Inside the story of the notorious Menendez brothers case

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The Menendez Brothers’ Fight for Freedom

The Menendez Brothers’ Fight for Freedom 41:58

The mobility is not whether Lyle and Erik Menendez killed their parents. They admit that they did. Instead, nan attraction of nan lawsuit has agelong been connected why they did it. They opportunity they killed retired of fearfulness and successful self-defense aft a life of physical, affectional and intersexual maltreatment suffered astatine nan hands of their parents. Here's a look astatine nan case.

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

On nan evening of Sunday, Aug. 20, 1989, Jose and Kitty Menendez were changeable aggregate times astatine adjacent scope pinch a shotgun while successful nan family room of their Beverly Hills mansion.

911 call: "Someone killed my parents"

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

The Menendez crime segment

First responders astatine Menendez location

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

Who killed Jose and Kitty Menendez?

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

Lyle and Erik Menendez' behaviour draws scrutiny

In nan aftermath of nan crime, nan 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 nan brothers' behaviour successful nan aftermath of nan crime whitethorn person seemed unusual, it wasn't difficult evidence. But then, astir six months aft nan crime, successful March 1990, constabulary sewage a extremity from an improbable source: Judalon Smyth, nan woman of a scientist who Lyle and Erik Menendez had been talking to. She told constabulary that nan brothers had confessed to nan killings successful therapy and location 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 nan mansion wherever his parents were killed. Two days aft that, Erik Menendez surrendered astatine Los Angeles International Airport upon returning from Israel wherever he had been playing tennis.

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

Lyle and Erik Menendez during their first trial.

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

Lyle Menendez testifies astatine nan first proceedings

Lyle Menendez testifying astatine nan first trial.

The defense based on that nan 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 nan guidelines and described really they opportunity they were abused. Lyle Menendez testified that he was sexually abused by his mother and father. He said his begetter began sexually abusing him erstwhile he was only 6 years old.

Erik Menendez testifies astatine nan first proceedings

Erik Menendez testifying astatine nan first trial.

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

The Menendez crime segment

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

Menendez brothers' relative shows support

To bolster their claims of abuse, galore relatives, friends, and acquaintances of nan Menendez family testified for nan defense astir incidents of beingness 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, he did callback thing he says was odd. He told "48 Hours" that increasing up, Jose Menendez would return showers pinch Lyle and Erik and that Kitty Menendez wouldn't fto him spell adjacent nan room.

Former DA reviews nan lawsuit for "48 Hours"

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

"After they killed their parents, they went astir and picked up nan 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 nan brothers' declare of self-defense. They pointed to money arsenic nan motive and based on nan killings were premeditated since nan brothers purchased shotguns days successful advance. They said that moreover if nan brothers were abused, it didn't springiness them nan correct to kill.

The judge declares a mistrial

When deliberations began, they stretched connected for weeks earlier some juries wished they were divided complete whether nan brothers should beryllium convicted of execution aliases manslaughter. A mistrial was declared.

October 1995: The 2nd proceedings originates

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

Evidence: The crime segment

The authorities placed much of an accent connected nan brutality of nan 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 nan jury's recommendation, nan brothers were later sentenced to life successful situation without nan anticipation of parole.

2023: New grounds successful nan Menendez lawsuit

Almost 3 decades aft their convictions, Cliff Gardner, 1 of nan brothers' appellate attorneys, tells "48 Hours" that caller grounds has travel to ray proving that Lyle and Erik Menendez were telling nan truth astir being abused. In May 2023, Gardner revenge a habeas petition asking that nan 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 nan 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 first 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 nan killings. The missive reads, successful part, "I've been trying to debar dad. It's still happening Andy but it's worse for maine now… Every nighttime I enactment up reasoning he mightiness travel in." Gardner says this is impervious nan 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 he was sexually abused by Jose Menendez too.

Rossello says nan maltreatment took spot successful nan early 80's erstwhile he was a personnel of nan Puerto Rican boy set Menudo. Jose Menendez, apical row, 2nd from left, worked arsenic an executive astatine RCA Records astatine nan 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 nan claims made successful nan habeas petition. Ultimately, it will beryllium up to a judge to determine whether nan convictions should beryllium vacated. If they are, past it would beryllium up to nan D.A's agency arsenic to whether they would retry nan case. As Lyle Menendez awaits a judge's ruling, he said to "48 Hours" contributor Natalie Morales.

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

Menendez lawsuit nether reappraisal by DA's office

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

Prosecutors urge resentencing of nan Menendez brothers

On Oct. 24, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced he will ask nan tribunal for resentencing in nan lawsuit of Erik and Lyle Menendez, decades aft nan brothers were sentenced to life without parole for nan 1989 killings of their parents successful Beverly Hills. If nan judge accepts his recommendation, nan brothers would beryllium instantly eligible for parole, he said.

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