Now, their story is being portrayed in the series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, the creators who previously found great success telling the story of Jeffrey Dahmer's crimes in the Netflix series Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
The brutal deaths of Jose and Kitty Menendez became one of the most notorious cases of the 1990s - shocking, horrifying, and heavily covered by the media. A family tragedy, vast wealth, the victims' ties to Hollywood and showbiz, and gripping courtroom testimonies during televised trials etched the crime deep into the public's memory.
The case was so complex that there were actually three trials. The first was televised, but when a unanimous verdict couldn’t be reached, a second trial began - this time without cameras and with much of the evidence excluded that could have shown the brothers were telling the truth about what happened in their home. They spoke about years of sexual abuse and violence by their father, and their mother’s neglect, as she drowned herself in alcohol and pills. They recounted how, when they tried to talk to relatives about what they were enduring, their parents always claimed the boys were lying. The brothers testified that the final confrontation with their parents made them fear for their lives because they believed their father would kill them rather than let the truth come out.
A Murder So Brutal, It Looked Like Mafia Work
Erik and Lyle Menendez first bought two shotguns, possibly using a stolen ID from a friend. They attacked on August 20, 1989, while 45-year-old Jose and 47-year-old Kitty were watching TV in their Beverly Hills home. The brothers fired 15 rounds, leaving the bodies unrecognizable. Jose was shot in the back of the head, with additional bullets hitting his arms and thighs. Kitty tried to flee but was hit by ten shots, four of which struck her head, and one nearly severed her arm. After collecting the shell casings, the brothers went to a movie theater to buy tickets for an alibi. Lyle called the police, crying, "Someone killed my parents".
When the police arrived, they found Erik curled up in a fetal position on the lawn, sobbing uncontrollably. The crime scene was so gruesome that officers initially suspected a mafia hit. Lyle was 21, and Erik was 18 at the time. The police didn’t even think to test their clothes and hands for gunpowder residue, instead investigating Jose’s business ties - including disputes with a former pornography producer whose company he had taken over.
It’s unclear when investigators would have realized the truth if Erik hadn’t confessed during a therapy session. His psychiatrist, Dr. Oziel, recorded the confessions of both brothers and shared them with his girlfriend, Judalon Smyth, to impress her. She then reported the confession to the police. There was a prolonged legal battle over whether these tapes could be used as evidence in court. In the end, two out of three tapes were allowed, including one in which the brothers admitted to the murders. One of them even said on the tape that they killed their mother to "end her suffering".
"I’d Be Shocked If They Killed Their Parents"
Father Brendan Scott, who conducted the funeral for Jose and Kitty, told The Los Angeles Times in 1990, "I would be shocked if the children who spoke about their parents so lovingly at the ceremony were capable of such violence." Lyle delivered a 30-minute speech to mourners, centered on his father’s favorite themes of success and the importance of being a good person.
In cases of patricide, there are recognizable patterns, and psychologists believe they see these patterns in the Menendez family
- said Dr. Lenore Walker, a psychiatrist from Denver.
Children who kill their parents often do so because the parents exert such overwhelming control over their lives that the children lose their own identities.
She added that in most cases, such murders involve physical abuse and are carefully premeditated, often occurring in middle- to upper-class families where it’s easier to hide domestic issues.
The Case Wasn't Over - New Evidence Has Emerged
Journalist Robert Rand, who covered the Menendez trial and produced a documentary series about the case, announced in September 2024 that he had uncovered new evidence supporting Erik and Lyle's claims of abuse by their father. "I found a letter Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin Andy Cano in November 1988, nine months before Jose and Kitty were killed," Rand told KTLA.
The Los Angeles Times obtained a scan of the handwritten letter, addressed to the now-deceased cousin.
I try to avoid dad. It keeps happening, Andy, but it's worse now. I can't explain it. He's so fat, I can't stand to look at him. I never know when it’s going to happen, and it's driving me crazy. I don’t sleep at night thinking he’ll come in. I have to get this out of my head
wrote the then-17-year-old Erik. He also mentioned that his father had forbidden him from telling anyone what was being done to him.
This is not the only evidence supporting the brothers’ claims. Former Menudo band member Roy Rossello has testified that when he was 13 or 14 years old, Jose Menendez, then a high-ranking executive at RCA Records, drugged and raped him. Rossello described how the band’s creator, Edgardo Diaz, coerced him into going to Menendez’s house in New Jersey, where he was given wine and assaulted.
The new evidence is now part of a petition filed by the brothers’ legal team, who argue it could be their last chance to overturn their 1996 conviction.
