The date is August 20th, 1989: Michael Keaton’s Batman movie is playing in theaters, Lyle and Erik Menendez are on their way home from seeing it. The atmosphere of Beverly Hills was quiet and tense. Lyle and Erik enter their home to find their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, lifeless–brutally shot to death. In a shattered state of mind, they dial 911 reporting the death of their parents. When the police arrived, they began their investigation of the crime scene. The police officers hadn’t thought to question the brothers at the time, but after a lengthy investigation, the brothers were convicted of murdering their parents.
After 35 years in prison, the Menendez brothers are the topic of conversation once again. Not only is there a new mini-series on Netflix called Monsters, which outlines their parent’s 1989 murders, but the brothers are also up for resentencing.
During their trial, Erik and Lyle Menendez revealed a history of physical, mental, and sexual abuse by their father Jose Menendez. They testified the abuse began when they were young children, with Lyle claiming he was molested from the age of six. Both brothers described specific acts of abuse that left them feeling deeply traumatized and fearful of their father. Family members also noted that the boys appeared anxious and frightened around Jose.
“I believe the mother didn’t say anything because they were the typical perfect family,” said Lesley Rodriguez, Marshfield High School student. “She didn’t want to lose all that even though she knew the dad was doing harm.”
Their case has always been like an unsolved mystery. All the evidence from their case still leads people to be confused about whether the brothers did it in self-defense or killed their parents to inherit money.
“Self-defense,” said MHS freshman Brett Butler. “I mean, they already had a good life with good money, they wouldn’t go that far for some cash.”
They had a $14 million inheritance after killing their parents and started spending money like they won the lottery. This made cops suspicious as to their motives.
After years in prison, the brothers are once more gracing tabloid covers, as the new generation becomes captivated by their chilling story. Many are waiting in suspense to see if the brothers will be released from prison early, while they still have lives to live.
“I don’t believe they should be resentenced,” said Rodriguez. “If they do, then I think it would lowkey be unjustified for them.”
Everyone has different opinions and there are so many questions that go unanswered, such as why the brothers didn’t move out if they were being abused. The question remains: should their parents’ murders be considered self-defense, or murder?
“I think they should be free,” said student Kayden Russell. “They shouldn’t have been put in jail that long due to how they were treated.”
The brothers have a hearing on December 11, 2024, and everyone must wait until then for the outcome.