Menendez Brothers Then & Now — Pics of Lyle & Erik
The Menendez Brothers’ 1993 trial was one of the most heavily watched cases on TV at the time. See pics of the convicted duo.
Erik Menendez and brother Lyle Menendez had bright futures ahead of them before they shot and killed their parents, Jose and Kitty, inside their Beverly Hills mansion on August 20, 1989. Initially the two were not suspected, as they convincingly played grieving sons.
The brothers went on to spend money wildly after their parents murders, blowing through nearly a million dollars on everything from cars and jewelry, to purchasing restaurants. Eventually, police found out that Erik had confessed his crime to his psychologist, Dr. Jerome Oziel. The brothers were subsequently arrested in 1990.
They were tried separately, but both of them claimed that they killed their parents after years of sexual and emotional abuse. The first trial ended up with the jury deadlocked. A second jury ended up convicting both Lyle and Erik after the judge limited testimony about their abuse claims and took the manslaughter option off the table. The brothers were convicted of first-degree murder, and of conspiracy to commit murder. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In 2024, former Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón revisited the Menendez brothers’ case following the renewed attention brought by the Ryan Murphy series and their documentary. Per the Los Angeles District Attorney Office, the 70-year-old stated, “I strongly support clemency for Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are currently serving sentences of life without possibility of parole. They have respectively served 34 years and have continued their educations and worked to create new programs to support the rehabilitation of fellow inmates.”
Gascón further emphasized that the brothers should be resentenced and granted the possibility of parole immediately. However, he was ousted from office in a reelection, leading to Nathan Hochman’s victory. Hochman has since stated that he would need to reexamine the case before making any decisions.
See photos of Erik and Lyle Menendez in the gallery below.