Lyle Menendez | Parents And Brother

One of the people found guilty of killing Jose and Kitty Menendez in 1989 is Lyle Menendez. Using shotguns, he and his brother Erik killed their parents. Lyle and his sibling were given life sentences without the possibility of release.

Menendez’s murder became widely publicized, and the case was heard for nearly six years before a decision was made. Despite his criminal past, Lyle went on to have a large media presence in TV shows, documentaries, movies, and interviews.

Throughout his incarceration, he was able to form relationships. Additionally, his brother took advantage of the same chance. The brothers are surprisingly still married even though they don’t have any direct access to their spouses. Discover everything about Lyle’s life, including his birth, early years, college years, murder, marriages in jail, and current location.

The son of an American mother and a Cuban father, Lyle Menendez

The birthdate of Joseph Lyle Menéndez is January 10, 1968. José Enrique Menéndez, Lyle’s father, was born in Havana, Cuba, in the 1940s.

Lyle Menendez attended Princeton University but was kicked out for stealing a lab report from another student.

On January 10, 1968, Lyle Menéndez (far left) was born. At the age of sixteen, José Enrique Menéndez, his father, left Cuba and immigrated to the US.

He immigrated to the US at the age of sixteen. It is said that he left the Caribbean country soon after the Cuban Revolution started. José met Mary Louise “Kitty” Andersen (1941–1989) at Southern Illinois University, where he was a student after his migration.

1963 saw them get married and relocate to New York City. José graduated from Queens College with a degree in accounting there. The first child of Jose and Marry is Lyle Menéndez.

Kitty left her position as a teacher after Lyle was born. After that, Jose relocated to New Jersey with the rest of the family. Erik, the couple’s second son, was welcomed there. Lyle and his family resided in Mercer County’s Hopewell Township in New Jersey. Princeton Day School was attended by both brothers.

When José, Lyle’s father, moved the family to Beverly Hills, California, in 1986, it was because of his work as a business executive.

It is said that he had a challenging upbringing.

Jose was reportedly a strict parent when it came to Lyle. Lyle’s father ruled and regulated what he ate, who he could hang out with, and what movies and books he could watch. He allegedly even attempted to influence his son’s thoughts. At the supper table, Jose would quiz him on current affairs and chastise him for his inadequate responses. It all began in elementary school.

Lyle reportedly experienced insomnia and started bedwetting at the age of 14 as a result of the pressure. His father gave him the directive to select a sport in high school that he could succeed in and didn’t require teamwork, so he chose tennis. Among the tennis team, Lyle had the highest ranking. However, his grades were merely mediocre.

Menendez Lyle Attended Princeton

After high school, he attended a nearby community college as he was unable to gain entrance to Princeton University.

After that, Lyle developed feelings for a girl and desired to start a restaurant. His first romance ended because of his parents’ interference and disapproval.

On his second attempt, he was accepted to Princeton, but the university suspended him for plagiarism soon after. According to the institution, Lyle plagiarized the psychology lab report of a different student.

Lyle eventually developed feelings for a model, but once more his parents stepped in.

How Their Parents Were Murdered by Erik and Lyle

José and Kitty were dozing off on a couch in their Beverly Hills home on August 20, 1989, in the evening. After a little while, Lyle, 21, and Erik, 18, entered the den with shotguns in hand.

Using a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, the Menendez brothers shot their father José in the back of the head. At that point, Kitty, their mother, arose off the couch. She fell aftrosee sons shot her in the leg. Then Lyle and Erik fired multiple shots in their mother’s arm, chest, and face. Her facarmsooked completely unrecognizable from the police reports.

What Occurred Following the Murder

It is said that after killing their parents, Lyle and his brother immediately left the site. Later that evening, they went back home. Then, shouting, “Someone killed my parents!” Lyle dialed 9-1-1. The boys told the Beverly Hills police department when they arrived that the killings had taken place while they were watching Batman in a theater.

They added that they had attended the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium’s yearly “Taste of L.A.” festival. In order to determine whether theToad recently used a firearm, the police did not request that they submit to gunshot residue tests. There was no conclusive evidence at the time to support their possible involvement.

