What to know about the Menendez brothers' lives and what lies ahead
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lyle and Erik Menendez were 21 and 18 when they killed their parents. Now, at 57 and 54, the brothers are eligible for parole after a Los Angeles judge Tuesday reduced their sentences from life in prison without parole to 50 years to life.
In August 1989, the brothers killed their father Jose Menendez and mother Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills home. While defense attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors said they killed their parents for a substantial inheritance.
The saga has captured the public's attention over the decades, spawning documentaries and television specials, as the brothers have lived out their adult years in incarceration.
Here's what to know about their lives and what lies ahead:
A wealthy upbringing
After moving from New Jersey, the family settled into a multi-million dollar Spanish-style mansion in the wealthy Beverly Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. Jose Menendez, was a powerful entertainment executive, and his wife, Kitty, a former beauty queen he met in college.
At the time, Lyle was attending Princeton University but struggling academically, and Erik was a young tennis star.
In the aftermath of the killings, the family discovered Jose Menendez's 1981 will, which left everything to the two brothers. An opinion from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals details the spending spree that Erik and Lyle went on, thinking they were poised to inherit millions.
Lyle bought three Rolex watches, a Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, and a restaurant in Princeton, New Jersey, while Erik purchased a Jeep Wrangler and hired a full-time tennis coach, according to the court document.
The brothers addressed the lavish spending in a Netflix documentary, 'The Menendez Brothers,' that came out last October.
'The idea that I was having a good time is absurd,' Erik said in a recorded phone call from prison. 'Everything was to cover up this horrible pain of not wanting to be alive.'
The family said that in reality there was no inheritance — whatever assets Jose had were gobbled up by legal fees and taxes, and both of his properties were sold at a loss.
Reunited after decades apart
Lyle Menendez was transferred to the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County in 2018, reuniting him with Erik Menendez, who was brought there in 2013.
Before that Lyle spent decades housed at Mule Creek State Prison in northern California, while Erik was at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, California. They could only keep in touch through letters.
Anerae Brown, who spent time at both facilities as an inmate, described Pleasant Valley as a segregated and 'hyperviolent environment' while testifying at the brothers' resentencing hearing. There was one instance where Brown was attacked by five men with weapons.
Doing the things that Erik participated in, such as school and self-help classes, would put a target on one's back, Brown said.
The brothers each got married in prison
Lyle Menendez first married Anna Erickson, a former model, in 1996 before he surrendered to prison. They divorced in 2001.
In 2008, he married attorney Rebecca Sneed. She announced on Facebook last November that the two had separated but 'remain best friends and family.'
She continues to run his Facebook page, where she has posted updates on the brothers' resentencing case.
Erik Menendez married Tammi Menendez in 1999 after corresponding with her as a pen pal for years. She has a daughter from her first marriage, and both were at court Tuesday for the brothers' resentencing hearing.
Conjugal visits are prohibited for those sentenced to life without parole under California law.
Plans if released
If the brothers are released from prison, their cousin, Diane Hernandez, and several family members said they would welcome the brothers into their homes.
They also would immediately visit their aging aunts, Hernandez said.
Joan VanderMolen, Kitty Menendez's sister, is now 93 and has been calling for Erik and Lyle's release since last fall. Her health has deteriorated since then, Hernandez said.
Terry Baralt, Jose Menendez's sister, has been battling cancer and was recently hospitalized after attending a hearing in April. Her cancer recently advanced to Stage 4, her daughter said in court.
Lyle Menendez said at his resentencing hearing Tuesday that he longs to reunite with his relatives.
'I look forward to be able to reunite with my extended family and continue the journey of healing that has sustained me through my incarceration,' he said.
The brothers have also indicated they would continue the work they started in prison that has supported fellow inmates to help others in society. Lyle said he hoped to advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and serve the incarcerated community.
Tamara Goodell, another cousin, said in court that Lyle was excited to expand the Green Space Project he had started at the Richard J. Donovan facility to other prisons. The project was inspired by the Norwegian approach to incarceration that believes humane prison environments leads to more successful reintegration into society.
