On August 20, 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez were found guilty of shooting their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, several times at close range. At the time, their ages were 18 and 21.
A Netflix dramatization of their narrative – which has garnered charges of “dishonesty” from Erik Menendez – is presently number one in the streamer’s viewing list.
Next month, the same platform will release a documentary.
So what was the crime committed by the Menendez brothers, and why does it interest people so much?
In the family’s Beverly Hills, California residence on August 20, 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez shot their parents, Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, several times at close range.
The brothers were subsequently tried for their murders, even though at first they told the authorities that they found them dead when they returned home.
When both juries were unable to reach a verdict, the first attempt to try each brother separately in front of separate juries ended in a mistrial.
The brothers were sent through a second trial together.
