Imagine if you or one of your siblings decided to murder your parents for financial gain and went through with it. The Menendez brothers were faced with the fact that they could be tried and convicted for exactly that. With the false evidence the brothers created to plead self defense, the conviction was going to be a lot harder than expected. It took 2 trials to finally sentence them to life in different prisons without the possibility parole. Lyle and Erik Menendez were found guilty of murdering their parents for 14 million dollars of inheritance money.
On the night of August 20th, 1989, Jose and Kitty Menendez were bushwhacked in the family room at 10:00 PM by their two children. Mrs. Menendez was filling out an UCLA application for her son, Erik, as she and her husband munched on berries and cream. They were interrupted by Erik and Lyle barging in through the doors with two 12 gauge shotguns. They fired a total of 15 gunshots with two contact shots. After blowing off the back of their father’s skull, Kitty was terrified as Lyle Menendez callously reloaded. Then, he pressed the shotgun up against his mom’s cheek and pulled the trigger with a fatal shot. The brothers called the police to report that they had found their parents brutally murdered in the family room when they returned to the house from the movie theater. At first, police suspected that Mafia hitmen attacked the parents. After some intense investigation, investigators determined that there were flaws in their story and other factors were inconsistent with that theory. They felt that Mafia hitmen would have shot him once in the head and left his wife alive. Since Mafia hitmen would have never committed such a messy crime or picked up the shotgun shells. Their attention turned to the Menendez brothers. Now living in a 5 million dollar mansion with their new riches of 14 million dollars, they went on a $700,000 dollar spending spree to grieve from the loss of their parents. Evidence supported that the brothers were guilty of brutally murdering their parents. Evidence is a huge role in cracking even the most complicated cases. Without evidence, the Menendez brothers may not be incarcerated today. Although, most of the statements provided by Lyle and Erik Menendez were false, detectives found ways to lead to the conviction of the criminals. When questioned, the brothers stated they were at the movie theater when the slaughtering of their parents occurred. The police discovered that the brothers had lied about their whereabouts that night. They were not seen in the movie theater and did not have any record of a ticket. Also, The brothers went on a spending spree after the tragic death of their parents. Lyle purchased a porsche for $60,000, $40,000 dollars worth of clothes, a Rolex watch for $5,000, and a restaurant in Princeton, New Jersey. Erik attempted to pursue a career as a professional tennis player, so he hired a personal coach for 50,000 a year. No one could prove the Menendez brothers fully guilty until March of 1990. Judalon Smyth told police that the brother’s psychologist, Jerome Oziel, told her to listen in outside the door when he had a session scheduled with a Menendez brother. She informed police that Lyle and Erik Menendez confessed to killing their parents, and told them about Oziel taping his sessions with the Menendez brothers. Police investigators rushed to Oziel’s office to take possession of the tapes. After the Menendez brothers got away with the first trial, this evidence was enough to take the brothers to court the second time for a retrial. The Menendez brothers were taken to court twice before final prosecution at the second trial. Each day, the courtroom was filled with reporters, writers, and …show more content…
“There was no dispute that these two brothers, 18 and 21 at the time, savagely blasted their millionaire parents to death with a pair of shotguns on the night of August 20, 1989.” Evidence and testimonies in court played a huge role in convicting the brothers of their heinous crime. It took two trials to successfully put the brothers in prison. The Menendez brothers brutally murdered their parents with the motive of 14 millions dollars of inheritance
On the night of August 20th, 1989, Jose and Kitty Menendez were bushwhacked in the family room at 10:00 PM by their two children. Mrs. Menendez was filling out an UCLA application for her son, Erik, as she and her husband munched on berries and cream. They were interrupted by Erik and Lyle barging in through the doors with two 12 gauge shotguns. They fired a total of 15 gunshots with two contact shots. After blowing off the back of their father’s skull, Kitty was terrified as Lyle Menendez callously reloaded. Then, he pressed the shotgun up against his mom’s cheek and pulled the trigger with a fatal shot. The brothers called the police to report that they had found their parents brutally murdered in the family room when they returned to the house from the movie theater. At first, police suspected that Mafia hitmen attacked the parents. After some intense investigation, investigators determined that there were flaws in their story and other factors were inconsistent with that theory. They felt that Mafia hitmen would have shot him once in the head and left his wife alive. Since Mafia hitmen would have never committed such a messy crime or picked up the shotgun shells. Their attention turned to the Menendez brothers. Now living in a 5 million dollar mansion with their new riches of 14 million dollars, they went on a $700,000 dollar spending spree to grieve from the loss of their parents. Evidence supported that the brothers were guilty of brutally murdering their parents. Evidence is a huge role in cracking even the most complicated cases. Without evidence, the Menendez brothers may not be incarcerated today. Although, most of the statements provided by Lyle and Erik Menendez were false, detectives found ways to lead to the conviction of the criminals. When questioned, the brothers stated they were at the movie theater when the slaughtering of their parents occurred. The police discovered that the brothers had lied about their whereabouts that night. They were not seen in the movie theater and did not have any record of a ticket. Also, The brothers went on a spending spree after the tragic death of their parents. Lyle purchased a porsche for $60,000, $40,000 dollars worth of clothes, a Rolex watch for $5,000, and a restaurant in Princeton, New Jersey. Erik attempted to pursue a career as a professional tennis player, so he hired a personal coach for 50,000 a year. No one could prove the Menendez brothers fully guilty until March of 1990. Judalon Smyth told police that the brother’s psychologist, Jerome Oziel, told her to listen in outside the door when he had a session scheduled with a Menendez brother. She informed police that Lyle and Erik Menendez confessed to killing their parents, and told them about Oziel taping his sessions with the Menendez brothers. Police investigators rushed to Oziel’s office to take possession of the tapes. After the Menendez brothers got away with the first trial, this evidence was enough to take the brothers to court the second time for a retrial. The Menendez brothers were taken to court twice before final prosecution at the second trial. Each day, the courtroom was filled with reporters, writers, and …show more content…
“There was no dispute that these two brothers, 18 and 21 at the time, savagely blasted their millionaire parents to death with a pair of shotguns on the night of August 20, 1989.” Evidence and testimonies in court played a huge role in convicting the brothers of their heinous crime. It took two trials to successfully put the brothers in prison. The Menendez brothers brutally murdered their parents with the motive of 14 millions dollars of inheritance