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| Menendez Brothers on court |
On August 20, 2024, Lyle and Erik Menendez marked a grim milestone: 35 years since they killed their parents, José and Kitty Menendez.
On that fateful night in 1989, while the couple relaxed in their Beverly Hills home, the brothers shot them at point-blank range with shotguns. They subsequently called 911, claiming they had just returned from a night out to find their parents dead. Initial investigations considered the possibility of mob involvement, but soon evidence pointed directly to Lyle and Erik.
The brothers' therapist's notes, a shotgun casing, and a screenplay raised suspicions that the privileged siblings were motivated by their father's $14 million fortune. During three separate trials, they asserted that their father had been physically, emotionally, and sexually abusive, while their mother was described as an enabler struggling with addiction.
In March 1996, Lyle and Erik were each convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. They are currently serving their sentences at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
In 2023, their legal team filed a petition to overturn their convictions, citing new evidence, including a letter Erik wrote months before the murders and claims by Roy Rosselló that he had been drugged and raped by José in the 1980s.
The Menendez brothers' case has inspired numerous television projects, from A&E’s 2017 documentary *The Menendez Murders: Erik Tells All* to Peacock's *Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed* in 2023, and is the focus of Ryan Murphy’s upcoming Netflix series, *Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story*.
Reflecting on their trials, Lyle remarked in the 2024 Fox Nation docuseries *Menendez Brothers: Victims or Villains*, “Erik and I thought we were entering a manslaughter case with a district attorney who understood the trauma of sexual violence. Instead, we received the same sentence as a serial killer.”
Here’s an overview of the Menendez brothers’ journey from their time in prison to their current lives.
What are the current whereabouts of the Menendez brothers?
For over 20 years, Lyle and Erik Menendez were held in separate prisons: Lyle at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California, and Erik about 500 miles away at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County. Although they didn't speak for years, they maintained communication through letters and even played chess via mail. In February 2018, Lyle was moved to a different housing unit at Richard J. Donovan, and by April, Erik joined him there.
When the brothers finally reunited, they were overcome with emotion. Lyle whispered, "Finally," expressing to DailyMailTV that it was "a remarkable moment" he had doubted would ever happen.
In 1999, Erik married his longtime pen pal, Tammi Ruth Saccoman, with whom he has a stepdaughter, Talia. Tammi chronicled their relationship in her book, *They Said We’d Never Make It: My Life with Erik Menendez*. During his time in prison, Erik took up painting, even gifting a portrait to comedian Kathy Griffin, and he joined fellow inmates in efforts to advocate for prison reform.
"Being arrested was such a relief. My life was over, and I was glad," Erik shared with PEOPLE in 2005, clarifying that money was never his motivation. "Once I was arrested and put into prison, that person who I was began to emerge again. I had to find it for myself."
Lyle, who served as president of the inmate government at Mule Creek before his transfer, has been involved in a support group for prisoners who have experienced sexual abuse. He was married to Anna Eriksson from 1996 to 2001 and later married Rebecca Sneed. In 2017, he described his relationship with Rebecca as steady and supportive, stating, "It brings a lot of peace and joy," which helps counter the unpredictable stress of prison life.
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