EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a guest post by Hazel Thornton, a juror in the first trial who voted for manslaughter, not murder. It’s been 30 years since I served as Juror #9 on Erik’s first jury. In that time I’ve
Lyle and Erik Menendez were arrested 32 years ago, but the Menendez Brothers’ online supporters made 2021 very memorable
Lyle Menendez was arrested 32 years ago this month — March 8, 1990. Erik Menendez surrendered to the Beverly Hills Police three days later — March 11 – after flying from London to Miami and then L.A. . The next
PLAYBOY JULY 1995: Menendez Confidential: True Crime
Lyle and Erik are headed back to court for their retrial. Here are all the odd facts, bizarre characters, and untold stories you need to appreciate round two including, of course, a cameo by OJ. himself.
PLAYBOY MARCH 1991: The Killing of Jose Menendez
On the night of August 20, 1989, the last night in the lives of Jose and Kitty Menendez, their elegant residential street in Beverly Hills was so still you could hear a leaf drop. That in itself was neither unusual nor something to arouse suspicion. People pay a steep price to live in such neighborhoods, and they cherish their peace and quiet.
The Menendez Brothers’ conviction was a miscarriage of justice
On March 20, 1996, 23 years ago today, a jury of eight men and four women returned with a verdict after deliberating less than four days:
Erik and Lyle Menendez were both found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
It was a miscarriage of justice.
The Menendez Brothers have been in jail for 29 years
On March 8, 1990, Lyle Menendez was arrested in Beverly Hills and charged with killing his parents.
Brother Erik Menendez surrendered several days later.
The Menendez brothers have been in jail for more than half their lives.
The Menendez Brothers make their first court appearance (video)
On Monday, March 12, 1990, Erik and Lyle Menendez – who were being held without bail – were arraigned at Beverly Hills Municipal Court.
The charges against the brothers were read to a packed courtroom that included many supportive family members.
Erik Menendez looked exhausted because he hadn’t slept since his voluntary surrender and return from Israel a day before.
It was the beginning of the end the lives the boys once knew.
Erik Menendez wrote a screenplay: Kid kills parents, inherits $157,000,000 (video)
Yes, Erik Menendez was the co-author of a screenplay about a young man who kills his parents and inherits $157,000,000. The script that was completed — and shopped around Hollywood — before the murders.
No, it was never included as evidence in either of the two trials.
Did the media firestorm influence the verdicts?
IN YOUR FACE: The Menendez Brothers were killers, not murderers!
On the Donnie and Grace In Your Face podcast, I explain why the second trial was so different from the first trial, what happened at the April 2018 reunion of the brothers after not seeing each other for 22 years, and why I believe that manslaughter – not murder – should have been the resolution of the case.
I was a guest on ‘Good Day L.A.’ (video)
I was a guest on GDLA – the local morning show on Fox 11 in Los Angeles – with co-hosts Megan Colarossi and Elex Michaelson where we discussed was how different the media is today with the Internet, the 24-hour news cycle and social media compared to 1993 when the first Menendez trial took place.
If the trial were held today, I believe the verdict would have been manslaughter – not a murder.
In the current era of #MeToo, #MenToo, and the report by the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office about abuse in the Catholic Church, people are more open and willing today to believe that boys as well as girls can be abuse victims.