Erik Menendez has said he would like to expand the Life Care and Hospice program he co-founded, which connects elderly and disabled inmates with younger inmates to serve as aids.
'At a certain point, something shifted in me,' Erik said. 'I started living with purpose.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Multiple immigration sweeps reported across L.A., with a tense standoff downtown
In a show of force in the heart of Los Angeles, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Friday carried out a series of immigration sweeps, including two downtown that sparked a tense standoff. Videos showed federal agents running after people in the parking lot of the Home Depot in Westlake, not far from downtown Los Angeles. A man recording the video can be heard warning people in Spanish that immigration officials were at the location and to stay away. Another raid occurred at a business in the Garment District near 9th and Towne streets, with agents in riot gear detaining workers at a clothing store as dozens of people began to gather outside. As workers were hauled off in cuffs, throngs of people yelled at the agents and held up cellphones to record them, according to videos of the showdown. One person threw eggs at one of the vehicles as agents pushed members of the public back, the videos showed. In the street, immigrant-rights advocates stood on a bed of a truck, using megaphones to speak to the workers inside the store, reminding them of their constitutional rights and instructing them not to sign anything or say anything to federal agents. They also told the agents that lawyers wanted access to the workers, and sometimes called out specific names. 'I want to talk to my clients Luis Lopez and Michel Garcia. We are here," one person could be heard saying. "The community is here with you. Your family is here with you." Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe, a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of ICE, said federal agents in downtown Los Angeles were executing search warrants related to the harboring of people illegally in the country. At least 44 people were arrested and one for obstructing No other details were provided. The raids are the latest in a string of high-profile immigration enforcement actions over the last week, part of President Trump's promised deportation crackdown. A few days ago, immigration agents raided a popular San Diego restaurant and made arrests, sparking a standoff with outraged residents. Agents also arrested Chinese and Taiwanese nationals at an underground nightclub in the Los Angeles area. Officials from the Service Employees International Union said in a statement that its California president, David Huerta, was detained and injured during a downtown raid "while exercising his First Amendment right to observe and document law enforcement activity." An SEIU spokesperson said Huerta was taken to LA County General Hospital for his injuries and later released into federal custody. In a post on X, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said federal agents were executing a lawful judicial warrant at a LA worksite "when David Huerta deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle." he wrote. "He was arrested for interfering with federal officers and will face arraignment in federal court on Monday." Friday's actions were met with criticism from L.A. leaders, who oppose the immigration crackdown. "These actions are escalating: agents arrive without warning and leave quickly, aware that our communities mobilize fast," Los Angeles Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez said in a statement. "I urge Angelenos to stay alert." Mayor Karen Bass said that such raids "sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city... We will not stand for this.' Among the names immigration advocates called out Friday during the downtown L.A. raid was that of Marco Garcia, 37. Outside, his daughter, 18-year-old Katia Garcia, peered into the store as federal agents swept through the location. "I'm in disbelief," she said. "I can't believe this is happening." Katia Garcia, a U.S. citizen, said she was notified about her father's situation by phone, left school and headed to the clothing store. She said her father is undocumented and has been in the U.S. for 20 years. "We never thought this would happen to us," she said. The crowd remained mostly peaceful, but photos and videos of the scene showed some unmarked vehicles used by ICE had been vandalized with graffiti. As agents whisked away workers in white SUVs, members of the crowd walked and ran alongside the vehicles, videos from the scene showed. At one point, a man backpedaling in front of a departing SUV was nearly run over when he tripped and fell in front of the vehicle. The SUV reversed and sped around him, the videos showed. Two miles away, near the intersection of 15th Street and Santa Fe Avenue, FBI agents were spotted at a warehouse associated with the raid at 9th and Towne streets. A crowd had gathered outside the gates of the business, where agents arrested Huerta. Ilse Escobar, a United Teachers Los Angeles political organizer, told The Times she saw a scuffle take place before seeing Huerta being thrown to the ground by a federal agent. "I told him, you just arrested a labor union president," Escobar said. The Los Angeles Fire Department said at least one person was transported to a local hospital from that location. