The Menendez brothers grabbed headlines in the 1990s for killing their parents. What exactly led these two young men of privilege to commit such a violent crime?
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00:00The Menendez brothers grabbed headlines in the 1990s for killing their parents.
00:05What exactly led these two young men of privilege to commit such a violent crime?
00:10On August 20, 1989, Beverly Hills police were called to the home of Jose and Kitty Menendez.
00:16Jose's 21-year-old son, Lyle, had called 911 to report that someone had broken in and murdered
00:21both his parents.
00:23What began as a home invasion case quickly became an investigation into Lyle and his
00:2718-year-old brother, Eric.
00:29Menendez noticed right away that both brothers were going on lavish spending sprees, buying
00:33sports cars and Rolex watches, as well as taking expensive vacations around the world.
00:39The big break in the case came from Judilon Smith, the ex-mistress of Eric's therapist,
00:44Jerome Oziel.
00:45In recorded therapy sessions, Eric confessed to murdering his parents.
00:49I just broke down and I told them what had happened, that I did this.
00:56Oziel relayed this information to Smith.
00:59After ending her relationship with Oziel, Smith went to authorities.
01:03Arrest warrants were issued for both Menendez brothers, and the two were apprehended a few
01:06days apart in March 1990.
01:09They were both convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1996.
01:13How exactly did they end up there?
01:15Eric and Lyle were born into a wealthy household in Princeton, New Jersey.
01:19Jose had earned his fortune as a corporate executive.
01:22The family moved to Southern California in 1986, and biography notes that both brothers
01:27began to fall in with the wrong crowd.
01:30Eric in particular was seemingly susceptible to peer pressure.
01:33On two different occasions, he and some friends were arrested for burglary.
01:37Meanwhile, Lyle was accepted to Princeton, where he excelled as a tennis player.
01:42Only an average student, his acceptance into this prestigious private university might
01:46have been helped by his father's $50,000 donation to the school.
01:50In court testimony, both Menendez brothers argued that their charmed life was just a
01:55facade.
01:56They detailed horrific physical and sexual abuse at the hands of their father.
02:00It was particularly directed at Lyle, who claimed that he and his brother only murdered
02:04their parents so that the abuse would stop.
02:07Their allegations were supported by the testimony of an elder cousin, Diane Vandermolen, who
02:12said Lyle confided to her about the abuse.
02:15Alarmed by what she heard, Vandermolen immediately went to her aunt Kitty.
02:19She testified that she assumed that her aunt had taken care of it, because Lyle never mentioned
02:24it again.
02:25"'Cause Kitty seemed to think about it."
02:26"'I mean, if Jose did it or said it, there was no questioning it.'"
02:30Other members of the family dispute the brothers' claims, however.
02:33Kitty's older brother, Brian Anderson, told ABC News that the idea that his sister or
02:37brother-in-law would abuse either of their sons was, quote, "'absolute insanity.'"
02:42The Sun reports that for years after their convictions, the Menendez brothers were kept
02:46in separate prisons more than 500 miles apart.
02:50But in 2018, Lyle was transferred from Mule Creek State Prison to Richard J. Donovan Correctional
02:55Facility in San Diego, where Eric is also serving out his sentence.
02:59In April 2021, the brothers were featured in an episode of 2020, which piqued the interest
03:05of a new generation of true crime followers.
03:08Some have demanded mercy for the brothers.
03:10Petitions for California Governor Gavin Newsom to reconsider their case have been sent to
03:14Sacramento.
03:15The growing support for the brothers is rooted in the idea that they were retaliating against
03:20child abuse.
03:21In September 2024, Netflix released Monsters, a drama series about the family before and
03:27after the murders.
03:28The show rankled some in its depiction of Eric and Lyle as having an incestuous relationship.
03:34Eric spoke out about the show through his wife Tammy, whom he married in 1999.
03:38She posted his statement on her ex account, accusing the series' creator Ryan Murphy of
03:43making the show with bad intent.
03:45She said,
03:46"...Murphy shapes his horrible narrative through vile and appalling character portrayals of
03:50Lyle and me and disheartening slander."
03:52Murphy has defended himself and the show in multiple interviews.
03:56We show many, many, many, many perspectives.
03:59That's what the show does.
04:00If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the ChildHelp
04:05National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child 1-800-422-4453 or contact their live chat
04:14services.
04:15For more stories, visit nyseagrant.org.
04:16We hope you enjoy!