The Menendez brothers made headlines with the 2024 launch of the Netflix sequence Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. The 2 had been convicted of murdering their mother and father, José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, in 1989 when Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18 at their Beverly Hills residence. Shortly after committing the crime, the brothers spent about $700,000, based on Time Magazine, earlier than their arrest in 1990.
Throughout their courtroom trials, they claimed to have been abused by their mother and father all through their childhood, accusing their late father of sexual abuse. The brothers are at the moment incarcerated on the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in California.
Discover out when Lyle and Erik might get out of jail.
What Have been the Menendez Brothers’ Sentences?
Lyle and Erik had been sentenced to life in jail with out the potential of parole in 1996. Though they had been initially separated for many of their imprisonment, which led to restricted communication, they had been reunited in April 2018 on the identical facility in California.
Whereas behind bars, the Menendez brothers confronted many challenges when separated. Erik recalled a few of these traumatic experiences nearly 25 years later throughout TMZ’s “2 Angry Men“ podcast in February 2025.
“I used to be picked on, bullied violently, and it was traumatic and it was continuous. These are issues that plenty of inmates in jail undergo once they’re not a part of a gang construction and so they are available in and so they’re principally lone wolves, they only need to be by themselves,” he mentioned.
In Could 2023, the brothers’ attorneys filed a petition to overturn their convictions. In response to courtroom paperwork obtained by The Los Angeles Times, the submitting acknowledged, “The brand new proof not solely exhibits that Jose Menendez was very a lot a violent and brutal man who would sexually abuse youngsters, but it surely strongly means that — the truth is — he was nonetheless abusing Erik Menendez as late as 1988.”
The doc continued to state, “As a substitute, the crime was manslaughter, not homicide. The killings occurred in imperfect self-defense, after a lifetime of bodily and sexual abuse from their mother and father.” Regardless of the petition, the brothers stay imprisoned.
On October 24, 2024, former Los Angeles District Lawyer George Gascón introduced in a press conference that he really helpful resentencing for the Menendez brothers and that they be eligible for quick parole if the decide approves. He acknowledged, “There was no excuse for homicide … as a result of even when you get abused, the best path is to name police, search assist.” Each Lyle and Erik have been in jail for greater than three a long time. He added, “I consider they’ve paid their debt to society.”
Are the Menendez Brothers Getting Out of Jail?
Lyle and Erik had been scheduled to attend a courtroom listening to on December 11, 2024. Nevertheless, a decide pushed the date again throughout a November courtroom listening to partially to provide the brand new L.A. County District Lawyer Nathan Hochman extra time to evaluation the case, based on NBC News.
It’s unclear if the brothers will ever be launched from jail. They’re scheduled to return to courtroom on March 20, 2025, for a listening to to find out if they need to be resentenced. Nevertheless, DA Hochman introduced he requested the courtroom to reject Lyle and Erik’s request for a brand new trial.
“We regarded once more on the credibility of the letters, significantly this Andy Cano 1988 supposed letter weighed within the continuum of lies, and it calls into drastic query whether or not that is the truth is a 1988 letter written by Erik Menendez to Andy Cano about this sexual abuse,” Hochman mentioned.
On March 10, 2025, Hochman voiced his opposition to the brothers’ potential resentencing, alleging that they’ve been fabricating “lies” for many years.
How Have been the Menendez Brothers Caught?
Erik ended up confessing to his psychologist, Dr. Jerome Oziel, throughout a remedy session. Oziel’s mistress, Judalon Smyth, then reported this info to the police.
Lyle and Erik Menendez Life Replace
Though each Lyle and Erik stay behind bars, this hasn’t stopped them from pursuing relationships. Lyle has been married twice whereas in jail. He first married Anna Eriksson in 1996, however they divorced in 2001. Two years later, in 2003, he married Rebecca Sneed. Nevertheless, the 2 separated by late 2024, Rebecca publicly confirmed.
As for Erik, he met his wife, Tammi Saccoman, by letters whereas he was in jail. Their relationship blossomed, and so they have been married since 1999.
In the event you or anybody you understand has been sexually abused, name the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). A skilled employees member will present confidential, judgment-free assist in addition to native assets to help in therapeutic, recovering and extra.
In the event you or somebody you understand is combating substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
