Where are the Menéndez brothers now?

As a seasoned true-crime enthusiast who has delved into countless cases, I must say that the story of the Menendez brothers is one that continues to captivate my attention. Having followed their journey from the chilling murders to the recent developments, I am both intrigued and saddened by the complex web of abuse, deceit, and justice they find themselves in.

Note: This article discusses topics including physical abuse and sexual abuse.

After Dahmer, the next addition to the Netflix Monster series is the gripping tale titled, Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menéndez.

A hard-hitting true crime series unfolds the tale of the Menéndez brothers, now incarcerated for life without the prospect of parole, having been convicted of killing their parents, José and Kitty.

Over the years, public perception has shifted from seeing the brothers as cold-blooded killers looking for a shortcut to their millionaire inheritance to victims of child abuse who acted in self-defence.

The narrative follows the journey of these individuals, stemming from their troubled familial ties with their parents, leading to a trial and ultimately imprisonment. However, one might wonder about the current whereabouts of Lyle and Erik Menéndez.

Where are the Menéndez brothers now?

What happened to the Menéndez brothers?

In the year 1989, on August 20th, when they were 21 and 18 years old, brothers Lyle and Erik Menéndez murdered their parents at their luxurious home in Beverly Hills.

Six months down the line, on March 8, 1990, I found myself facing the cold grip of handcuffs, accused of a heinous crime – murder. That fateful day, my life took an unexpected turn.

At first, they stated that upon returning home from an evening out, which included watching Batman at the cinema and later stopping by the Taste of LA Festival, they found their parents’ bodies.

After the police started an investigation, Erik and Lyle carelessly squandered their parents’ wealth in the ensuing months. Lyle indulged in buying a café, upgrading his wardrobe, and other costly items, whereas Erik pursued his ambition of becoming a professional tennis player by hiring a full-time coach.

They bought adjoining houses in Marina del Rey and together, reportedly spent a sum of $700,000.

The expensive lifestyle of the siblings, which included taking luxurious vacations abroad, steered the attention of the police away from their initial suspicions about the mob, and towards the two brothers instead.

As an ardent follower of this intriguing case, I was left in awe when the police’s endeavor to apprehend the Menéndez brothers hit a snag. They enlisted Erik’s friend, Craig Cignarelli, to wear a wire and attempt to secure a confession. However, the twist came when Erik himself flatly denied any involvement in their murder.

Nevertheless, it was through the disclosure that Erik’s therapist, Jerome Oziel, made to his former lover, Judalon Smyth, that the brothers’ secret was exposed. After their relationship ended, Smyth became enraged – prompting her to inform the authorities about the murder.

Initially, Lyle was apprehended, while Erik surrendered himself to authorities three days afterwards upon his return to the U.S., after participating in a tennis tournament.

Where are the Menéndez brothers now?

Why did the Menéndez brothers kill their parents?

Erik and Lyle Menéndez have consistently claimed that the mistreatment by José and Kitty was what pushed them to commit the murders. In their 1993 trial, the brothers testified about enduring years of physical and sexual abuse, with Lyle providing detailed accounts in court.

Additionally, during the trial, Lyle stated that he had recently challenged José regarding the sexual misconduct he inflicted on Erik, and both siblings disclosed that their father had warned them he would take lethal action if they revealed the abuse to others.

These allegations were supported by two of their cousins, Diane Vander Molen and Andy Cano.

In a court hearing, Andy declared his support for Erik by sharing that Erik confided in him about the abuse incidents when they were still young. Similarly, Molén testified that she conversed with Kitty Menéndez regarding the sexual misconduct accusations, only to be told they were unfounded.

On the other hand, the prosecution team suggested that the brothers’ lavish expenditures after their parents’ demise were signs of a greed for financial gain rather than a defensive action. Contrarily, the defense lawyers posited that the brothers did not anticipate inheriting money from their parents.

In their initial trials in 1994, separate juries were assigned for Erik and Lyle, but neither jury could reach a decision, resulting in a mistrial. The following year, they were both tried by the same jury in 1995 and found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in March 1996.

Since they had no prior criminal records, the brothers managed to escape the death penalty. Instead, in July 1996, they were given two consecutive life sentences with no chance for parole.

Where are the Menéndez brothers now?

It is affirmed in Monsters that the Menendez brothers, Lyle and Erik, remain imprisoned currently. In the final episode of the Netflix crime drama, it’s noted that: “Lyle and Erik Menendez uphold their claim of abuse at the hands of their parents due to sexual misconduct. They are still serving life sentences without any chance of parole.

In April 2018, following more than two decades apart, the brothers found themselves together again. This happened when Erik got moved to a cell block at the Richard J Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, which was also where Lyle had been relocated just a few months prior.

The brothers are said to have broken down in tears upon meeting, with Lyle sharing on DailyMailTV that he whispered to Erik, “At last,” followed by, “It’s been 22 years. I wasn’t sure this would ever happen. It was simply a remarkable moment for me.

The brothers later got married. Erik married his long-term penpal Tammi Ruth Saccoman in 1999.

2003 saw me tying the knot with Rebecca Sneed, following my divorce from Anna Eriksson, who had been my partner for five years, which happened back in 2001.

Where are the Menéndez brothers now?

Will the Menéndez brothers be released from prison?

Lyle and Erik are seeking to have their previous verdicts reversed. In the year 2023, lawyers representing the brothers submitted a petition to the court, citing fresh evidence from Roy Rosselló. This new evidence suggests that José is also accused of having sexually abused him during the 1980s.

As a devoted admirer of Rosselló, I was captivated by his revelations in the 2023 docuseries titled “Menéndez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed”. He bravely spoke out about his harrowing past, accusing José, a former record executive, of having drugged and sexually assaulted him.

The documentary also revealed details of a letter written by Erik to his cousin Andy Cano, which described Erik being sexually abused by his father months before the killings. Cano had died in the early 2000s, but the letter was only recently rediscovered when his mother went through his belongings.

In their petition, not only was the letter but also Roselló’s testimony detailing two additional instances of sexual misconduct by José Menéndez were incorporated.

As a concerned gamer, I’m sharing this: The recent findings reveal that José Menéndez was indeed a man of extreme violence and brutality, who allegedly preyed upon children sexually. What’s chilling is that these discoveries seem to indicate that he continued his abusive acts against Erik Menéndez as late as December 1988 – a claim that eerily aligns with what the defense has been suggesting all along.

The petition also stated that: “the shootings were not murder but manslaughter, committed out of an honest though unreasonable belief in the need for self-defence after a lifetime of sexual and physical abuse”.

According to People magazine, while Erik and Lyle have gained backing from Kitty’s older sibling, Joan Vander Molen, Kitty’s brother, Milton Andersen, has refuted the accusations of abuse, referring to them as “nonsense.

Erik and Lyle Menéndez are trying to have their convictions overturned or granted a new trial with fresh evidence considered. Their request is currently being examined by the District Attorney’s office in Los Angeles County, and as reported by CBS News, it remains uncertain when a judge will make a decision on this case.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story is available to stream now on Netflix.

2024-09-19 20:19