Why Did the Menendez Brothers Kill Their Parents? The True Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez

Lyle and Erik Menendez murdered their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, connected nan evening of Aug. 20, 1989, successful their Beverly Hills home.

Each equipped pinch a 12-gauge shotgun, Lyle, past 21, and Erik, past 18, changeable their dada and mom complete a twelve times. They fired astatine José astatine point-blank scope and kept shooting Kitty arsenic she was trying to flee.

The prosecution believed that nan siblings killed their parents to entree nan family's luck of much than $14 million. Still, Lyle and Erik person maintained that they murdered José and Kitty owed to ongoing mental, beingness and intersexual abuse.

"I’m not saying what I did was right aliases justifiable. I needed to spell to prison. But spot different kid successful my life and spot what happens," Erik told PEOPLE successful 2005. "I felt it was either my life aliases my parents’ life. ... Being arrested was specified a relief. My life was over, and I was glad. I didn’t want nan money."

The Menendez brothers, whose communicative was astatine nan halfway of nan 2024 Netflix bid Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, were each sentenced to life successful situation without parole successful 1996. However, successful May 2025, Lyle and Erik were resentenced to 50 years to life successful prison, which made them instantly eligible for parole.

Erik was denied release astatine his parole proceeding connected Aug. 21. Lyle's proceeding is scheduled for Aug. 22.

Here's everything to cognize astir nan existent communicative down José and Kitty Menendez's murders astatine nan hands of their sons, Lyle and Erik Menendez, including their motive and aftermath.

Who are nan Menendez brothers?

The children of Hollywood executive José and erstwhile pageant queen Kitty, Lyle and Erik were born into wealthiness and privilege.

After graduating from Beverly Hills High School successful 1987, Lyle attended Princeton University, wherever he played varsity tennis. He was reportedly suspended for plagiarism aft his first semester but returned successful early 1989 and dropped retired again later that year.

During his twelvemonth distant from Princeton, he asked his begetter for money for a travel to Europe pinch a girlfriend; erstwhile José refused, Lyle's woman paid his way.

Meanwhile, Erik was an aspiring tennis subordinate who had planned to be UCLA but rescinded his enrollment aft nan murders. In 1987, he wrote a screenplay successful which an 18-year-old murders his rich | parents for their money.

Lyle and Erik claimed that José sexually abused them arsenic children, which they cited arsenic their logic for murdering José and Kitty successful their Beverly Hills home.

How did nan Menendez brothers termination their parents?

Armed pinch 12-gauge shotguns, Lyle and Erik changeable their parents complete a twelve times successful their Beverly Hills location connected Aug. 20, 1989.

The brothers have maintained that they fought with José earlier nan slayings, pinch Lyle trying to protect Erik from their father's abuse.

After nan murders, Lyle called 911, saying betwixt sobs that he and Erik had travel location from watching a movie to find their parents dead. Lyle later attributed his sobs connected nan telephone to being "broken down pinch stress" and trauma.

In nan months aft nan killings, nan brothers some spent money lavishly: Lyle purchased a café, a Rolex watch and costly clothing, while Erik hired a full-time tennis coach to prosecute nan athletics professionally.

The weapons were ne'er recovered, but a friend of nan brothers recovered a ammunition casing successful Lyle's overgarment pocket. It wasn't until constabulary obtained recordings from Erik and Lyle's therapist, L. Jerome Oziel, that they had "crucial evidence" pointing to parricide.

Why did nan Menendez brothers termination their parents?

The prosecution's communicative is that Lyle and Erik murdered their parents for money, but nan brothers, having admitted to sidesplitting them, alleged that it was owed to ongoing physical, affectional and intersexual maltreatment from their parents.

Defense witnesses corroborated that nan brothers' upbringing was little than idyllic. Charles Wadlington, Lyle and Erik's puerility tennis coach of 5 years, alleged that José forced them to believe successful nan rain, acold weather, connected holidays and moreover erstwhile they were sick.

