After 35 years, the Menendez Brothers’ case has resurfaced. In 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez shot and killed their parents, José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, in the den of their Beverly Hills mansion. They then drove away from the scene to dispose of their guns and buy movie tickets as an alibi. When they returned home, Lyle called 911, crying that his parents had been murdered. The brothers were not suspected as killers until Erik confessed to psychotherapist Dr. L. Jerome Oziel, who audio-recorded their sessions to impress his mistress, Judalon Smyth. Smyth brought this information to the police, leading Lyle (twenty-two) and Erik (nineteen) to be arrested in 1990.
It was originally thought that the brothers killed their parents to claim their inheritance money prematurely, however, the brothers recounted years of alleged sexual abuse. The first trial began in 1993, in which the brothers gave testimonies that they had been abused by their father and that they killed him in the name of “imperfect self-defense.” Despite their claims, the first trial ended inconclusively. In 1996, the brothers were sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón says that he is examining new evidence in the case of the now 53 and 56-year-old brothers. The evidence includes a photocopy of a letter sent by one of the brothers to a family member describing the sexual abuse he endured. A member of the hit band Menudo also claimed to have been molested by Menendez’s father.
Regardless of whether the Menendez brothers were abused by their parents, they are still murderers. They did not kill their parents as a form of self-defense. Self-defense is defined as protecting oneself during a violent attack. The Menendez parents were reportedly sitting in the den eating blueberries and ice cream when the brothers shot them to death.
Recently, the case has been popularized on platforms like TikTok with creators calling for the release of the brothers. In addition to the true-crime addicts assessing the case on their Instagram pages, people have made inappropriate “edits” calling the brothers physically attractive. A Netflix series called “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” is a controversial reenactment of the trial that offended the brothers. The TV show and the edits glorify the Menendez brothers, calling for sympathy and twisted admiration. Reality television star Kim Kardashian also used her publicity to call for the brothers’ freedom.
This is not the first time in recent years in which a convicted criminal was idolized by the public. In 2015, Gypsy Rose Blanchard (33) arranged for her online boyfriend to stab her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, to death. It was believed that Dee Dee suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy. She falsely claimed that Gypsy Rose had various diseases, gave her unnecessary and harmful treatments and lied about her age to keep her under her watch. In 2016, Gypsy Rose pled guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to ten years in prison. She served 85% of her time until her release on December 28, 2023. Gypsy Rose has now been making red-carpet appearances with thousands of loyal fans who defend her past behavior.
Many social media users cross the line between showing their support and becoming crazed fans. The Menendez Brothers, Gypsy Rose Blanchard and other felons who killed their abusers should not be glorified by the media. Murder is murder, and these individuals should not be praised for killing their parents. Regardless of opinions on whether the Menendez brothers should walk free, they should not be worshipped by the public or celebrated for their past actions.