What Made Erik Menendez and Lyle Menendez Suspects?

Lyle and his brother began to live an opulent lifestyle in the months following the killings. The older brother purchased a Porsche Carrera and a Rolex watch. In addition, he took over Chuck’s Spring Street Cafe, a Princeton, New Jersey restaurant serving Buffalo wings. Erik, on the other hand, took up tennis full-time and participated in aseveralIsraeli competitions.

Between the time of the murders and their arrests, Lyle Menendez and Erik are thought to have spent almost $700,000.

Following their parents’ murders, Lyle and Erik Menendez began living extravagant lives. Ref: AP

They had also moved into adjacent condos in Marina del Rey, which is close by, leaving the family mansion empty. In addition, the siblings went on lavish dining outings, traveled to the Caribbean and London, and chauffeured about Los Angeles in their late mother’s Mercedes-Benz SL convertible. It is estimated that Lyle and Erik spent approximately $700,000 in the time between the killings and their apprehension.

All of this finally seemed suspicious to the authorities, who soon began to see the brothers as suspects. Some people close to the Menendez family, meanwhile, denied the likelihood. They clarified that the boys’ opulent way of life existed while their parents were still living.

How the Truth Arose in the End

In the early stages of the inquiry, the police made an effort to focus their search on those who might have killed José and Kitty. They also looked into possible mob leads, but their investigation produced no conclusive results. The brothers were thought to be the most likely culprits as the inquiry went on, according to the detectives. They initially hypothesized that Jose’s riches were one of the reasons. The excessive spending of Erik and Lyle increased the doubt.

Craig Cignarelli, a tennis partner and close friend of Erik’s from high school, was coerced by the police to wear a wire when they were enjoying lunch at a nearby beachside restaurant. But when Craig questioned Erik if he killed his parents, Erik said, “No.” Lyle’s younger brother confessed to killing his parents to Erik’s psychologist, Jerome Oziel. Oziel then revealed the murders to his mistress, Judalon Smyth. Later, she ended her relationship with Oziel and informed the police of the brothers’ participation.

On March 8, 1990, the police took Lyle into custody; three days later, Erik surrendered himself. He was back in Los Angeles after his trip to Israel. The brothers were detained by the authorities in a different location without being granted bail.

What Occurred During Lyle Menendez and His Brother’s Trial

Judge James Albrecht decided in August 1990 that recordings of Erik and Oziel’s talks might be used as evidence. Oziel lodged a complaint alleging that Lyle had intimidated him and breached the doctor-patient privilege.

A grand jury in Los Angeles County accused Lyle and his brother of killing their parents in December of 1992.

Erik Menendez and Lyle Menendez during their parents’ murder trial. Ref: AP

By appealing Albrecht’s decision, Lyle and Erik’s team was able to postpone the proceedings for a whole year. In August of 1992, the California Supreme Court decided that the majority of these tapes could be used. Erik talked about the killings on the tape. Following the aforementioned ruling, a grand jury in Los Angeles County returned indictments in December of 1992. In the end, they accusthe brothers of killing their parents.

Erik and Lyle claimed their father had abused them sexually.

When Court TV aired the Menendez trial in 1993, the murder quickly gained national attention. Leslie Abramson, the defense attorney, stood up for Lyle and his brother Erik. The abuse they received from their parents, according to the offenders, was what motivated them to take such drastic steps. They said that since they were young, their father Jose had abused them.

Lyle and Erik, meanwhile, portrayed their mother Kitty as a self-centered, enabling, mentally unstable, drug and alcohol addict. They also mentioned how their mother occasionally used violence against them and supported her husband’s actions.

A few members of the Menendez family attested to the aforementioned allegations, with some of them testifying.

Leslie, the defense lawyer, also produced a few bare and suggestive photos of Lyle and Erik’s genitalia. Jose is said to have taken them when his sons were young. However the prosecution contended that the brothers killed people only to get money. Lester Kuriyama, Erik’s prosecutor, claimed that Lyle’s brother is gay and that the sexual abuse was consenting.

