Erik and Lyle Menendez captured national attention in 1989 and beyond after the siblings killed their parents, but the two gained new widespread interest thanks to a Netflix special.
In the months following the premiere of “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” relatives of the brothers came forward in support of a reduced sentence.
Following an initial mistrial, the Menendez brothers were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1996 without possibility of parole.
Freedom for the brothers is now possible with a resentencing plea eligible to be heard at a hearing set for Jan. 30.
FILE – An Oct. 31, 2016, photo provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows Erik Menendez, left, and a Feb. 22, 2018, photo provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows Lyle Menendez. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via AP, File)Jose and Kitty Menendez are murdered
August 1989: Jose and Kitty Menendez were shot dead with a shotgun in their Beverly Hills, California, home while watching television on Aug. 20, 1989.
Lyle and Erik Menedez were 21 and 18, respectively, at the time of their parents’ murders. Initially, Lyle Menedez called 911 and said someone had killed their parents and that the pair arrived home to find the bodies.
Menendez brothers’ arrests
March 1990: The Menendez brothers were arrested in 1990, with Lyle Menedez arrested on March 8, 1990. Erik Menedez was arrested three days later, on March 11, after returning to Los Angeles from Israel.
Their arrests followed Erik Menedez’s confession to his psychologist, Jerome Oziel, who then went on to tell his mistress, who informed the police.
Menendez brothers’ first murder trial
July 1993-Jan. 1994: Following recordings of Oziel and Erik Menedez’s conversations being made admissible by a judge, the brothers were tried separately in 1993.
The defense lawyers for the Menendez brothers argued they killed their parents out of fear for their safety after years of emotional and sexual abuse. Both testified their father threatened to kill them if they told others about the abuse they suffered.
On Jan. 28, 1994, the trial ended in a mistrial with two deadlocked juries. The pair were immediately retried.
FILE – Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez sit with defense attorney Leslie Abramson, right, in Beverly Hills Municipal Court during a hearing, Nov. 26, 1990. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)
Menendez brothers’ second trial
Oct. 1995-July 1996: The brothers were found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder on March 20, 1996.
Both Erik and Lyle Menendez were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole on July 2, 1996. They were sent to separate prisons in California.
Menendez brothers’ appeals
Feb. 1998-present: Three appeals have been denied since the pair were sentenced in 1996. Their convictions were upheld in a California appeals court in February 1998.
Three months later, the California Supreme Court reached the same verdict. A federal court also upheld their conviction Sept. 7, 2005.
On Feb. 22, 2018, the brothers were placed in the same prison after Lyle Menendez was transferred to RJ Donavan Correctional Facility in San Diego, reportedly bursting into tears upon seeing each other.
In May 2023, the Menendez brothers requested a new hearing after a former member of the boy band Menduo said Jose Menendez raped him at their family home in an affidavit.
Menendez brothers’ resentencing trial
Oct. 2024-present: Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said Oct. 3, 2024, that his office would be reviewing the case.
On Oct. 24, he announced that he was asking the court for a resentencing.
“We are going to recommend to the court that the life without the possibility of parole be removed, and they would be sentenced for murder,” Gascon said at the time.
Such a sentence would mean the Menendez brothers would be eligible for parole immediately. The trial was set for Dec. 11 but has been delayed until Jan. 30 or 31, 2025.
