Anyone with a little bit of interest in true crime drama would be aware of Menendez brothers and the killings of their parents. Lyle and Erik Menendez were found guilty on August 20, 1989, of killing their affluent parents. Their parents, José and Kitty Menendez were found dead at their Beverly Hills residence.
The Brothers claimed that the murders were in self-defense. They said that the killing of their parents was in response to years of physical, emotional, and sexual torture at the hands of their father.
Though the brothers maintained innocence in starting, they confessed to the murders later on.
Their story is embroiled in sexual assault by their father, claims of self-defense, and extravagant spending after the murder. It still receives extensive media coverage since the mystery is still not resolved.
Nathan Hochman is the district attorney for Los Angeles County and has grown tired of this never-ending case. He has threatened to keep the Menendez brothers in prison unless they confess to killing their parents.
Los Angeles’ new DA asked the court to withdraw the previous DA’s motion for resentencing the Menendez brothers, who are both serving life sentences for the 1989 murders of their parents. @TrevorLAult has details on the new potential path to their freedom. https://t.co/1qVoreFh31 pic.twitter.com/rU9DwUbZgD
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) March 11, 2025
During a heated press conference on Monday, Hochman blasted Erik and Lyle Menendez. He made it clear that he thinks they should remain behind bars for the shotgun killings of their parents 35 years ago.
He said that over the years, the Menendez brothers had told many lies that they later confessed to. However, there are still 16 lies the brothers have not come clean about. His office has rejected the idea of a new trial for the Menendez brothers. However, he said he would appeal for resentencing of the brothers if they clean the slate of these 16 remaining lies.
Earlier, Menendez brothers lied about making a 911 call and then lied to their family and friends about being involved in the murders. They had also lied about the media being involved in the murder of his parents. Then Erik Menendez lied that his father was going to kill him after his homosexual lover told him to.
All these have been refuted in the court. Now, DA Hochman wants brothers to tell the truth about 16 lies they are still sticking with.
1. Brothers lied when they said their father was going to kill them. They claimed they acted in self-defense.
2. They also engaged their friend Brian Eslaminia in their lies. They forced him to claim that his brother borrowed one of his shotguns in preparation for self-defense.
3. Erik and Lyle made up their testimony that they attempted to buy firearms at Big 5 Sporting Goods in Santa Monica. They claimed that it was the day before the killings. This claim was made to bolster their claims of self-defense.
4. The brothers lied when they claimed that they had not driven the 120 miles to San Diego to purchase firearms, even though that was their true motivation.
5. When the Menendez brothers claimed that they gave a false address and identification to purchase the firearms because they were missing their California driver’s licenses, they were lying.
6. Erik and Lyle lied when they claimed they were so afraid of their parents that they avoided their house all day Saturday. However, the pool repairman Grant Walker refuted their claim. He claimed he saw his brother demeaning their parents.
When the brothers testified that they hadn’t planned their alibi before the killings, they were lying.
7. When Lyle claimed he didn’t invite Perry Berman to their house to be a witness to Erik and Lyle finding their parents’ disfigured bodies, he was lying.
8. When the Menendez brothers testified that they didn’t stage the killings to appear like a Mafia-style hit, they were lying.
9. By persuading Jamie Pisarcik, his girlfriend, to testify falsely that his father had drugged and sexually assaulted her, Lyle attempted to subdue perjury.
10.Another lies was when the Menendez brothers testified that their mother attempted to poison the entire family. They claimed she was dangerous and erratic.
11. Erik and Lyle lied that they believed their parents would murder them while they were fishing on a Saturday afternoon.
12. The Menendez brothers lied when they claimed that their parents were getting up and/or approaching them when they stormed into the den with their shotguns. However it was proved that it was too dark to see.
13. When Erik and Lyle testified that they shot their parents in the den after hurrying inside, they were lying. Because they were afraid their parents might shoot them first that night, they acted in self-defense.
14. When the brothers testified that Dr. Oziel had blackmailed them into making a taped confession to kill their parents, they were lying.
The DA’s office makes these points. However, there is still no way to prove them to be lies. Their story is still contentious today. With arguments raging over whether they were cold-blooded murderers or victims, truth is unknown.
