The bizarre Menendez brothers' case was one of the biggest news stories to break in the early '90s. What followed was decades of tiny cells, prison fights, and a surprising new development in the case.
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00:00The bizarre Menendez brothers' case was one of the biggest news stories to break in
00:04the early 90s.
00:05What followed was decades of tiny cells, prison fights, and a surprising new development in
00:10the case.
00:11In August 1989, Lyle and Eric Menendez reported that their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez,
00:17had been killed.
00:23It wasn't until March 1990 that the brothers became suspects, after their psychologist's
00:27girlfriend told the police they'd confessed to the murder.
00:30After two lengthy trials in which both Lyle and Eric claimed they were sexually abused
00:35by their father, they were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life
00:39without parole.
00:40In a 2005 interview with People, Eric, who married Tammy Ruth Sackerman while in prison,
00:45gave a glimpse of his life behind bars, saying,
00:48"'The cell I live in is tiny, about six foot by four foot.
00:51Two people live in the cell.
00:53The cell is so small that only one person can be up off the bunks at a time.
00:57There is a commode and a sink.
00:59The one upside was that he had a window so he could look outside, but prison life was
01:03still rough."
01:05According to Eric,
01:06"'The thing you have to get used to in prison are the violent noises.
01:09It is very difficult to live with.'"
01:11He added that fights broke out regularly.
01:13At the time, it had been nine years since he'd seen Lyle, and it would be over 20 years
01:17before the Menendez brothers saw each other again.
01:20During that time, Lyle and Eric communicated through the mail.
01:24Meanwhile, both brothers spent their days doing good deeds in their respective prisons.
01:28Eric offered comfort to inmates with terminal illnesses, while Lyle helped those who'd experienced
01:33sexual trauma.
01:35In 2003, Lyle married his second wife, Rebecca Sneed, telling People,
01:39"'Our interaction tends to be very free of distractions and we probably have more intimate
01:44conversations than most married spouses do, who are distracted by life's events.'"
01:48Under California law, conjugal visits are not allowed for those sentenced to life without
01:53parole.
01:54After spending 22 years in different facilities, in 2018, Lyle was transferred to Eric's prison
02:00in San Diego, California, and the brothers reunited.
02:04Journalist Robert Rand told ABC News,
02:05"'They just hugged each other for a few minutes without saying any words to each other.
02:09Then the prison officials let them spend an hour together in a room.'"
02:13At the time, Eric was assigned to a different part of the prison, but a few months later,
02:17he was transferred to where Lyle was housed.
02:19Since then, the Menendez brothers have seen each other daily, sharing meals and enjoying
02:23the fresh air in the prison yard.
02:25Although Eric described the first period of prison life as rough, he and Lyle settled
02:29into their incarcerated life and have accomplished a lot over the years.
02:33In an interview with A&E, Rand shared,
02:35"'What's really important about Lyle and Eric in 2022 is that they are both contributing
02:40quite a bit to their prison community.
02:42Lyle is very involved in prison reform activism.
02:45Both brothers are working together on a large mural being painted on the gray concrete walls
02:49at the prison."
02:50Rand added,
02:51"'Eric leads several self-help groups every week at Donovan, including a mindful meditation
02:56group, and has started a hospice group at Donovan.'
02:58"'He helped me in a lot of ways, man, mentally, you know, helped me ground myself.'"
03:05Despite their contributions to life at the prison, former corrections officer Hector
03:08Bravo-Ferrell described the Menendez brothers as having a, quote, "'sense of entitlement,'
03:13according to the New York Post.
03:15However, according to fellow inmate Anna Rae X-Raided Brown, Lyle and Eric helped him a
03:20great deal by encouraging him to change his life while locked up.
03:24Brown told the Post,
03:25"'Lyle was the guy who started teaching me the value of utilizing my popularity to my
03:29advantage in a way where I can be influential for positive things.
03:33He was the first person to say, hey man, I think you should sign up for these classes.
03:37There's another way to do your time.'"
03:39Brown was released on parole in 2018 after serving 26 years in prison.
03:44And there may be freedom in the future for the Menendez brothers as well.
03:47New evidence has come to light that may prove the sexual assault allegations against their
03:51father.
03:52Their case is being re-examined and a hearing will take place on November 26th.