Wisconsin teen claims Menendez brothers inspired him to stab mother to death
Wisconsin teen claims Menendez brothers inspired him to stab mother to death
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Menendez brothers show renews interest in case
'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' premiered on Netflix, sparking new interest in one of the most high-profile murder cases in Los Angeles' history.
Fox - LA
A teenager accused of stabbing his mother to death in Wisconsin said his actions were inspired by the Menendez brothers, who were convicted of the 1989 murders of their parents at their Beverly Hills mansion.
The 15-year-old was charged Thursday with first-degree intentional homicide by the Racine County District Attorney's Office, Wisconsin court records show. Officers, who arrived at the Caledonia home around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, saw the teenager drop a knife before admitting to killing his mother, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Police took the teen into custody, but not before he asked the officers to kill him, the complaint says. While speaking with detectives, the teenager said he came home from school and felt depressed and an urge to murder his parents, the document continued.
Before the alleged murder, the teen said he was taking his brother's anxiety medication for about a month because they made him feel high, which he enjoyed, the complaint says. He then told detectives he took nine pills on Tuesday night.
The teenager is represented by an attorney in the Wisconsin State Public Defender's Office. USA TODAY contacted the state public defender's office on Friday but has not received a response.
Teen watched Netflix doc on Menendez brothers before alleged murder
According to the complaint, the teenager said he scoured the family's home for a hammer because he was going to kill his father once he arrived from work, but he abandoned that plan after not being able to find one large enough. So instead, he waited until after dinner when his mother was seated on the couch using her computer and he had begun watching a movie, the document says.
The teen began watching a Netflix documentary about Lyle and Erik Menendez. While watching, he developed a plan to kill his parent, inspired by a 'shotgun scene,' which graphically recreates the killing of José and Mary Louise 'Kitty' Menendez, according to court records.
The teen's mother, identified as SG in the complaint, went upstairs around 9:50 p.m, and when he hid his sleeping medication,. After hiding the medication, he took a steak knife and put it in his pocket before telling his mother that he could not find his medicine, the document continued.
More: Woman who stabbed classmate in 2014 won't be released: See timeline of the Slender Man case
Reed Gelinskey: 'She is dead from what I did'
The teenager told detectives he hid a dumbbell bar in the sleeve of his sweatshirt while his mother came downstairs to help look for the pills, the complaint says. Court records indicate that when she turned her back, the teen hit her twice in the head with the dumbbell.
When the teen's mother did not fall over, he said he threw her to the ground and grabbed the knife out of his pocket, the complaint reads. His mother tried to kick him off her multiple times, but he ultimately stabbed her three times in the chest and twice in the neck, the document continued.
The teenager recalled his mother asking him, 'Why?' He replied, 'Pain,' according to the complaint. Following the alleged murder, the teen said he reached out to his friend using Snapchat and told her to call the police, the document says.
He sat on the floor until he heard sirens, and once the sound stopped, he went outside to meet the police, the complaint reads.
'She is dead,' the teen said to officers, according to the complaint. 'She is dead from what I did.'
The teenager appeared in court on Thursday and was given a $1 million bail, court records show. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12.
Menendez brothers attempting to challenge murder convictions
In 2023, the Menendez brothers filed a habeas corpus petition asking the court to vacate their convictions or give them a retrial in light of new evidence.
Last month, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said he did not support Lyle and Erik Menendez's latest attempt to challenge their murder convictions. Hochman's reasoning for opposing the petition was due to the new evidence not meeting the narrow and rigorous standards required to vacate the brothers' convictions or conduct a retrial.
'The question about whether or not the Menendez brothers should be free will ultimately be a court question,' Hochman said. 'Our job is to give the court the information and make the arguments.'
Lyle and Erik Menendez were found guilty in 1996 of the killings of their parents and later sentenced to life imprisonment. The true-crime Netflix series 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' seemingly revived the case and led to many advocating for the brothers' release from prison, including their family.
'We have also completely forgiven them. We love them so much we miss them,' Anamaria Baralt, Lyle and Erik's cousin, told USA TODAY in January. 'There is not a family holiday that there is not just a hole in our hearts and a void in our family.'
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