Menendez Brothers: Misjudged?, a special ID documentary, will explore the infamous 1990s court trial of Lyle and Erik Menendez, in which they confessed to killing their parents. This Sunday, August 7, 2022 at 9:00 p.m. ET, the exclusive program will air on Investigation Discovery and Discovery+.
“The spectacular trial of the Menendez brothers was shown live on court television thirty years ago and the whole country watched it. Now, thanks to TikTok and social media, a whole new generation is discovering their story for the first time. The 911 call, the crime scene footage and the Rolex were among the details of the murder that are etched into our collective memory.”
It also goes on:
“The popular story, which claims that two Beverly Hills boys killed their parents out of greed and then made up a fantastical story to get away with it, continues to make people across the country laugh. However, when Gen Z learns of the case three decades later, she witnesses the story of two boys who endured horrific abuse at the hands of their mother, father, and the media. Did we make a mistake?”
The one-of-a-kind documentary will explore the case from a brand new perspective, totally different from others currently available as it was one of the most well-known and prominent cases of the 1990s. According to the narration, Menendez Brothers: Misjudged? will likely revisit the situation, portraying Erik and Lyle as victims of abuse and re-examining the thrilling spectacle of a trial that has gripped the country for years.
Read on to learn more about the case and the reasons why the Menendez brothers acted the way they did in 1989 many years ago.
Why did Jose and Kitty Menendez’s children, the Menendez brothers, kill them?
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Menendez Brothers case gripped the news, largely due to the audacity with which Lyle and Erik Menendez murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty, in their home.
On August 20, 1989, the two brothers ambushed their parents at the family’s Beverly Hills estate while they were watching TV on the couch and fired 15 shots at them with the shotguns they had just purchased. Lyle (21) showed better marksmanship than Erik (18), who claimed to have shot first: he fatally shot Kitty in the face and also hit Jose in the back of the head.
The oldest brother was the one who very conveniently concocted a fib to 911 to alert them to the find they made after coming home from the movies. He called the police and shouted in a raging voice:
“Our parents were murdered!”
The Menendez brothers then used their family’s wealth to indulge in extravagant trips, parties, and shopping that their parents would not otherwise have permitted.
The Menendez brothers were reportedly abused for years
Erik and Lyle testified that both their parents severely abused them physically, emotionally and sexually during their 1993 joint trial that electrified the country before ending in a court case. There was plenty of physical evidence and family members to support their claims, but prosecutors insisted the murders were committed for financial reasons.
The Menendez brothers each had their own trial because the jury could not reach a verdict. During this trial, both were found guilty and in 1996 received two different life sentences.
Rob Rand wants the Menendez brothers to see justice
Erik, who is now 51, testified about the trauma they experienced which eventually led them to murder their birth mothers.
“I murdered my two closest friends. My father was the best. Do you know how much anger is too much after killing someone? I valued my parents. This is actually my prison. I am happy to die.”
He said, “To explain further,”
Lyle, 53, appeared to have spoken out about the crime he committed decades ago in a 2017 interview. He explained:
“Not a lot of tears or guilt could change the fact that I’m the kid who actually killed his parents. I agree with that. You know, it’s common for a few key moments in your life to define who you are, but that’s not who you are overall. Your life is everything you are.”
Menendez Brothers: Misjudged? will air on August 7, 2022 at 9 p.m. ET on ID. Watch to learn more about the scandalous 1990s Beverly Hills case.