10 Creepiest Lyle and Erik Menendez Interview Moments

10-Creepiest-Lyle-and-Erik-Menendez-Interview-Moments

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re breaking down the most chilling moments from the Menéndez brothers’ case — in their own words.

August 20th, 1989

“The Menéndez Murders: Erik Tells All” (2017)
As we’ll get into a little later, the Menéndez brothers have always said that José and Kitty Menéndez’s abuse was so bad, that it caused them to fear for their lives. To that end, Erik’s comments about the night of the murders themselves will put a chill down your spine. Erik asserts that, in the midst of building family tension, José pounded on his door — Erik feared that he would be killed. As the younger brother elaborates, Erik claims to have been sitting in bed with his gun in hand, waiting for his father to make a move. While, per Erik’s account, José eventually gave up, this incident foreshadows the horror that was to come.

Grief & Rolexes

“20/20” (1978-)
Speaking to Barbara Walters for ABC’s “20/20” after their stunning sentence had been handed down to them, Lyle and Erik answered some of the nagging questions that remained after their years-long ordeal in court. Walters’ characteristically blunt interviewing style left no stone unturned, nor did it let the Menéndez brothers off the hook. At one point, the veteran journalist drilled down on the brothers’ $700,000 spending spree — Walters demanded answers as to how two people could even feel like shopping for luxury items after having committed such a heinous crime. In response, Erik revealed that no amount of money could fill the hole they had created, and that it might’ve simply been a coping mechanism.

“Just a Normal Kid”

“20/20” (1978-)
In the same “20/20” interview, Walters asked the brothers about media speculation regarding the case, their upbringing, and even themselves. Lyle and Erik commented that this speculation did not affect the facts of the case, nor did it imply their guilt. In response to Erik’s claim that he’s a quote-unquote “normal kid,” Walters is bewildered, and reminds him that he is a convicted murderer, found guilty of having taken both of his parents’ lives. While Erik’s statement may seem absurd on the surface, his follow-up, in which he declares himself to be a normal person who has gone through abnormal experiences, places it in context. Appearances are, indeed, often deceiving.

Preparation for Prison

“ABC World News Tonight” (1948-)
Lyle’s 2017 press interview, his first in over 20 years since the in-person Walters interview, revealed a calmer, more mature Menéndez brother. While sticking firmly to his long-held positions regarding the case, Lyle expressed remorse and lamented the futility of the case, sharing that he and his brother’s decision to kill their parents could likely have been avoided with greater forethought. The elder brother’s most revealing quote from the interview, however, was a remark that illustrated the depths of José’s depravity; that is, Lyle’s childhood had essentially trained him to handle prison.

New Allegations Against José

“48 Hours” (1988-)
Throughout the Menéndez brothers’ trial, a massive obstacle that they ultimately failed to overcome was the lack of physical evidence of the alleged abuse they suffered. While those allegations were backed up by court testimony, as well as written and verbal accounts on Lyle and Erik’s part, they were still found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, in 2023, new evidence came to light that tentatively carried the potential of freeing the brothers: Roy Rossellò, a member of Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, claimed that José Menéndez had drugged and assaulted him as a minor. Lyle’s recollection of Menudo visiting the family home will surely creep you out.

Trading It All Away

“Dateline NBC” (1992-)
In a phone interview with “Dateline NBC’s” Keith Morrison, Lyle Menéndez put the abuse his father inflicted upon him in no uncertain terms. When asked by the investigative journalist if he was avoiding responsibility by blaming the aforementioned abuse, the elder Menéndez brother asserted that, in essence, a video of his father’s atrocious behavior would trump any legal defense and convince any juror. Pressed by Morrison as to why the brothers didn’t simply pack up and leave, Lyle countered by declaring that, no matter where they tried to run and hide, their father would catch them, and that the consequences would be dire.

Lyle’s “Devil’s Pact”

“Dateline NBC” (1992-)
Lyle commented on the events of the case with years’ worth of hindsight. Perhaps one of the interview’s most chilling moments was Lyle’s articulation of his feelings regarding José’s alleged abuse. Reflecting on keeping the abuse under wraps, Lyle described feelings that are unfortunately all-too-common for victims of such mistreatment. Most uncomfortably of all, Lyle stated that his mother felt that the boys had somehow come in between her and her husband. While, of course, the truth in the Menéndez case is likely unknowable, details like these provide uneasy insight into the minds of abusers.

On Taking Their Mother’s Life

“20/20” (1978-)
It’s inarguable that the Menéndez case has been endlessly debated, scrutinized, pored over, and analyzed. What is often easy to forget, however, is that there are real human players at its core — not just characters in a Netflix miniseries. As such, hearing about the actual abuse that the boys are alleged to have suffered will tend to remind you of that. When prompted by Walters to explain why they had decided to also kill their mother, Erik’s response is stomach-churning for a number of reasons. Chiefly among them, a clearly emotional Erik’s account of confessing the abuse to Kitty Menéndez goes terribly awry, with his mother revealing that she had always known… and that she blamed her sons for it.

Why They Did It

“20/20” (1978-)
Since their 1990 arrest, the Menéndez brothers have maintained that their decision to permanently “take care” of their parents was motivated not by greed or bitterness, but retribution for past abuse, as well as alleged threats on their lives. When prompted by Walters to comment on what had caused them to snap, Erik and Lyle shared that, in their view, they were afraid that their father José Menéndez would snap first. It goes without saying that, while the events as described by the brothers are horrifying and heartbreaking, it’s shiver-inducing to hear the reasoning, rationale, and level of insight that would lead to such an atrocity.

“Pain Training”

“The Menéndez Murders: Erik Tells All” (2017)
Regardless of personal beliefs, it seems safe to say that, as described by Lyle and Erik Menéndez, the abuse they claim to have endured was soul-crushing, mind-numbing, and everything in-between. For a disturbing, concrete example of this, look, once again, to Erik’s own words as part of A&E’s “Erik Tells All” docu-miniseries. The younger brother claims that José’s boys were forbidden from demonstrating any kind of emotion, and that he “trained” them to repress their pain and inner turmoil. As such, José allegedly forced Lyle to strike Erik’s “pressure points,” until he was in agony. As Erik describes, any resistance only led to harsher treatment.

If you or someone you know is struggling, please don’t hesitate to call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−SAFE (7233).