The Menendez Brothers (Crime Documentary)

Joseph Lyle Menéndez (born January 10, 1968) and Erik Galen Menéndez (born November 27, 1970) are American brothers from Beverly Hills, California, who were convicted in a high-profile criminal trial in 1994 for the 1989 murder by shotgun of their wealthy parents, entertainment executive José and his wife Mary (""Kitty""). Though initially not regarded as suspects, the duo attracted the attention of authorities as they spent their deceased parents' fortune lavishly within weeks of the murders.

During the trial, the brothers claimed that the murders stemmed from years of sexual and psychological abuse that they had suffered at the hands of their parents. They were first tried by two different juries (one for each brother). Both juries deadlocked which led to a mistrial. For the second trial, Erik and Lyle were judged by the same jury, who rejected the defense's claim. The brothers were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

On August 20, 1989, Lyle, 21, and Erik, 18, killed their parents. The murders occurred that evening in the den of the family's home in Beverly Hills, at 722 North Elm Drive.

Neighbors later reported hearing loud bangs around 10 p.m but dismissed them, as they thought local kids were playing with firecrackers. José and Kitty Menéndez were spending a quiet night watching television on the couch when their sons, armed with shotguns, entered the den. José was shot point-blank in the back of the head with a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun. Kitty, awakened by the shots, got up from the couch and was shot in the leg as she ran towards the hallway. She slipped on her own blood and fell. While on the ground, she was shot several times in the arm, chest, and face, leaving her unrecognizable. Both José and Kitty were shot in the kneecap, in an attempt to make the murders appear related to organized crime. At 11:47 p.m., when the brothers returned home, Lyle telephoned 9-1-1 and cried, ""Somebody killed my parents!"" The brothers told the police they had been at the movie theater watching Batman at the time of the crime. Afterward, they said they went to the annual ""Taste of L.A."" festival at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Despite being considered suspects, the police did not order the brothers to undergo gunshot residue tests to learn whether they had recently used a firearm. A lack of evidence also prevented the police from looking into the brothers more thoroughly.

In the months after the murders, the brothers spent money lavishly, adding to investigators' suspicions that they were involved with their parents' deaths. Lyle bought an expensive Rolex watch, a Porsche Carrera, and Chuck's Spring Street Cafe, a Buffalo wing restaurant in Princeton, New Jersey. Erik hired a full-time tennis coach and competed in a series of pro tournaments in Israel. They left the North Elm Drive mansion unoccupied opting to live in adjoining condos in nearby Marina del Rey.