One of the most famous cases ever to be reported on is that of Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were both charged with two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole due to them murdering both of their parents. However, if you look at the family history and the events leading up to the murder, the situation is not as plain and simple as it may first appear.

Joseph ‘Lyle’ Menendez (1968) and Erik Galen Menendez (1970) are the two sons of José and Mary Louise ‘Kitty’ Menendez. One night in 1989, the emergency services were called to the Menendez house and two bodies were recovered, those of José and Kitty. It took authorities over seven years of investigations to charge both men with two consecutive life sentences. When the bodies were discovered, it was determined that they had been shot by 15 rounds from two 12-gauge shotguns and was initially thought to be a mob attack, due to the wealth and status of the father.

José had a net worth of approximately $14,000,000 at the time of his death, which was inherited by both sons, and they immediately spent over $700,000 on expensive jewellery including watches. Both Erik and Lyle seemed to show no signs of sadness and instead carried on with their day-to-day lives, which caused immediate suspicion. The initial confession was made by Erik, who when receiving a counselling session accidentally agreed to murdering his parents. The doctor then further got a taped confession from Lyle, in which their motives differed. This was the main evidence used to prosecute the two men following their arrest in 1990.

During the trials, it was revealed by both brothers that they had endured years of sexual abuse at the hands of their father José - Lyle from the ages of 6 to 8, and Erik from ages 6 to 18. This allegation was followed by gruesomely detailed accounts of when this had happened, which shocked everyone involved. Their mother, Kitty, allegedly had struggled with alcohol and drug addictions, who had been described as “a husk of a woman […] the broken wife and useless mother.” Lyle even went on to say that he had confronted his father several days before the attack about his violent behaviour towards Erik, and José’s reaction was taken as a death threat. Ultimately, the brothers declared that they were acting in self-defence and needed an escape from their abuse household. (biography.com, 2023)

This case causes a controversial dispute on the grounds of motive. Both Erik and Lyle were responsible for the murder of their parents, yet you could argue that hurting someone emotionally is equally as bad, which is the case for what the parents did to them. Therefore, their claim of self-defence is valid. I believe that the years of abuse and trauma that they endured would have eaten away at both their self-esteem and their mental health, which more than likely have caused the violent thoughts and eventually led them to commit murder.

Ella Bushell

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