The Menendez brothers. Many have heard of them for their renowned crimes on August 20, 1989. Lyle and Erik Menendez were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison after taking the lives of their parents in their home in Beverly Hills, though many events led up to this incident.

Growing up, the Menendez family and their life seemed perfect, like something you would see out of a movie. Although, behind closed doors, there were years of sexual and physical abuse from the parents. The majority of this abuse came from their father, Jose Menendez, while their mother, Mary “Kitty” Menendez, was a bystander and did not stop this from happening. The brothers suffered years of trauma from this abuse and the boys grew fear of their own lives being taken by their parents.

When they decided to take their parents’ lives, they did it out of fear and for the safety of themselves, but the media and rest of the world saw it as an act of greed and wealth. After the murders, the boys tried to cover it up by saying the Mafia raided the home and killed their parents. This was believable at the time because no one expected a family so “perfect” to be killed on a random Sunday evening. This act played off well until one of the brothers, Erik Menendez, told his therapist everything that the brothers did. The therapist told his then girlfriend at the time everything that Erik had told him and eventually she told the police.

The trials of this case have twists and turns that no one would expect. Initially, the boys were never going to mention the abuse. That was until Erik’s lawyer, Leslie Abramson, made it a point during the trials. The jury deliberated for many days and eventually the boys were found guilty of two acts of first-degree murder. This case hasn’t been touched on for many years, but there has been new evidence related to the abuse that could potentially be life-changing for the boys. A new trial is planned to reopen in 60 days following the new evidence and possibly a new sentence.