Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of abuse and murder. Reader discretion is advised.
The CBS 48 Hours’ episode “The Menendez Brothers’ Fight for Freedom” will examine the sensational case and the story of the two brothers, which turned into a media spectacle. The upcoming episode airs this Saturday, March 2, 2024, at 10 p.m. ET. A synopsis says, “The Menendez brothers were given life sentences for gunning down their own parents. Now they’re hoping new evidence could reopen the case.”
During Erik and Lyle Menendez’s trial, the defense first presented the abuse allegations against their deceased father. Their lawyers alleged that the brothers shot their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in self-defense on August 20, 1989. The Washington Post reported that the victims were found dead of multiple gunshot wounds in their Beverly Hills home.
The defense alleged that the Menendez Brothers committed the crime after suffering from years of sexual abuse at the hands of their father, Jose Menendez, enabled by their mother, Kitty. They stood in separate trials, but both ended with deadlocked juries. After a retrial, a third jury convicted the defendants of murder in 1996, per CNN.
Both Erik and Lyle Menendez are currently serving their respective life terms in prison without parole. Recently, Lyle discussed new evidence to corroborate their claims of abuse with CBS’ 48 Hours.
What are the recent developments in the Menendez Brothers case and abuse allegations?
According to People Magazine, Erik and Lyle Menendez’s defense rested on the claims that they shot their parents in self-defense. The incident occurred after the brothers had suffered years of sexual abuse at the hands of their father, Jose Menendez. The allegations suggest that their mother, Kitty, enabled the said abuse.
The allegations planted sufficient doubt in the jurors’ minds during their trials. However, the prosecution refused to believe the abuse claims, stating that they admitted to the killings in therapy but never mentioned the alleged abuse. A third jury eventually convicted them of murder, refusing to believe the abuse claims, in 1996.
The outlet reported that the Menendez Brothers have never denied committing the crime. Lyle told 48 Hours, “There’s just never been a case of guilt or innocence. It was always about why it happened.” He spoke about the reason why they did not mention those claims at the time: “Just shame. Just not wanting it to be public.”
In May 2023, their attorneys filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in Los Angeles Superior Court. They cited evidence that a Peacock docuseries, Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, unearthed. In the series that premiered last April, a former Latin boy band Menudo member Roy Rosselló alleged that Jose Menendez had drugged and raped him in the 1980s. Rosselló had called Jose, who was an executive at RCA Records, a “pedophile.”
CNN further reported that the Menendez Brothers’ attorneys filed the petition to get their convictions overturned. In the petition, their attorneys alleged that in December 1988, eight months before the murders, Erik Menendez sent a letter to his cousin, Andy Cano, sharing details of their father’s abuse. The letter said, “Its (sic) still happening Andy but its worse for me now. He’s so overweight that I can’t stand to see him.”
Erik wrote that he never knew when the said abuse was going to happen and that it was driving him crazy. He further wrote, “Every night I stay up thinking he might come in. I need to put it out of my mind. I know what you said before but I’m afraid. You just don’t know dad like I do. He’s crazy! He’s warned me a hundred times about telling anyone especially Lyle. Am I a serious whimpus? I don’t know I’ll make it through this.” He claimed that he could handle it and that he needed to “stop thinking about it.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, which is responsible for prosecuting the two trials, told CNN they are reviewing the petition. The statement said, “We have received the habeas petition in the Menendez matter and it’s currently under review.”
During the Menendez Brothers’ second trial, prosecutors said that the defendants were fabricating the abuse claims. The attorney Cliff Gardner, who filed the petition, believes that the new claims support the story, reported People Magazine. Gardner told 48 Hours they had evidence to prove the boys’ allegations against their father. He said, “It would’ve been manslaughter, and they would be out.”
CBS 48 Hours‘ episode “The Menendez Brothers’ Fight for Freedom” airs on March 2, 2024.