What Lyle and His Sibling Told About What Took Place That Night of the Killings

Lyle and Erik said that the recurrence of the sexual abuse resulted in multiple family arguments. A few weeks had passed before the murderous night. They further mentioned that their father had threatened to murder them if they disclosed the abuse.

The brothers claim that they discovered their parents were concealing guns in their bedrooms. They decided to purchase shotguns of their own as a kind of defense. They claimed that their father had closed the den door during their most recent argument, which they found strange.

Lyle and Erik reported feeling scared and anxious, believing their father was going to murder them. They then acknowledged that they had loaded their own weapons outside the house be killing their parents.

Conclusion Regarding The Menendez Brothers

Both juries were deadlocked when the trial concluded. Gil Garcetti, the district attorney for Los Angeles County, thus declared right away that the brothers would face a new trial. The media paid little attention to the second trial. Cameras were not permitted in the courtroom by Judge Stanley Weisberg. Weisberg also refrained from allowing a lot of defense testimony regarding the allegations of sexual assault during the second trial. Furthermore, he gave the jury the option to vote on murder charges rather than manslaughter charges.

In the end, two counts of first-degree murder and murderous conspiracy resulted in the conviction of both brothers. After that, they were sentenced to life in jail without the chance of release. The jury declared that it did not consider the abuse defense while making its decision. But, as Lyle and Erik had no prior violent crimes or criminal records when their parents were murdered, they chose not to execute Lyle and Erik.

The defense’s contention that the brothers killed their parents out of fear was rejected by the jury during the penalty phase. Rather, they thought that the reason they killed was to take over their father’s fortune.

Lyle Menendez and His Sibling Filed Multiple Appeal Forms

Afterward, Lyle and Erik submitted requests for a mistrial. They asserted that Abramson’s inadequate counsel and potential misconduct caused them to suffer permanent harm during the penalty phase.

Nevertheless, Weisberg condemned the brothers to life in prison without the chance of release on July 2, 1996. In addition, he sentenced them to consecutive terms for both the murders and the murder conspiracy offenses.

Lyle married Anna Eriksson on July 2, 1996, with approval from Judge Nancy Brown. Abramson, Lyle’s attorney, and his aunt Marta Menéndez were present. However, on April 1, 2001, the couple filed for divorce after Eriksson found out that Lyle was allegedly having an extramarital affair with Rebecca Sneed.

Lyle, the oldest son of Jose and Kitty, wed Sneed in a supermax prison ceremony in November 2003 while on a visitation to Mule Creek State Prison. Before becoming engaged, they had known one another for about ten years.

Additionally, Lyle maintained a relationship with Traci Baker, one of his previous girlfriends. She had also stood up and related an odd story about a dinner party she had attended at the Menendez residence. During an evening celebration, she implied that Lyle’s mother was attempting to poison the family.

Jamie Pisarcik, who was also one of his witnesses, was his second girlfriend.

Where Are Erik And Lyle Menendez These Days?

In 2018, Lyle was mandated by the court to relocate into the same apartment building as his brother Erik. For the first time since they started serving their sentences, the brothers were back together. Without causing any problems, the prisoners there can take part in education and rehabilitation activities.

Also, both guys were incarcerated at the R.J. when it was reported in January 2019. CBS News reports that the correctional facility is located in San Diego.

Apart from that, not much has happened in Lyle and Erik’s case.

Does He Feel Remorse?

When Megyn Kelly of Fox News questioned Lyle in September 2017 about whether he regretted killing his parents, he responded,

“I regret—well, I don’t think you know—I want to be the judge and jury of my mother’s and father’s actions in the past in any way.”

He acknowledged that he regrets it every day. However, Jose’s son stated he would never be able to forget what had happened.

Erik Menendez, his brother, what happened to him?

As previously indicated, Lyle and his brother share a unit. The sentences were the same for both of them. Erik also became close to a woman when he was still serving his time. Tammi Menendez (Tammi Ruth Saccoman) is her name. On June 12, 1999, they were married in a waiting area at Folsom State Prison. Despite not having kids, the couple is still married. However, Tammi has two daughters from past relationships.

Additional Information

Lyle had a toupee on for the trial.

And when Lyle was around eleven, he continued, his mother Kitty used to be topless quite a bit.

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