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Lyle and Erik Menendez.
Two brothers sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder with a story that continues to perplex minds across the globe as a new generation grabs hold of a conviction set in 1996.
The Menendez brothers, then 21 and 18, were featured in one of the first televised murder trials in the U.S. for slaying their parents, José and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. The cops did not initially suspect Erik and Lyle, but all was revealed after Erik, struggling to keep their secret amid travels and spending large sums of the family's money, told his therapist everything a few months later.
The brothers were taken into custody in March 1990 and have since resided in prison with little opportunity to speak out, until now.
Netflix released a documentary on Monday (October 7) titled "The Menendez Brothers," (upon the case going viral on social media nearly 30 years after its ruling) where Lyle, now 56, and Erik, 53, speak about what really happened that fateful night, diving into their fears and motivations from behind the bars of San Diego's Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility.
Their story has been told and retold, scrutinized and made humorous by the public for the last three decades, and now, Gen Z believe it's time to reopen the case. Despite both brothers being extremely reluctant to reveal the abusive secrets that plagued their past, Lyle was first to open up about the double homicide.
"Two kids don’t commit this crime for money—they’re already going to get the money. They don’t commit this crime for any reason other than something very, very wrong was happening in the family."
At the time of the trial, the public assumed the brothers just wanted their parent's money, but, according to new evidence in the case (per People) it was much more than that.
Aside from their personal confessions, a few witnesses confirmed information the brothers unveiled of their father's sexually abusive nature (and their mother turning a blind eye to the entire situation), including a cousin who received a letter from Erik in 1988 detailing trauma he'd endured for years.
Documentary director Alejandro Hartmann personally spoke to the brothers (who reunited in 2018) a handful of times between 2022 and 2023, sharing in the film that Lyle and Erik do not think their actions were right, but do think the verdict might have been different if they were tried in 2024.
"They’ve had a lot of time to think about what happened that night, and both of them think what they did was not right. But they always say, especially Lyle, that if the case were tried again today, maybe it would be different for them."
Information regarding the possibility of a Menendez brothers retrial has yet to be confirmed as Lyle and Erik hold onto support from a new generation.
For more information on the case check out The Menedez Brothers on Netflix.
If you or anyone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused call 1-800-656-4673 or visit rainn.org for help.