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a written statement that his department was aware that ICE was conducting operations in the city. 'I'm aware that these actions cause anxiety for many Angelenos, so I want to make it clear: the LAPD is not involved in civil immigration enforcement," he said. "While the [department] will continue to have a visible presence in all our communities to ensure public safety, we will not assist or participate in any sort of mass deportations nor will the LAPD try to determine an individual's immigration status." McDonnell said since 1979, the department's policy has barred officers from initiating police action solely to determine a person's immigration status, and it will continue to focus on reducing crime and enhancing public safety. "I want everyone, including our immigrant community, to feel safe calling the police in their time of need and know that the LAPD will be there for you without regard to one's immigration status," he said. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has pushed ICE to start making at least 3,000 arrests a day, an effort that is reflected in the rising detention numbers by ICE, which have topped more than 50,000 for the first time since Trump's first presidency, according to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a nonprofit that tracks the federal government's enforcement activities. This week, CBS reported that ICE had recorded 2,000 arrests each day, a dramatic increase from the daily average of 660 arrests reported by the agency during Trump's first 100 days back at the White House. Ron Gochez, a member of Unión del Barrio, an independent political organization advocating for immigrant rights and social justice, said his group has been "flooded" with calls about immigration sweeps taking place. "There were ICE agents at a Home Depot in Cypress Park, there's ICE agents at Wilshire Boulevard and Union Avenue, a construction site in North Hollywood and in South L.A.," he said in a phone interview. "They're everywhere." Times staff writer Joseph Serna contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
‘Doomsday mom' Lori Vallow Daybell kicked out of court after arguing with judge during attempted murder trial
Convicted killer 'Doomsday mom' Lori Vallow Daybell clashed with an Arizona judge and was kicked out of the courtroom during a contentious attempted murder trial. Vallow Daybell, who is representing herself in the case, was removed from a Phoenix courtroom Friday afternoon by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Justin Beresky, the same day she cross-examined the man she is accused of plotting to kill. The 51-year-old mom is on trial for allegedly conspiring to kill her niece's ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux. Advertisement 6 Lori Vallow Daybell stands in an Idaho court as the jury reads a guilty verdict on May 12, 2023. AP Boudreaux claimed he was shot at from a Jeep as he was driving home in Gilbert, AZ. on Oct. 2, 2019. Prosecutors allege Vallow Daybell and her now-deceased brother Alex Cox conspired to kill Boudreaux and that Cox fired the shot that was inches away from hitting the estranged relative's head. Advertisement She had argued for an additional hearing where she could 'introduce her good character,' despite prosecutors bringing up her four murder convictions. 'Do we get a hearing on what 404b (character evidence) can come in,' Vallow Daybell said, according to courtroom footage by East Idaho News. 'If I opened the door, do I get a hearing do we stop the trial and I get a hearing?' Beresky cut off Vallow Daybell's inquiries, saying there could be a brief hearing if she wanted. 'If you are going to introduce how you have great character and good character we will have a short hearing on what evidence they can bring in to rebut that character which could include that you have been convicted of four murders,' Beresky interjected. Advertisement 6 Vallow Daybell is serving three life sentences for her role in killing her two children and Tammy Daybell in killing her two children and Tammy Daybell. Idaho Department of Corrections During Friday's contentious exchange, Vallow Daybell accused the judge of yelling at her 'You do not need to talk to me like that, I'm being very courteous to you,' she added. The fed-up judge called for court security to remove the child killer from the room. Advertisement 'Take her out, take her out,' Beresky ordered. 'You have been nothing near courteous to me during the course of these proceedings.' 