10 Disturbing Details Surrounding The Menendez Brothers

6 /10 Battered Child Defense

During the first trial, the defense attorneys presented the claims that the Menendez brothers were victims of abusive and incendiary parenting.

There were also accusations of molestations on the father’s part, starting when Erik was six and Lyle was seven. A story of how the father had belt-whipped and punched his sons came to the surface as well.

There was corroboration, in part, by family members who testified under oath. Lyle even accused his mother of incestuous molestations. None of those accusations were substantiated.

5 /10 Criminal Beginnings

It was also from the trial that the public learned about the Menendez brothers’ previous run-in with the law.

Both had previously faced criminal charges for burglary and theft before the murder case. They broke into neighbors’ and friends’ homes and stole an estimated $100,000.

Erik took the blame and sentenced to probation. While Jose was furious at his sons, he paid off the victims and bailed his youngest son.

Following the incident, Jose reportedly threatened to change his will and cut a reasonable amount from his children’s inheritance.

4 /10 At Ease During Trial

For most of their appearances in court, Erik and Lyle did not show any remorse for their parents’ death. The LA Times described them as appearing to be at ease in a series of evidentiary hearings; they smiled at girlfriends and relatives.

Inevitably more evidence started to pile up against the brothers. It was also revealed that they got the idea of killing their parents from a made-for-TV 1987 movie Billionaire Boys Club.

3 /10 Media Sensation

Thanks to CourtTV (now TruTV), the trial became a media sensation, at least the first one. Cameras were in the courtroom, and dramatizations were found in just about every part of the broadcast.

The public took much interest in the case, including the “battered child” defense, which may contribute to a hung-jury, thereby necessitating a retrial.

Unlike the first one, the second trial gained far less attention as the American public had moved on to another high profile case of O.J. Simpson in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

2 /10 Second, More Serious Trial

The courtroom in the second trial had a much more serious atmosphere. If previously Lyle and Erik had separate juries, the case was now heard by just one jury.

Another striking difference was the absence of cameras. More importantly, the abuse excuse didn’t play out as well as the defense had expected.

The jury brought a guilty verdict. They spared the Menendez brothers capital punishment and instead sentenced them to life imprisonment without parole. It was a mercy compared to what they had done to their parents.

1 /10 Incarceration

The California Department of Corrections initially sent the brothers to different prisons. They were also segregated from other prisoners for their maximum-security status.

In February 2018, Lyle was moved from Mule Creek State Prison to Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, where Erik was incarcerated.

While housed in the same facility, they remained in separate units until April that year, when Lyle was again moved to the same housing unit as his brother.

That would be the first time the brothers reunited since their incarceration more than 20 years earlier.