Menendez brothers' family

Menendez brothers’ family: You need to know everything

Many mysteries take place every day all over the world around us. Some mysteries stay in the minds of the people for years. One such horrible mystery that is talked about even today is the story of Menendez’s brother’s family. Menendez’s brothers were two young males who killed their rich parents during the late 1980s. This mystery came to be known by many people all over the United States of America and other countries as well.

This infamous story of two young men included many unusual facts. In this article, we will talk about the Menendez brothers’ family and the story of these men who killed their parents.

Summary of Menendez brothers’ family

The story of the Menendez brothers’ family appeared in many books and documentaries. Two young men killed their rich parents in their luxurious Beverly Hills mansion during the late 1980s. A jury stated that Lyle and Erik Menendez murdered their parents to get a huge amount of money worth $14 million. However, the lawyers stood by the young men and stated that they killed the parents in self-defense.

Brief details on the Menendez brothers’ family

Two young males namely Lyle and Erik Menendez had killed their wealthy parents to get their money. Let us have a look at the details of this family to discuss the case:

1. Lyle Menendez

Lyle Menendez was born in New York and was brought up in New Jersey before the full family shifted to California in 1986. After 1 year, Lyle started studying at Princeton University. However, the university was suspended for plagiarism.

Lyle and Erik were brothers and killed their parents Kitty and Jose several times from close range. Later, Lyle called 911 and alerted the police and said that someone killed his parents. After 8 months, the police arrested Lyle Menendez.

A test showed that Lyle was physically abused by his parents. A few days before the murder, Erik told Lyle that he was also physically abused by his parents. Lyle stated to the court that they might be killed due to revealing the secret of the family.

The case was a mistrial and Lyle refused to present evidence at the retrial. Lyle and Erik were given life imprisonment. Lyle Menendez married twice in jail and his current wife is Rebecca Sneed who works as a magazine editor.

2. Erik Menendez

Erik Menendez is the younger brother of Lyle. He also added that his parents used to abuse him physically all the time. He also wrote a letter for his cousin before murdering his parents. This letter was included as new evidence in the case by the law.

Apart from physical abuse, Erik also stated that his father used to pressure him to excel in various fields such as tennis and other sports. He created a script in which he wrote a script on the son who kills his rich parents to get a huge sum of money.

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Erik Menendez had a criminal record of committing burglaries with his elder brother. Erik was 18 years old when he killed his parents in the mansion. He was the first to confess to the crime in front of his therapist.

Erik marries in the year 1999 to Tammi Saccoman after 3 years of conviction. He violated certain rules during his imprisonment in California. Later, he spent time in religious activities and hospice care with ill inmates.

More details on the Menendez family

Patriarch Jose Menendez was an immigrant from Cuba who shifted to the United States after the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s. He met and married Mary Louise Andersen who was called Kitty. Jose earned an accounting degree at Queens College and worked in a company as an executive at Hertz and in RCA Records.

After the birth of Lyle and Erik, the Menendez family shifted from New York City to New Jersey and finally settled in Los Angeles. In LA, the family purchased an opulent home in Beverly Hills. Lyle and Erik told the court that their father began to abuse them physically when they were just 6 years old.

Diane Vander Molen was the older cousin of Lyle and Erik Menendez. He supported the two brothers when they were presented in the court. Vander Mole used to spend summer holidays with Menendez family members.

Murder incident of the Menendez family

On 20th August 1989, Lyle and Erik, 21 years old and 18 years old killed their parents. They used a 12-gauge shotgun at Beverly Hills Home by attacking them 12 times. Both Jose and Kitty were watching TV when Jose was killed at point-blank range and Kitty was killed when she was about to flee.

The murder happened due to a hot argument between parents and sons. Lyle and Erik described the whole incident to the court and stated how their parents used to abuse them mentally and physically.

After the murder, the brothers changed clothes and purchased movie tickets for Batman. After coming home from the movie, the brothers called 911 and said that they found the dead bodies of their parents. For the next few months, the brothers spent the money of their late parents. Lyle purchased many luxurious watches and Erik hired a tennis coach with a fee of $60,000 every year. They leased waterfront condominiums in Marina del Rey and spent around $1 million in half a year.

The murders haunted both the brothers and they confessed their crimes in the session. Their murder case caught the attention of the whole nation. It appeared on TV news, movies, books and podcasts.

Conclusion

Jose Menendez was a millionaire from Cuba who was killed by his sons. This case was one of the most infamous cases in the history of America. Although Jose and Katty had a large property and wealth, this couple used to pressure their children and abuse them. Both Lyle and Erik confessed their crimes. They are currently sent to separate facilities in San Diego and placed in prisons close to one another.