A timeline of the Menendez brothers' murder case and the attempt to re-investigate it

CNN
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The question for prosecutors reexamining the murder convictions of Lyle and Erik Menendez is not whether they killed their parents, but how guilty they really are.

“There is no doubt that they committed the murder,” Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón told CNN's Jim Acosta on Saturday. “The question is, to what degree of culpability should they be held accountable given the totality of the circumstances?”

The re-examination of the case comes more than 35 years after the fatal shooting of Jose and Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills home, which led to high-profile prosecutions of their then-21 and 18-year-old sons Lyle and Erik. The brothers were ultimately convicted of the murders and have admitted to the crime, but argue they did it in self-defense after enduring years of abuse at the hands of their father.

The case has sparked new interest in the wake of a documentary and a Netflix drama, as well as growing understanding and compassion for victims of sexual abuse. Prosecutors said they would reconsider the life sentence without parole for the brothers.

Here's a look at the decades-long history of the case, from the first shooting to the most recent attempts to change the verdict.

The murders and trials

Erik Menendez (left) and his brother Lyle listen during a preliminary hearing on December 29, 1992.

August 1989: Jose Menendez, an executive at RCA Records, and his wife Kitty Menendez are killed by shotgun blasts in their Beverly Hills mansion. Lyle called 911 and said, “Someone killed my parents.”

March 1990: Lyle is arrested by the police and Erik turns himself in days later after they confess to their therapist. They are charged with first-degree murder.

July 1993: The Menendez brothers are tried in a Los Angeles courtroom, each with their own jury, in a trial televised by Court TV. Prosecutors argued that they killed their parents for financial reasons. The brothers' defense attorneys admitted they killed their parents but argued they acted in self-defense after years of emotional, psychological and sexual abuse at the hands of their father.

January 1994: Both jurors are deadlocked and cannot reach a verdict.

October 1995: A retrial of the brothers begins with a jury. This time, defense attorneys say, much of the defense evidence about sexual abuse is being excluded.

March 1996: The jury convicts both brothers of first-degree murder.

July 1996: The brothers are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

<p>Renewed public interest has led Los Angeles prosecutors to examine new evidence supporting the Menendez brothers' murder convictions.</p>
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May 2023: In the Peacock docuseries “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed,” a former member of the boy band Menudo said in a sworn statement that he was raped by Jose Menendez when he was about 14 years old.

The Menendez brothers' lawyers are filing a habeas petition asking the court to reconsider the conviction and sentence in light of new evidence from the Menudo band member and a letter Erik wrote about the abuse before the murders. The lawyers are asking the court to either overturn the brothers' conviction and sentence or allow discovery and an evidentiary hearing where they can present evidence, the document says.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office says it is reviewing the petition.

September 2024: Netflix is releasing crime drama “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” a nine-part series about the murders co-created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan.

“(The show) is really more interested in talking about how monsters are created rather than how they're born,” Murphy said during a panel discussion at an early screening of the series' first episode, according to Netflix. “We try not to judge it too much because we're trying to understand why they did something, not what they did.”

In a statement shared by his wife on social media, Erik Menendez criticizes the show's “horrible and blatant lies” and says the show brings the truth back to “a time when prosecutors built a narrative on the belief that men “were not sexually abused.” , and that men experienced rape trauma differently than women,” he writes.

“These terrible lies have been refuted and exposed over the past two decades by countless courageous victims who have broken through their personal shame and courageously spoken out. “Now Murphy shapes his terrible narrative through vile and appalling character portrayals of Lyle and me and disheartening slanders,” he writes.

October 5, 2024: Gascón, the Los Angeles district attorney, told CNN's Jim Acosta that he was “increasingly concerned that it was critical that we review the new evidence” presented by the defense.

He noted that times have changed in the way the public and the courts deal with victims of sexual abuse.

“There is no doubt that our sensitivity to sexual assault is much more significant today,” he said. “It is clearly proven that both men and women, or boys and girls, can be sexually abused. I think 35 years ago the cultural norms were a little different. … There is no question that a jury today would probably look at this case very differently than a jury would look at it 35 years ago.”

He also notes that the shows and films about the case had an impact.

“If it wasn’t for the documentary, honestly, we probably wouldn’t be talking to each other at this point,” he said. “Maybe we’ll talk about it later, but this has certainly increased public awareness and that’s why we’re publicly announcing where we stand.”

A hearing on the Menendez brothers' petition is scheduled for Nov. 29.

The murders and trials

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