10 "Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story" Side-By-Sides That Showcase The Actors Vs. The Real People

Following the murder of his parents, Lyle Menendez was the one who called 911, reportedly saying, "They shot and killed my parents."

Six months after José and Kitty Menendez were killed, Lyle was arrested for their murder at the family's home in Beverly Hills.

According to the LA Times , three days after Lyle's arrest, Erik flew home from a tennis tournament in Israel and "voluntarily surrendered" at LAX.

During their first trial, the brothers claimed that they killed their parents in self-defense after testifying that they were sexually abused by their father and their mother knew about it.

In April 1996, Lyle and Erik were sentenced to life in prison "with no hope of parole," per the LA Times.

José was an executive of Hertz Global Holdings and later RCA Records, which is when he moved his family from New Jersey to Beverly Hills.

Alongside Erik and Lyle, José was also accused of sexual assault by Roy Rosselló, a former member of the band Menudo. Rosselló, detailing his alleged assault in 2023, has allowed Erik and Lyle's lawyers to file a habeas petition asking that their convictions be vacated.

Kitty and José got married in 1963. During their first trial, Erik and Lyle claimed that Kitty knew of the alleged abuse the boys endured at the hands of their father.

Abramson was Erik's attorney. She took the lead in defending Erik alongside Jill Lansing, who defended Lyle during their first murder trial.

In a 1990 Vanity Fair article about the Menendez brothers' murder trials, Abramson was described as the "most brilliant Los Angeles defense lawyer for death-row cases."

Dunne was a journalist who notably covered the Menendez brothers' murder trial for Vanity Fair. He penned the notable piece titled "Nightmare on Elm Drive," where he detailed the murders.

Author Robert Rand, who wrote the book The Menendez Murders , recently called out Dunne for creating the "fantasy" that Erik and Lyle allegedly had an incestuous relationship.

Smyth was the girlfriend of Dr. L. Jerome Oziel. Prior to Erik and Lyle's arrests, she reportedly contacted the police and told them about the existence of recordings where the Menendez brothers "allegedly confessed to the murders of their parents," according to Vanity Fair .

Smyth even told the police that Lyle and Erik purchased the shotguns from a sporting goods store in San Diego.

She testified at their first trial.

Oziel was a therapist Erik and Lyle were seeing, and he was having an affair with Judalon Smyth, who told the police about the recordings where Erik and Lyle allegedly confessed to the murders.

On the tapes heard in court, Lyle was reportedly heard telling Oziel, "There was no way I was going to make a decision to kill my mother without Erik's consent. I didn't even want to influence him in that issue."

The trial also apparently revealed that Oziel did not, in fact, turn the tapes over to the authorities but instead tried to extort money from Lyle and Erik by saying they should keep paying him because it would "be good for their defense" if they were ever on trial.

Cano was the brothers' cousin, who reportedly testified that he knew about the alleged abuse they faced, namely Erik, who confided in Andy when he was 13 years old.

In 2023, new evidence was found reportedly corroborating Erik and Lyle's claims of abuse and killing their parents out of self-defense. A letter written by Erik to Cano in 1988 was found. Part of the letter reads, "I've been trying to avoid Dad. It's still happening, Andy, but it's worse for me now."

Zoeller was the Beverly Hills PD detective in charge of the Menendez investigation. He also testified at their trial.