The Menendez Brothers
I didn’t think I would do this case, just because I like to write about cases that either I don’t hear about a lot or unsolved cases. I decided to write about this infamous case because it’s one of the cases that will always be in our minds, and I wasn’t even born when the crime occurred. I’ve seen pretty much every show and documentary on the case, but today I watched The Crimes that Changed Us on ID.
Background
Lyle Menendez was born Joseph Lyle Menendez on January 10, 1968 and Erik Galen Menendez was born on November 27, 1970.
Erik and Lyle
Lyle and Erik grew up in Beverly Hills, California, and were extremely wealthy, but their dad, Jose, came over from Cuba and had nothing. Jose and Kitty Menendez married in 1963. They eventually settled in California, where the boys seemed to love their lives, school and sports.
The Menendez Mansion
Jose was a HUGE movie executive, and was able to provide an amazing lifestyle for his family. Erik was a nationally ranked tennis player and was an amazing student. However, Lyle went to Princeton University for one year and was accused of plagiarism and put on academic probation. He was eventually suspended, and came home.
Lyle and Erik seemed to have an amazing bond, maybe too amazing considering the murder of their parents had seemed planned. Two days before the murder, they purchased a shot gun under fake names from a sporting goods store and even created a false alibi. This would eventually come back to bite them in the ass in their trial.
Murders of Jose and Kitty
On August 20, 1989, Jose and Kitty were in their home that evening, relaxing in the living room, when Lyle and Erik came into the house, carrying shot guns. This crime scene would later be known as one of the bloodiest crime scenes the police had ever seen.
One of the crime scene photos
Jose was shot a total of five times, once in the back of the head. Kitty was shot a total of nine times, once in the leg when she was trying to escape. She had fallen down, and was shot again in the arm, chest and face. They were also shot in the kneecaps, to make it seem like it had a connection to an organized crime or execution.
The boys "came home” to the murder and Lyle called 911. He said “someone killed my parents.” The police arrived and questioned the boys. They said they were at the Taste of L.A. and went to see the new Batman movie. The police believed the boys and didn’t do any testing for gun shot residue. They only became suspicious of the boys later on.
Lyle’s 911 call
Investigation and Arrests
The suspicion really started when the boys started spending money like crazy, around $70,000. Lyle bought a new Porsche, Rolex watch and a restaurant in New Jersey called Chuck’s Spring Street Cafe. Erik bought a full time tennis coach and traveled to Israel for tennis tournaments. They also bought new condos in Marina Del Ray, and were driving around in Kitty’s convertible.
The police were very suspicious, but didn’t get proof until Erik confessed to his psychologist, Jerome Oziel. The confession was caught on tape, and Lyle also threatened Jerome not to tell anyone. However, Oziel confessed to his mistress, Judalon Smith, and she told the police. (I honestly really have a problem with this, what ever happened to patient-doctor confidentiality? However, this case might be a lot different today if it wasn’t for this confession).
On March 8, 1990, Lyle was arrested. On March 11, Erik turned himself in, he had just gotten home from Israel.
The trial took a few years to begin because of the tapes, the issues with Oziel and whether or not the tapes would be allowed in. The trial did eventually begin in December 1992.
Trials
The Menendez brothers were defended by Leslie Abramson. She is very well known because of this case, and the defense they came up with. The defense was that Erik and Lyle killed because they were sexually abused by Jose, and that Kitty knew and did nothing to stop it. Kitty was also dragged for being an alcoholic and drug addict.
Lyle and Erik
During the episode of The Crimes that Changed Us, a juror named Hazel Thornton said that she knew that they would have a problem making a decision after hearing the testimony of Erik and Lyle. They broke down on the stand, and it was very believable. Many family members also testified that Erik had confessed to them about the abuse, several remember seeing bruises and had actually witnessed some abuse in the home. However, the media had already found them guilty and there were many people that believed they did it for money.
The first trial ended in a deadlock, and the judge announced that their would be a re-trial.
During the second trial, the judge, Stanley Weisberg, said they would not allow the cameras in the court room. They also said their would less testimony about the abuse. The new jurors were also told that they had to choose from 1st or 2nd degree murder, not manslaughter. Manslaughter means it was at the heat of the moment, and the police had determined that the brother’s planned the murder for awhile.
Erik and Lyle were found guilty on two counts of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, and eventually sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on July 2, 1996.
Other
In 1999, both Erik and Lyle filed habeas corpus appeals, but both were denied. They filed the same appeals in 2003, but separately and in 2005, they were denied again.
Erik and Lyle reunited in 2018, 22 years after they were found guilty. Lyle was moved to the same prison as Erik, the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California.
Erik and Lyle now
There are MANY shows out there about the case. I just recently watched the Erik Melendez Tells All, which is on Hulu. I found it interesting, and honestly I can’t tell if they have ever lied about the abuse or not. The emotional aspect for me is something that didn't seem fake.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Obviously they are guilty, but as I said I don’t think the abuse was fake. They could have easily said it was worse than it was, but they seemed SO emotional about it, and as someone said in the episode on ID, you’d have to be a great actor to fake that kind of emotion.
Were they smug? Yes. Were they abused? Probably. Should they be in prison? Yes. The crime scene was brutal, and they did confess that they planned it. However, I don’t think they did it for money because they had access to whatever they wanted already, I think they were sick of whatever was going on in the house.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_and_Erik_Menendez
https://www.biography.com/news/menendez-brothers-murder-case-facts
https://people.com/crime/menendez-brothers-murders-30-years-later/
https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/tearful-reunion-menendez-brothers-inside-san-diego-prison-54295834
