Aug. 20, 1989 - Beverly Hills police responded to a 911 call from a frantic Lyle Menendez, who screamed that his parents had been murdered. When police arrived at the palatial Beverly Hills mansion, they found a gruesome scene. Jose Menendez, 45, was missing his head and his brain was splattered across the family room. Kitty Menendez, 47, had her face blown in half with her nose and one eye missing. Her other eye remained wide open. Lyle, 21, and his brother, Erik, 19, were hysterical. They told police that members of the Mafia probably killed their parents.
Jose Menendez was a successful immigrant from Cuba, who got his start in the music business. As an executive for RCA, he signed such 1980s hitmakers as Menudo, Duran Duran and The Eurythmics. By 1986, Menendez had a falling out with the music company and uprooted his family from New Jersey to Los Angeles. He quickly landed a job at what would become Live Entertainment, a subsidiary of Carolco, the company that produced the Rambo films with Sylvester Stallone.
A tough, ruthless businessman, Menendez usually got what he wanted. He helped the struggling movie company turn a profit in less than two years and was rewarded handsomely for his endeavors with a $500,000 annual salary. His earnings allowed him to own a nice home in Calabasas, drive luxury cars and provide for his two sons.
Lyle and Erik Menendez were treated like royalty. They attended the best private schools, drove the most expensive cars, and were assigned private instructors to help them with their tennis game. Anything they wanted, Jose and Kitty Menendez gave it to them.
Unfortunately, the boys wanted much more.
In 1988, Erik and Lyle were caught stealing more than $100,000 worth of money and jewelry from their neighbors in Calabasas. Jose cleaned up the mess by paying the neighbors off and forcing younger brother Erik to take the fall for Lyle, who was 18 at the time of the crimes. Jose always dreamt that Lyle would be accepted to an ivy league school; however, he was afraid an arrest would ruin his son’s chances. Erik agreed and was sentenced to psychological counseling. The Menendez family relocated to Beverly Hills, because they were embarrassed by their sons’ actions. Not long afterward, Lyle enrolled at Princeton.
By that same winter, Lyle had been kicked out of Princeton for cheating on a psychology 101 exam. He returned home with his tail tucked between his legs. His father was furious. He started to believe that his sons would never amount to anything. The brothers worried that they might be kicked out of their Beverly Hills home and forced to work for a living. They also feared they would be dropped from their father’s will. Jose Menendez was worth $14,000,000.
