The Menendez Brothers: Everything You Need to Know
On March 8, 1990, days after Judalon dropped the tip, Beverly Hills police arrested Lyle outside the mansion where José and Kitty were murdered. Two days later, Erik surrendered at Los Angeles International Airport after traveling from Israel.
The California Supreme Court quickly ruled that two of the psychologist’s three tapes could be used as evidence in the trial.
The trial of the Menendez brothers began with opening statements in July 1993, in which the defense said Lyle and Erik killed their parents in self-defense. The brothers eventually took the stand and claimed they had been sexually abused by their father.
According to Lyle, the abuse started when he was just six years old but stopped after two years. Meanwhile, Erik testified that it never ended for him.
A judge declared that they would be tried again after the first trial, which lasted six months. At the time, the juries couldn’t agree on whether Lyle and Erik were guilty of murder or if they acted in self-defense.
The second trial began in October 1995, months before Lyle and Erik were convicted of two counts of first-degree murder on March 21, 1996.
A judge then sentenced the brothers to life in prison without parole in July 1996, with both receiving two consecutive life sentences.
