Menendez Brothers: Why Did Lyle & Erik Kill Their Parents?

Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder and abuse. Reader discretion is advised.

After the massive success of DAHMER, Netflix announced the second season of the anthology series MONSTERS, with Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan returning as executive producers. The upcoming edition will primarily focus on Erik and Lyle Menendez, who murdered their parents in 1989. Reports indicate that the Menendez brothers killed their parents and told the dispatcher that an unknown assailant killed them. The series will also look at how the culprits went to trial and recalled the history of abuse they endured throughout their childhood.

According to CBS News, the crime took place on August 20, 1989, when someone shot Jose and Kitty Menendez inside their Beverly Hills residence. The outlet mentioned that Lyle Menendez called 911 to report that someone killed his parents. Subsequently, authorities arrived at the crime scene and questioned the Menendez brothers.

Per the investigators, Lyle and Erik Menendez revealed that they were out of the house when the killings took place. Moreover, they discovered the parents’ dead bodies when they arrived home. During the initial investigation, police believed that Jose might have been killed because of business. However, they soon started suspecting that the brothers might be responsible for their parents’ deaths.

CBS News reported that Erik and Lyle Menendez started behaving erratically after the parents’ death, spending money on expensive things. The duo even bought Rolex watches and invested in businesses. Almost six months after the slayings, investigators received a tip from Erik and Lyle’s therapist, who revealed that the brothers confessed to the murders. Moreover, the psychologist said that she had an audio recording of that confession. After police arrested the Menendez brothers, they went on trial, where the defense alleged that they killed their parents in self-defense.

Why did brothers Lyle & Erik Menendez kill their parents?

As mentioned above, the attorneys of Erik and Lyle Menendez claimed that they murdered their parents in self-defense. Moreover, the duo stated that they endured abuse at the hands of their father throughout their lives. During his testimony, Lyle Menendez revealed that his parents had sexually abused him. He claimed that his father began doing inappropriate things when he was just six.

According to CBS News, Lyle said in court, “He would, uh, fondle me and he would ask me to do the same with him. He’d rape me.” He also clarified that his father stopped abusing him when he turned eight, but he didn’t stop mistreating his brother. When Erik Menendez took the stand, he claimed that the abuse never stopped for him and continued till he turned 18. He recalled that he told Lyle about the abuse and thought he might get help from his brother.

Meanwhile, Lyle told the court that the moment they confronted their father about the abuse, the duo realized that their mother also knew about the abuse. Lyle threatened his parents and told them that they would tell everyone in the family about the abuse. However, the Menendez brothers believed that their father would kill them and decided to take the drastic step. They took the shotguns and shot their parents.

To corroborate their claims, several of their relatives took the stand and talked about certain conversations they had with Erik and Lyle. However, the prosecution noted that even if the brothers were abused, it didn’t give them the right to murder their parents. They also claimed that the Menendez brothers might be making up things to get a lighter punishment.

After listening to several testimonies, the jury deliberated for weeks but couldn’t reach a verdict. Correspondingly, the judge declared it a mistrial, reported CBS News. In October 1995, the second trial began, and the jury found them guilty of first-degree murder. As a result, the court gave them life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

The upcoming Netflix series will dive deeper into the case and reveal startling details. The series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story stars Javier Bardem and Chloe Sevigny as Jose and Kitty Menendez. On the other hand, Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch will be seen as Lyle and Erik Menendez, respectively. It will premiere on Netflix on Thursday, December 19, 2024.