What to know about the Menendez brothers’ lives and what lies ahead
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lyle and Erik Menendez were 21 and 18 when they killed their parents. Now, at 57 and 54, the brothers are eligible for parole after a Los Angeles judge Tuesday reduced their sentences from life in prison without parole to 50 years to life.
In August 1989, the brothers killed their father Jose Menendez and mother Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills home. While defense attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors said they killed their parents for a substantial inheritance.
The saga has captured the public’s attention over the decades, spawning documentaries and television specials, as the brothers have lived out their adult years in incarceration.
Here’s what to know about their lives and what lies ahead:
A wealthy upbringing
After moving from New Jersey, the family settled into a multi-million dollar Spanish-style mansion in the wealthy Beverly Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. Jose Menendez, was a powerful entertainment executive, and his wife, Kitty, a former beauty queen he met in college.
At the time, Lyle was attending Princeton University but struggling academically, and Erik was a young tennis star.
In the aftermath of the killings, the family discovered Jose Menendez’s 1981 will, which left everything to the two brothers. An opinion from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals details the spending spree that Erik and Lyle went on, thinking they were poised to inherit millions.
Lyle bought three Rolex watches, a Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, and a restaurant in Princeton, New Jersey, while Erik purchased a Jeep Wrangler and hired a full-time tennis coach, according to the court document.
The brothers addressed the lavish spending in a Netflix documentary, “The Menendez Brothers,” that came out last October.
“The idea that I was having a good time is absurd,” Erik said in a recorded phone call from prison. “Everything was to cover up this horrible pain of not wanting to be alive.”
The family said that in reality there was no inheritance — whatever assets Jose had were gobbled up by legal fees and taxes, and both of his properties were sold at a loss.
Reunited after decades apart
Lyle Menendez was transferred to the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County in 2018, reuniting him with Erik Menendez, who was brought there in 2013.
Before that Lyle spent decades housed at Mule Creek State Prison in northern California, while Erik was at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, California. They could only keep in touch through letters.
Anerae Brown, who spent time at both facilities as an inmate, described Pleasant Valley as a segregated and “hyperviolent environment” while testifying at the brothers’ resentencing hearing. There was one instance where Brown was attacked by five men with weapons.
Doing the things that Erik participated in, such as school and self-help classes, would put a target on one’s back, Brown said.
The brothers each got married in prison
Lyle Menendez first married Anna Erickson, a former model, in 1996 before he surrendered to prison. They divorced in 2001.
In 2008, he married attorney Rebecca Sneed. She announced on Facebook last November that the two had separated but “remain best friends and family.”
She continues to run his Facebook page, where she has posted updates on the brothers’ resentencing case.
Erik Menendez married Tammi Menendez in 1999 after corresponding with her as a pen pal for years. She has a daughter from her first marriage, and both were at court Tuesday for the brothers’ resentencing hearing.
Conjugal visits are prohibited for those sentenced to life without parole under California law.
Plans if released
If the brothers are released from prison, their cousin, Diane Hernandez, and several family members said they would welcome the brothers into their homes.
They also would immediately visit their aging aunts, Hernandez said.
Joan VanderMolen, Kitty Menendez’s sister, is now 93 and has been calling for Erik and Lyle’s release since last fall. Her health has deteriorated since then, Hernandez said.
Terry Baralt, Jose Menendez’s sister, has been battling cancer and was recently hospitalized after attending a hearing in April. Her cancer recently advanced to Stage 4, her daughter said in court.
Lyle Menendez said at his resentencing hearing Tuesday that he longs to reunite with his relatives.
“I look forward to be able to reunite with my extended family and continue the journey of healing that has sustained me through my incarceration,” he said.
The brothers have also indicated they would continue the work they started in prison that has supported fellow inmates to help others in society. Lyle said he hoped to advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and serve the incarcerated community.
Tamara Goodell, another cousin, said in court that Lyle was excited to expand the Green Space Project he had started at the Richard J. Donovan facility to other prisons. The project was inspired by the Norwegian approach to incarceration that believes humane prison environments leads to more successful reintegration into society.
Erik Menendez has said he would like to expand the Life Care and Hospice program he co-founded, which connects elderly and disabled inmates with younger inmates to serve as aids.
“At a certain point, something shifted in me,” Erik said. “I started living with purpose.”
By JAIMIE DING
Associated Press