"He was conscionable a scary guy," Wadlington testified. "You could show he had immoderate benignant of clasp complete them."

The main attraction of nan defense and nan brothers' stated motive was nan intersexual abuse. Lyle testified that José began molesting him and showing him convulsive pornography erstwhile he was astir 6 years old. Lyle besides recalled that erstwhile he first told his mother, Kitty, astir nan abuse, she staunchly denied it.

"I told my mom to show Dad to time off maine alone, that he keeps rubbing me," Lyle said during nan trial, according to The New York Times. "She told maine to extremity it, that I was exaggerating and my dada had to punish maine erstwhile I did things wrong."

Lyle besides alleged that Kitty’s intelligence wellness had been "deteriorating" and that she later participated successful nan abuse, making him watch her undress and putting his look successful his sheets erstwhile he bedewed nan bed.

The brothers claimed that erstwhile Lyle was astir 8 years old, José stopped sexually abusing him and began sexually abusing 6-year-old Erik.

"I was my father’s prized son," Lyle told PEOPLE successful 2017. "At nan aforesaid clip I had been very brutalized by him and keeping his concealed was a portion of who I was. What I regret is not having our family someway get this concealed retired earlier and possibly it could person been resolved without this calamity and destruction."

In A&E’s 2017 docuseries The Menendez Murders: Erik Tells All, Erik recalled his ain experiences in harrowing detail. "He would person maine massage him, and he would person maine execute oral activity connected him," he said. "He would graphically picture to maine really he would termination maine if I ran away."

Erik told PEOPLE successful 2005 that his puerility was acold from nan able and spoiled life that nan prosecution suggested he and Lyle had. "Oh, group opportunity that I had everything, that I was rich | and lived successful Beverly Hills," he explained. "But if you had photos of nan events of my childhood, they would beryllium crime photos. I was dying agelong earlier nan night I killed my parents."

What happened to nan Menendez brothers aft their arrest?

Lyle was arrested successful March 1990, and Erik was arrested astatine nan airdrome 3 days later aft flying location from a tennis tourney successful Israel. The brothers were each charged pinch 2 counts of first-degree murder.

Their first trials, which were conducted separately and broadcast connected Court TV, ended successful 2 hung juries. In a 2nd trial, nan brothers were tried together, resulting successful their convictions, and they were some sentenced to life successful situation without nan anticipation of parole successful 1996.

Are nan Menendez brothers still successful prison?

Yes, Lyle and Erik are presently serving retired their sentences astatine nan Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility successful San Diego, according to public records.

In May 2025, nan brothers became eligible for parole aft a Los Angeles judge reduced their sentences from life successful situation without nan anticipation of parole to 50 years to life.

Erik went earlier a California parole board on Aug. 21, but they denied his release.

“While we respect nan decision, today’s result was, of course, disappointing and not what we hoped for," a spokesperson for nan Menendez brothers said successful a connection obtained by PEOPLE. "But our belief successful Erik remains unwavering. We will proceed to guidelines by him and clasp to nan dream he is capable to return location soon."

Lyle's parole committee proceeding will return spot connected Aug. 22.

Does nan Menendez brothers' family support them?

Most of nan Menendez brothers' family members judge that they were sexually abused and reportedly "rallied around" Lyle and Erik aft nan slayings. One adjacent family personnel told PEOPLE, "There are definite things successful life group do not make up."

Kitty's eldest sister, Joan Vander Molen, echoed nan sentiment, telling PEOPLE successful 2017, "Our family calamity should beryllium a instruction to each connected nan destructive effects of kid maltreatment and molestation, whether they are able aliases not."

Lyle and Erik’s relative Diane Vander Molen told ABC News that, successful 1976, Lyle confided successful her that José sexually abused him. She besides recalled telling Kitty, who reportedly said that Lyle was lying and separated him from Diane — and that was nan past Diane heard astir it.

Kitty's brother, Milton Andersen, however, said nan maltreatment allegations were "bull."