After two decades apart, Erik and Lyle Menendez were reunited one year ago today

After two decades apart, Erik and Lyle Menendez were reunited one year ago today

The Menendez brothers were reunited a year ago today, after not having seen each other for almost 22 years.

The brothers were reunited at the R. J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego.

The last time they’d been together was in 1996, two months after they were sentenced to life without parole following their first-degree murder conviction.

The day of the sentencing, the Beverly Hills Police filed a motion asked the judge to place the brothers in separate prisons because they had been co-conspirators in committing a crime.

The judge agreed.

Jay Leno stages ‘comic’ fundraiser for the Menendez Brothers (video)

Jay Leno stages ‘comic’ fundraiser for the Menendez Brothers (video)

The public was outraged that the two 1994 juries – one for each brother – could not reach verdicts in the first Menendez trial. All the jurors agreed that a homicide had been committed. Most of the women voted for manslaughter, but almost all of the men wanted to convict Erik and Lyle of murder.

When I interviewed most of the jurors after the trial, men mostly told me some variation of “a father would never do that to his sons.”

The Menendez family money was gone after the first trial. Most of the family estate – estimated at $6-8,000,000 – went to the attorneys, defense investigators and taxes.

Defense attorney Leslie Abramson was appointed by the court at $125 an hour.

Jay Leno thought The Menendez Murders were just a big joke (video)

Jay Leno thought The Menendez Murders were just a big joke (video)

The mainstream media signed on to the District Attorney’s 1993 theory that Erik and Lyle Menendez were a pair of greedy rich kids, and that included NBC’s Jay Leno.

Leno’s monologues on The Tonight Show often featured at least one joke based on the Menendez testimony of the day.

When Erik admitted that he had a hard time getting dates, this was Jay’s gag:

Yesterday, Erik said his parents made fun of him because he never had a girlfriend. You know, I don’t know how to break it to him, but shooting your Mom and Dad isn’t really going to help your chances.

I’m spreading the truth about ‘The Menendez Murders’ on iHeart Radio

I’m spreading the truth about ‘The Menendez Murders’ on iHeart Radio

Thanks to the iHeartRadio stations, I was able to share the Menendez brothers’ story in Chicago, Philly, San Diego, Minneapolis, St. Louis and more.

I’m grateful to be spreading the truth – one station at a time.

Here’s my iHeart interview with La Dona Harvey and Ted Garcia of KOGO radio in San Diego, the local station near the prison where the Lyle and Erik are now incarcerated.