6 A courtroom sketch of Brandon Boudreaux testifying during Lori Vallow Daybell's murder trial in Boise, Idaho on April 10, 2023. AP Vallow Daybell was escorted out of the courtroom as the trial took a 15-minute recess. Beresky threatened to remove the defendant's right to self-representation because of her courtroom antics. 'Ms. Daybell, if you continue to ask lines of questions where I've sustained an objection, into areas where I've sustained an objection, if you continue to speak over me or the prosecutor … I may be forced to revoke your pro se status,' Beresky said, according to Vallow Daybell and invoked her pro se status before the trial started. Vallow Daybell was found guilty in 2023 for the murders of her two youngest children Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16 in 2019. Advertisement Their bodies were discovered on a property owned by Chad Daybell, Vallow Daybell's fifth husband. The couple were the leaders of a 'doomsday cult' and were also found guilty of killing Daybell's ex-wife Tammy Daybell, who died of asphyxiation in October 2019. The trial began with jury selection on May 30, and the second day of selection was halted because Vallow Daybell claimed to be sick. She appeared in court on June 2 in a wheelchair and claimed she still felt nauseous and was crying loudly, according to East Idaho News. Advertisement 6 Vallow Daybell was found guilty in 2023 for the murders of her two youngest children Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16 in 2019. Madison County Jail 6 Chad Daybell sits at the defense table after he was convicted of murder at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho on May 30, 2024. AP Beresky found that Vallow Daybell was not suffering from any documented medical condition and proceeded with the trial. Vallow Daybell cross-examined Boudreaux during the hearing, where she asked about her character and how they got along. Boudreaux contested that they had argued and didn't always have a good relationship, according to Advertisement Vallow Daybell is serving three life sentences for her role in killing her two children and Tammy Daybell in killing her two children and Tammy Daybell. Chad Daybell was sentenced to death. 6 Lori Vallow Daybell's fourth husband, Charles Vallow. Handout Advertisement In April, Vallow Daybell was convicted of conspiring to kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, with the help of her brother Alex Cox. She will be sentenced in the Charles Vallow murder case after the Boudreaux trial ends.
Hamilton Spectator
5 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Utah judge rules a convicted killer with dementia is competent to be executed
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A convicted killer in Utah who developed dementia while on death row for 37 years is competent enough to be executed, a state judge ruled late Friday. Ralph Leroy Menzies, 67, was sentenced to die in 1988 for killing Utah mother of three Maurine Hunsaker. Despite his recent cognitive decline, Menzies 'consistently and rationally understands' what is happening and why he is facing execution, Judge Matthew Bates wrote in a court order. 'Menzies has not shown by a preponderance of the evidence that his understanding of his specific crime and punishment has fluctuated or declined in a way that offends the Eighth Amendment,' which prohibits cruel and unusual punishments, Bates said. Menzies had previously selected a firing squad as his method of execution. He would become only the sixth U.S. prisoner executed by firing squad since 1977. The Utah Attorney General's Office is expected to file a death warrant soon. Menzies' lawyers, who had argued his dementia was so severe that he could not understand why he was being put to death, said they plan to appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court. 'Ralph Menzies is a severely brain-damaged, wheelchair-bound, 67-year-old man with dementia and significant memory problems,' his attorney, Lindsey Layer, said in a statement. 'It is deeply troubling that Utah plans to remove Mr. Menzies from his wheelchair and oxygen tank to strap him into an execution chair and shoot him to death.' The U.S. Supreme Court has spared others prisoners with dementia from execution, including an Alabama man in 2019 who had killed a police officer. Over nearly four decades, attorneys for Menzies filed multiple appeals that delayed his death sentence, which had been scheduled at least twice before it was pushed back. Hunsaker, a 26-year-old married mother of three, was abducted by Menzies from the convenience store where she worked. She was later found strangled and her throat cut at a picnic area in the Wasatch Mountains of northern Utah. Menzies had Hunsaker's wallet and several other belongings when he was jailed on unrelated matters. He was convicted of first-degree murder and other crimes. Matt Hunsaker, who was 10 years old when his mother was killed, said Friday that the family was overwhelmed with emotion to know that justice would finally be served.
