From the crime to now: A full timeline of the Menendez brothers’ case

There were three years between the brothers being arrested and actually going on trial

2 months ago

The full timeline of what happened with Lyle and Erik Menendez is full of twists and turns. The brothers, who were found guilty of killing their parents, waited years to go on trial, before having one mistrial ahead of their sentencing.

The whole case has taken years to cover, and still to this day, there are questions as to whether it really should be considered case closed. The Netflix show, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, covers the story in depth – across nine, hour long episodes. But still, it’s impossible to really get the scale of what was years and years of the brothers’ lives.

So, here’s a timeline – starting with the crime taking place and ending with the current day – of how the Lyle and Erik Menendez case unfolded.

August 20th 1989: José and Kitty Menendez were killed

via Netflix

Lyle and Erik killed their parents, José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home on August 20th, 1989. Their parents died of multiple shot wounds, and were found in the lounge area of the mansion.

October 31st 1989: Erik confessed to therapist, Dr. Jerome Oziel

Two months after the murders took place, Erik requested to meet his therapist Dr. Jerome Oziel at his office. During their conversation, Erik said he had been having suicidal thoughts, but couldn’t get his therapist to understand why – so he confessed as to what happened.

In December of the same year, Dr Oziel managed to persuade Lyle and Erik to allow him to record their sessions.

March 1990: Lyle and Erik Menendez were arrested

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In March 1990, the brothers were arrested for the murders. Lyle was arrested first, when on March 8th police apprehended him outside the family home. Three days later, on March 11th, Erik handed himself in and flew back from a tennis tournament in Isreal. He was arrested by police at LAX airport, who had been waiting for him to return.

July 20th 1993: The first trial of Erik and Lyle Menendez started

via Netflix

It wasn’t until over three years after they had been arrested that Lyle and Erik Menendez were actually placed on trial. During their trial, the Menendez brothers said their motive for killing their parents was years of abuse.

Their first trial was made up of two juries, one for each brother. In court, the brothers said their mother was aware of abuse they suffered at the hands of their father, and they feared for their lives, so felt they had no option but to kill their parents.

The trial was broadcasted on national TV, and as you could imagine, became a huge spectacle for American viewers.

January 17th 1994, an earthquake hit the trial

One aspect of the Netflix series that was completely true, was that there was an earthquake during the brothers’ first court trial. The real life quake was called the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and it took place in California at around 4:30am on January 17th, and lasted for approximately eight seconds. According to reports, at a 6.7 magnitude, it was the largest earthquake in the region since 1971.

Just like in the Netflix series, the brothers were in their cells when the first tremor took place, and lawyer Leslie Abramson rang the jailhouse to make sure her clients were safe. It’s also been reported that during the earthquake, Lyle fell from his prison bed and injured his arm.

January 1994: The first trial ended in a mistrial

The first trial came back with no verdict. Jurors from both juries told the judge they were in complete deadlock, and couldn’t reach a decision over whether Lyle and Erik were guilty or not. It’s been reported the main reason why jurors were so stuck is because they couldn’t decide if killing their parents was proportionate to the level of abuse they had experienced.

via Netflix

1995: The second trial began

The brothers went on trial for a second time in 1995, but this time it was just one jury to make a decision on the entire case. In this trial, the defence was limited to bring up any sexual abuse allegations.

1996: The Menendez brothers were sentenced

In the end both brothers were found guilty of murder in 1996. They both avoided the death penalty, and instead got two consecutive life sentences without parole. The brothers are currently housed at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County.

2023: The brothers launched a new appeal

Lyle and Erik Menendez in 2023

Right now, more is still being added to the timeline of Lyle and Erik Menendez. Just last year, the brothers launched an appeal, based on new evidence, which they are hoping could result in the case being opened again and them being set free. All the details of the new evidence here.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.