10 Creepy Facts About Lyle and Erik Menendez

10 Creepy Facts About Lyle and Erik Menéndez

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at disturbing facts about the Menéndez brothers.

Murder & The Movies

On August 20, 1989, Lyle and Erik Menéndez murdered parents José and Kitty at their mansion in Beverly Hills. Although the brothers eventually confessed to this act of parricide, they initially tried to stage it as a mob hit. After disposing of the shotguns, they purchased movie tickets, headed home, and called the police. Lyle and Erik claimed they were at the Taste of L.A. film festival where they watched “Batman” since the line for “License to Kill” was too long. Both parents were shot multiple times with Kitty practically unrecognizable. The authorities had little trouble believing organized crime was responsible for this gruesome scene, but suspicions shifted to the sons as they spent roughly $700,000 on property, extravagant vacations, and other luxuries.

O.J. Simpson Connections

Four years prior to joining O. J. Simpsons’ “Dream Team,” Robert Shapiro played a small yet significant role in the Menéndez case. On March 8, 1990, Lyle was arrested while Erik was at a tennis tournament in Israel. Shapiro arranged Erik’s surrender upon returning to California three days later. Shapiro represented Erik at the brothers’ first arraignment before Leslie Abramson replaced him. The brothers previously met O. J. Simpson in the 70s around the same time their father helped arrange the football star’s Hertz car rental endorsement. After his arrest in 1994, Simpson was placed in a cell next to Erik’s. Believing he was guilty, Lyle suggested Simpson take the plea deal. Of course, Simpson was acquitted, which Erik felt hurt the brothers’ subsequent retrial.

Mark Jackson’s Basketball Card

Simpson isn’t the only former athlete with an unlikely link to the Menéndez brothers. While NBA point guard Mark Jackson’s connection is less direct, it’s still eerie to think about. On Jackson’s 1989-90 trading card, Lyle and Erik can be spotted watching the Knicks game from the front row. Despite the press surrounding the Menéndezs, this card didn’t gain national attention until decades later when crime novelist Stephen Zerance noticed that the brothers purchased courtside tickets during their spending spree. Zerance struggled to find photographic evidence until he stumbled upon Jackson’s card. He shared his discovery on social media and it wasn’t long until the image went viral. Internet sleuths deduced that the photo must’ve been taken after the murders but before the arrests.

The Brothers Committed Burglary Before the Murders

While the Menéndez brothers are notorious for a particular crime, this wasn’t their first run-in with the law. Lyle and Erik reportedly committed “hot prowls,” breaking into other peoples’ homes. For Lyle, this was a gateway to burglary with Erik following. Taking money and jewelry from homes in Calabasas and Hidden Hills, the brothers bagged over $100,000 in stolen goods. Among the property taken was a van, which they got pulled over in. Their father did damage control, apologizing to the households and writing checks for the stolen items. The brothers avoided any serious charges, but the Menéndez family moved away from their ransacked neighbors to a new home in Beverly Hills. What seemed like a fresh start was the beginning of the end.

Erik Menéndez’s Screenplay

Before the murders occurred, Erik Menéndez wrote a 66-page script entitled “Friends.” No, it wasn’t about six twenty-somethings living in New York. According to Craig Cignarelli, a high school classmate who wrote the screenplay with Erik, the story centered on a “sophisticated, good-looking” teenager named Hamilton Cromwell. In the opening scene, Cromwell murders his parents with the intent of inheriting their fortune. Although it wasn’t entered as evidence when the case went to trial, many recognized the parallels between the script and the murders. What remains debatable is whether the Menéndez brothers’ motivation coincided with Hamilton Cromwell’s. That’s how the prosecution saw it. In any case, the script never got produced, but the Menéndez case has inspired numerous Hollywood productions.

Confession to Psychologist

Growing increasingly suspicious of the brothers, the cops convinced Craig Cignarelli to wear a wire, but he couldn’t get a confession from Erik. Although Menéndez didn’t confide in his friend, he did open up to Jerome Oziel, his psychologist. Oziel didn’t alert the authorities, but he shared this revelation with his mistress, Judalon Smyth, believing anyone close to him might be in danger. After Smyth told the police, Oziel broke up with her. Meanwhile, the brothers were taken into custody, a confession tape emerging as a smoking gun. Oziel claimed he withheld this information out of fear for his life and his family’s wellbeing. In 1997, Oziel lost his psychology license, accused of breaking doctor-patient confidentiality and having relations with female patients.

Married Behind Bars

On July 2, 1996, the same day the brothers were sentenced to life in prison, Lyle tied the knot with Anna Eriksson, a salon receptionist and retired model who wrote to him during his incarceration. The marriage ended in 2001 after Eriksson learned that Lyle was having an affair with a pen pal. Two years later, Lyle married Rebecca Sneed, who he had known for nearly a decade. Erik got hitched as well, marrying Tammi Ruth Saccoman in 1999. Saccoman discussed their relationship in her book, “They Said We’d Never Make It.” Although conjugal visits aren’t allowed, the brothers remain married to their respective spouses to this day. While some might call this romantic, others can’t help but find it at least a little creepy.

The Alleged Motivation

The prosecution asserted that the brothers murdered their parents for the inheritance and life insurance money after their father threatened to cut them out of his will. According to Lyle and Erik, the murders weren’t motivated by money, testifying that their father had been abusing them in more ways than one since their youth. Their mother also allegedly participated. Fearing their lives were in danger, the brothers acted first. Some family members believe there was a history of abuse. Others say otherwise. Either way, proving self-defense was easier said than done. After a mistrial, the brothers were tried again, resulting in a guilty verdict and life sentences. The outcome divided the public. Decades later, people still debate their motivations and whether abuse justifies murder.

Another Potential Victim

New evidence has recently surfaced enforcing the allegation that the brothers suffered at the hands of their father. This includes a letter Erik wrote to his cousin Andy Cano in December 1988. Supposedly, Erik and Lyle weren’t the only ones who José Enrique Menéndez subjected to abuse. Roy Rosselló, a former member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, claims that he crossed paths with José Menéndez when he was working for RCA Records. After drinking a glass of wine at José Menéndez’s house, Rosselló says that he lost control of his body and was taken advantage of. This allegedly happened in the 80s, although Rosselló wouldn’t speak publicly about it until 2023. Rosselló’s accusations have further fueled the campaign to reopen the Menéndez case.

22 Years Apart

Although initially tried separately, Lyle and Erik Menéndez were tried together for their second trial. After their sentencing in July 1996, the brothers could still see one another across the prison yard. September 1996 would mark their last face-to-face interaction for more than two decades. The two were sent to separate maximum security prisons 500 miles away from each other. The brothers were allowed to communicate through letters and snail mail, but not over the phone. They wouldn’t see each other again until 2018 when Lyle was transferred to Erik’s housing unit. Sharing an emotional embrace, the brothers believed the impossible had finally happened. While Lyle called the moment “remarkable,” it also served as a chilling reminder of the time lost.

Do you have any other interesting facts about the Menéndez brothers? Share them in the comments.