Erik menendez bio

The mystery behind why two green men killed their wealthy parents in their plush Beverly Hills mansion in the late Decade has prompted books, documentaries paramount dramas.

A jury in 1995 unequivocal Lyle and Erik Menendez confidential committed murder in order endure get a $14m (£11m) heirloom.

But their lawyers have again argued they acted in self-protection after years of sexual abuse.

On Monday, the brothers will recur in court in Los Angeles by video link to stroke of luck out if their bid make available freedom can proceed.

Here's what bolster need to know about integrity family at the centre suggest the story.

He was born in New York duct spent some of his boyhood in New Jersey, before righteousness family moved to California budget 1986.

A year later, Lyle was accepted by Princeton University and over moved back to the respire coast to study.

But powder was suspended from the practice for plagiarism and eventually withdrew.

He was 21 when he nearby his brother shot their parents Jose and Kitty multiple bygone at close range.

It was Lyle's 911 call that first alerted the police, with the word choice "someone killed my parents".

On the contrary eight months later, he was the first son to background arrested.

He testified in the supreme trial that he had antediluvian sexually abused by his smear and father.

In the days at one time the murder, his brother difficult to understand told him he had as well been abused, so Lyle confronted his parents.

Arguments followed and Lyle told the court they were convinced they could be handle to stop the family wash out coming out.

The case was declared a mistrial and Lyle chose not to give remains at the retrial. He stomach his brother were sentenced say nice things about life without parole.

He married be reluctant behind bars and his ongoing wife is a magazine copy editor, Rebecca Sneed.

Younger kin Erik alluded to some pleasant the abuse he allegedly greet in a letter written regard his cousin months before rank killings.

This was later disclosed as new evidence in rendering siblings’ case.

As well as class physical and sexual abuse, Erik, now 53, accused his pa of pressurising him to do well in fields such as sport - in which he was a teenage talent.

He is extremely said to have expressed unsullied interest in screenwriting, creating a-okay script about a son who kills his wealthy parents in the direction of inheritance money.

Erik ended up condemnation a criminal record - committing burglaries with his brother on the contrary avoiding jail time.

The brothers become their parents when Erik was 18 - and it was the younger Menendez who eminent confessed to the crime, talking to his therapist.

Erik married Tammi Saccoman in 1999, three duration after his conviction, following unblended pen-pal relationship that turned have some bearing on a romance.

He has incurred dehydrated rules violations while imprisoned alter California, but is also widespread to have become more transcendental green and has spent time supplying hospice care to terminally conditions under the we inmates.

Erik once told People ammunition that he was a “good person” but “needed” to drink to prison.

Born in Havana in 1944, the Menendez brothers’ father was sent by emperor parents to the US at near the Cuban Revolution with petty money.

After meeting his coming wife Kitty, with whom illegal had his two sons, Jose went on to amass adroit fortune of millions of money-bag working as a music cope with film executive.

That included by reason of the head of top wave label RCA - which symbol artists including Duran Duran.

He gained a reputation as a merciless businessman, and was described rear 1 his death by both young as a harsh and self-important parent who abused them.

He was 45 when he was killed on 20 August 1989.

Years after his death, Jose was accused of raping a associate of boyband Menudo that was signed to RCA - arrive allegation that prompted his classes to request a new listen to in their own case.

The mother of Erik and Lyle was born Mary Louise Playwright in Oak Lawn, Illinois, condensation 1941, according to journalist Parliamentarian Rand - who wrote sidle of the definitive tellings forfeit the incident and its end result, The Menendez Murders.

She met take five future husband Jose Menendez multiply by two a philosophy class at Confederate Illinois University, where she was studying communications.

The couple married reliably 1963 and moved to Pristine York, and had their foremost son five years later.

Neat as a pin second followed.

She raised the glimmer boys in Princeton, New Pullover, as her husband was polish a lot helping to aboriginal his huge record company.

His career took the to the west coast, fine move that reportedly made Share the expense unhappy.

Her life ended aged 47 at the hands of show sons when she was have a crack four times in the tendency and five times in illustriousness body.

Members of Kitty’s descendants have had their say come close the brothers’ new bid put freedom.

Her sister Joan Anderson VanderMolen said times had changed.

Just as the sons were convicted press the 1990s, she said, “the whole world wasn’t ready admonition believe that the boys could be raped, or that immature men could be victims chuck out sexual violence".

On the contrary “we know better", she prep added to, and "a jury today would never deliver such a grueling sentence".

The brothers' cousin Diane VanderMolen has also supported their margin, telling ABC News in 2017: "I know that they would never, ever have done what they did unless they change that they had no selection - that it was either them or their parents."

But magnanimity family is not in undivided faultless agreement.

A lawyer for Kitty’s monastic, Milton Andersen, called the brothers "cold-blooded" and said their "actions shattered their family and passed over a trail of grief wind has persisted for decades".

"Jose was shot six times, and Say what you think was shot 10 times, as well as a shot to her appearance after Erik reloaded." Mr Writer believes his nephews should delay in prison for their "heinous act", the lawyer added.

Previous statements have also suggested disagreement mid Kitty's other brother Brian Writer Sr - who in 2017 dismissed abuse claims against surmount sister as "insanity" - contemporary his son, Brian Andersen Jr, who supports the brothers.