On August 20, 1989, at 11:47 PM, the Beverly Hills Police Department received a chilling, eerie phone call from two brothers. Lyle and Erik Menendez. Their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez lay dead in the den of their million dollar mansion.
The phone call consisted of Lyle violently sobbing into the phone, while the blood curdling screams of Erik could be heard in the back. Their parents, Jose and Mary, more known as Kitty Menendez, lay dead in their expensive and luxurious Beverly Hills House. It was what everyone called the “perfect crime.” It was hard to find any evidence on who could have even imagined committing such gruesome murders. Leaving two young boys, Erik who was 18, and Lyle who was 21, parentless and to fend for themselves.
When the police came to investigate, it was a lousy job. It was determined that Jose was shot 5 times from point-blank range in the back of his head. While Kitty was shot nine times, one shot through her face from an attempt to crawl away. A thought never crossed to check the brothers hand for gunpowder residue, nor checking Erik’s car for any shotgun shells. The room wasn’t filled with smoke like they claimed. In fact, there was a hole through one of the windows.
It had been filed that the parents had been dead for about 2 hours before the call, how could there be smoke if they got home 2 hours later? Something clearly wasn’t right. Their murderer(s) could have been easily determined the same night. Especially if two of Beverly Hills highest viewed people were lazily killed. Though the police were stumped. They were on the brink of pinning it all on the Mafia. It was highly rumored that Jose had been in connection with the Mafia. It would make sense wouldn’t it? Someone could only get so rich and highly powered by doing something so suspicious.
But Erik Menendez couldn’t live with the overbearing guilt. The guilt of him and Lyle killing their own parents. Erik and Lyle Menendez had both planned a premeditated murder to their own parents. After years, starting at the age of 6 and 8, the brothers were abused, assaulted, and put against their will for years.
Shaped into being the ”perfect family”, but it was all a facade, a mask. No one saw the true Jose and Kitty. How Jose used his own sons for his own entertainment. How Kitty had been so dependent on Jose, that she couldn’t think any better. The traumatizing years of endless assault. The brothers had finally reached their limit.
Not until about seven months later did someone get arrested for the murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez. As Lyle Menendez explained it,
“They could have just called me to the station. It was a staged arrest. It was for the media circus. They called the media to be ready.”
At this time, Erik was on his way back from an overseas trip. The moment he stepped foot off the plane, he was put in handcuffs and taken down to the LA police department. The case spread worldwide overnight. Family members had refused to believe this. They were the perfect family.
Was it for greed? After all, the brothers were expecting a 14 million dollar inheritance. Even so after the murders, Lyle had spent endless dollars and multiple Rolexes, and a 70,000 dollar porsche. Meanwhile Erik spent countless dollars on whatever he could get his hands on.
Lyle and Erik were both tried as adults, and ultimately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The two were held in separate jails, and have recently been transferred to the same one. Now, they both have a new hearing set for November 29, 2024. Do they have yet again another shot for freedom?