Who is Lyle Menéndez?
Joseph Lyle Menéndez (born January 10, 1968) is the older Menéndez brother who, along with his younger brother Erik, was convicted for the murder of their parents – José and Kitty Menéndez.
José moved to the USA at the age of 16 and eventually married his classmate, Mary Louise “Kitty” Anderson. After the birth of her sons, Kitty quit her teaching job to raise the boys while living in Hopewell Township, New Jersey.
Initially, it was assumed that the couple was killed by a mafia gang that was connected to José Menéndez’s business. However, after Erik confessed to killing his parents with Lyle to his psychologist, the two brothers were arrested for the murder. The information was conveyed to the police by someone who was connected to Erik’s psychologist.
What are Lyle Menéndez’s crimes?
In the recorded tapes with Erik’s psychologist, he confessed to killing his parents with the help of his brother Lyle. On the evening of August 20, 1989, Lyle and Erik Menéndez entered the TV Room of their house and shot their parents. José was shot for a total of six times with one fatal gunshot in the back of his head. Kitty was shot 10 times in total with one fatal shot on her cheek. Reports suggest it was Lyle who shot the fatal shot that killed Kitty.
The police failed to conduct gunshot residue tests on the brothers which could have easily incriminated Lyle and Erik. However, months after lavishly spending their parents’ money, guilt crept up and Erik confessed to his psychologist – Jerome Oziel.
Jerome told his mistress Judalon Smyth about Erik’s confession and continued to blackmail Erik and Lyle into investing in his business ventures.
After Jerome broke up with Judalon, she told the police about Erik and Lyle’s recorded confession that helped the police arrest the Menéndez brothers. At the time of Lyle’s arrest on March 8th 1990, Erik was at a tennis tournament in Israel. Upon the advice of his legal aid, Erik returned to the USA and surrendered on March 11th 1990, three days after Lyle’s arrest.
Where is Lyle Menéndez now?
The Menéndez brothers gained a lot of attention during their highly public trial in 1993. The brothers stated that they killed their parents out of fear for their lives after a lifetime of abuse at the hands of José Menéndez. Furthermore, the brothers also confessed to being sexually assaulted by their father and exploited by their mother which prompted them to kill their parents.
After two long and controversial trials, both Lyle and Erik were convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder.
The Menendez Brothers were eventually sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Lyle and Erik filed motions for a mistrial but as of July 1996, the two brothers were sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without parole as well as charges of conspiracy.
Lyle and Erik Menéndez were separated and sent to different prison facilities due to being considered maximum-security inmates who were segregated from other prisoners. The brothers remained separate until February of 2018 when Lyle was moved to the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, California.
Initially, Lyle and Erik were housed in different units however in April of the same year, Lyle was moved to the same housing unit as Erik. Lawyers state that the Menéndez brothers had an emotional reunion after being separated during their sentencing 22 years prior.
Will Lyle Menéndez be released from prison?
In May 2023, the Menéndez brothers requested a new hearing by filing a sworn affidavit from the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo member – Roy Rosselló. In April 2023, while talking about the Netflix Docuseries – Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story, Rosselló stated that when he was 14 years old, he was drugged and raped by José Menéndez while he was visiting the Menéndezes’ home in New Jersey.
Additionally, a letter that Erik allegedly wrote to his cousin Andy Cano in 1988 hints at his sexual abuse at the hands of his father – José Menéndez. According to their lawyers, this new evidence backs up the sexual abuse claims made by the Menéndez brothers and lessens their culpability.
With the help of this evidence, the Menéndez brothers could have been convicted of manslaughter which could have granted them a much shorter sentence rather than first-degree murder.
According to CBS News, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the claims in the petition which means that the brothers stand a chance at being freed.