Aniya Grant

The Menendez Brothers killed their parents, and then lied only to admit what actually happened.

Welcome back to Two Bit True Crime. This is the first edition of the column for this school year, and unfortunately Roxy will not be here this year to write the “after.” Nonetheless, my name is Aniya Grant and I am excited to welcome you back to Two Bit True Crime.

I’m sure many of you have heard of the Menendez brothers as they famously murdered their parents after years of abuse. However, recently, a Netflix series called “Monsters” has made their next installment about the Menendez brothers and their story. It is set to premiere on September 19, and it will be considered the second season of this series. I’m sure many of you on campus have seen or heard of this series, especially because their first installment was about the infamous Jeffery Dahmer case, and are eagerly waiting for the next series. Therefore, before the series comes out, I wanted to go over the basics of this case as well as who the Menendez brothers really are and their story. 

Before: 

Joseph “Lyle” and Erik Menendez were brothers born in New York City to their parents Jose and Mary “Kitty” Menendez. Lyle was two years older, being born on January 10, 1968 and his brother, Erik, was born on November 27, 1970. Soon after, they moved to New Jersey in 1970, and then to Beverly Hills in 1986. In California, the family appeared normal as they were wealthy and privileged. Both brothers attended Beverly Hills High School, but Erik stood out of the two because he was a star athlete ranked 44th in the country. The only hardship they appeared to have was their father putting pressure on them to do well in school and sports.

However, something much deeper was going on within the family. From the ages of six to eight, Lyle was sexually abused by his father, Jose. He shared this information in the summer of 1976 with his cousin, Diane Vander Molen who ended up telling his mother, Kitty, who didn’t believe either of them and accused them of lying. Both boys allege that their father gave them “massages” from a young age. Erik later admitted to being abused for 12 years. While in California, the boys grew more rebellious under their father, and after graduating high school, Lyle moved back to New Jersey where he attended Princeton University. However, he was suspended the following year due to a plagiarism offense. Either way, both boys were fed up with their father and they soon snapped. 

After:

On August 20, 1989, Jose and Kitty were watching a movie in the den of the house when Lyle and Erik walked in and shot them both to death. Jose was shot with a shotgun six times, whereas Kitty was shot ten times. After being shot nine times, Kitty remained alive and tried to escape while Lyle reloaded his rifle. When Lyle came back, he found Kitty and delivered the shot to her face that killed her. After murdering their parents, the brothers initially thought that the police would respond to the gunshots. When they didn’t come, the boys prepared their alibi and drove to a movie theater, claiming they were watching a movie and came back to find their parents dead. Here, they bought tickets and disposed of their bloody clothing. Around midnight, Lyle came home, called 911, and reported that he found his parents dead when he got there. 

When the police got there, they initially thought that it was a mob hit due to the violence of the crime. Lyle and Erik told a long, elaborate story about the movies and made sure to cover that they were there for the entirety of the crime. With nothing else to suspect, the police let them go. 

In the following six months, the brothers spent nearly a million dollars, went on luxurious vacations and bought a restaurant, luxury cars, and watches. This led the police to draw their suspicions to the boys, mainly due to their spending and inheritance. 

In a therapy session, Erik confessed to the murders of his parents due to his guilt. When Lyle found out about this, he was furious. He went to the same therapist later on and due to his intense nature, the therapist feared for his life and confessed to his girlfriend about what the boys told him. She was the one who told the cops what the boys had done and Lyle was arrested on March 8, 1990 and Erik was arrested on March 11, 1990. 

The brothers were later convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole. When asked in court, they stated that the reason they killed their parents was because of their fathers sexual abuse towards them. For over 20 years, the brothers were held in separate prisons but they were reunited in 2018 and live in the same unit. Regarding the case, new evidence is still actively being found in attempts to reduce the brothers’ prison sentences. 

Thank you for reading! Make sure to check back for more true crime and if you are interested in this case, check out the series that will be out on Netflix soon.

– Aniya

Sources

Sager, Jessica. “Where Are the Menendez Brothers Now? A Look at Their Lives in Prison Over 30 Years After Parents’ Murder”. People, 3 April 2024, https://people/com/where-are-the-menendez-brothers-now-8623562. Accessed 13 September 2024

Willams, Tallie. “The Menendez Brothers: a Tragic Tale of Wealth, Abuse, and Murder”. The Lineup, 8 May 2023, https://the-line-up.com/menendez-brothers. Accessed 13 September 2024

“Lyle Menendez: Biography, Convicted Murderer, Menendez Brothers”. Biography, 20 August 2024, https://www.biography.com/crime/lyle-menendez. Accessed 13 September 2024