The Murders of Kitty and Jose Menendez

The murders of Kitty and Jose Menendez occurred on August 20, 1989, in the den of the family's home located in Beverly Hills. The brothers entered the Menendez mansion and fired upon Jose and his wife Kitty with a shotgun, killing the couple as they dozed in front of the TV. The brothers then drove off, dumped their shotguns on Mulholland Drive and bought tickets at a local movie theater, seeing the movie Batman. This became their alibi. When the brothers returned home, Lyle called 911 and cried, "Somebody killed my parents!" Initially, the police did not consider the brothers as suspects. Instead they blamed the mafia. However, in the following months, the brothers led a life of luxury and lavish spending, which forced prosecutors to become slightly suspicious. Lyle bought an expensive Rolex watch, a Porsche Carrera, and opened a buffalo wings restaurant. Since the boys were part Cuban, it was Erik's dream to try to make Cuba a United States territory. Erik also hired a full time tennis coach and competed in a tournament in Israel. Prosecutors later alleged that the brothers spent about $1 million in their first six months as orphans. Though relatively suspicious, the police didn't actually suspect them until Erik confessed the murder to his psychiatrist, who then told the police. On December 20, 1992, the Menendez brothers were indicted by the Los Angeles County Grand Jury on charges that they murdered their parents. Though the brothers' defense alleged that the brothers were driven to murder by a lifetime of abuse from their parents, including sexual abuse from father Jose, both brothers were ultimately convicted of two counts of first degree murder, plus conspiracy to commit murder. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Presently, Lyle is being held in Mule Creek State Prison and Erik is in the Pleasant Valley State Prison. Each brother has married since entering prison, but neither is allowed conjugal visits.