Updated Sep 19, 2024, 04:52pm EDT
Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of murdering their parents in their Beverly Hills home in 1989, a crime that shocked the nation. The case is revisited in the upcoming second season of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s Netflix series, *Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story*. Here's an update on where the brothers are now and the new evidence that could lead to their release.
On August 20, 1989, Jose and Kitty Menendez were found brutally shot to death in their family room. The violent nature of the crime initially led investigators to suspect mob involvement. Lyle and Erik, then 21 and 18, claimed they had discovered their parents’ bodies upon arriving home.
In the months following the murders, the brothers attracted attention by lavishly spending their inheritance on luxury items like Rolex watches, real estate, and business ventures. A turning point in the investigation came when Judalon Smyth, the mistress of Erik's therapist, Dr. Jerome Oziel, tipped off police. She disclosed that Erik had confessed to the murders in therapy, and audiotapes of those sessions existed, providing key evidence that led to their conviction.
Now, new evidence has surfaced that could reopen the case, raising the possibility of the Menendez brothers being released from prison.
In March 1990, Lyle and Erik Menendez were arrested for the first-degree murder of their parents, igniting a highly publicized legal saga that spanned years. The case involved two juries, two trials, and one mistrial. The Menendez brothers' defense team argued that they acted in self-defense, claiming they had endured years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of both their mother and father. Both brothers took the stand, testifying about the alleged abuse in an effort to justify the killings. Despite the defense, the brothers were eventually convicted of the murders.
No comments: