the brothers over the previous burglary charges disclosed that Lyle and Erik made in-session confessions to killing their parents. To learn more about the case and all of its key players, watch Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, premiering May 2 on Peacock. 1,717, This story has been shared 1,679 times. The Untold Truth Of The Menendez Brothers - Grunge Pointing to a picture of Jose in the preview, Rossell says, That's the pedophile.. Netflix and Ryan Murphy's 'Monster' Anthology to Focus on Menendez It's their theatricality that has made the Menendez men so infamous, their flare for courtroom drama and off-putting outfits, and the. Erik Menendez holds a get well card he received from a fan. They then drove. Menudo member alleges father of Menendez brothers raped him - USA Today It also features him visiting former Menudo associatesNew York Post photojournalist and Menudo merchandise distributor Bolvar Arellano; recently deceased Menudo member Ray Reyes brother Raul; the bands record producer and composer Papo Gely; and ex-Menudo star Ash Ruizwho all validate his experiences in different ways. What Happened To The Menendez Brothers Money? They planned on spending as little time as possible in the home, but on the night of the murders, Jos reportedly forbade the boys from going out, prompting a heated argument. Alongside Roys own sincere commentary, their testimony (including Rauls admission that he once saw Roy and Diaz in bed together, naked) is shocking and persuasive. The brothers were found guilty in spite of their defense . I know what he did to me in his house, he says. This comes as explosive news to journalist and author Robert Rand and his colleague Nery Ynclan, who have spent years working to exonerate the Menendez brothers because theyre convinced that the siblings were wrongly convicted of first-degree murder rather than manslaughter, which would have saddled them with a lighter prison sentence. The brothers claimed the fatal shooting was a form of "imperfect self-defense," according to The New York Times. The 55-year-old criminal and his 52-year-old brother were just 21 and 19, respectively, when they brutally murdered their parents, Jose and Mary Louise Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion on .