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identity today with a 30-day

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free trial at lifelock.com/podcast. The

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new question just this week could two

0:32

of the most infamous killers ever soon

0:35

be headed toward freedom. David Lyle and

0:37

Eric Menendez making new headlines 35 years

0:39

after murdering their parents. All the breaking

0:42

details on 2020 right now. As

0:47

I went into the room, I just started firing. What was

0:49

in front of you? My

0:52

parents. The

0:56

press frenzies just this week. 20

0:58

family members of both sides are

1:01

here to urge the DA to

1:03

resent. This family is saying they've

1:05

been punished enough. One of the

1:07

most notorious double-moters ever. I'm

1:10

just a normal kid. Oh, Eric,

1:12

you're a normal kid who killed

1:14

your parents. Now

1:16

fact. Wish that I could take that

1:18

moment back. And

1:20

Ryan Murphy's fiction. Getting

1:23

a new generation obsessed. I would say

1:25

people do believe that it was an

1:27

act of self-defense. At the same time

1:29

as a re-examination in the DA's office.

1:31

You said that you might rule on

1:33

the resentencing in October. Everybody

1:36

has an opinion about this case. This

1:38

is not a child abuse trial. This

1:41

is a murder trial. Tonight, they're only

1:43

side-by-side interview. I couldn't accept it.

1:45

You couldn't accept it, but you called the

1:47

police. You pretended that

1:49

you hadn't done it. Plus what has

1:51

never aired before. How close the two

1:53

of you are. And

1:56

the evidence getting a new look now.

1:58

That's the man here. Just rape

2:00

me. Tell me about the letter.

2:03

Eric wrote the letter. I'm

2:05

afraid every night. I think it's

2:07

total BS. It's all nonsense. Was

2:09

this a miscarriage of justice? I

2:24

just got to find out what time I'm being picked up.

2:28

We're here to support Eric and Lyle. It's

2:31

time for them to be released. We're

2:37

going to go have breakfast with the

2:40

supporters of Eric and Lyle that we're

2:42

getting ready for the press conference at

2:44

one. It's

2:47

a family reunion and it's

2:49

a time for gathering and

2:52

showing a collective support, which

2:55

we hope is sending a powerful

2:57

message to the world and to

3:00

the district attorney. We want to

3:02

see these boys released from prison. It's

3:04

time. Well, hello

3:06

everybody. Time

3:13

has come. It's been long

3:16

enough. I get so emotional

3:18

thinking about it. This is a prime example of

3:20

showing support for the family, is what all of

3:22

us are doing now, because we love the boys

3:24

so much. This

3:32

week, nearly 20 members of both sides

3:34

of the Menendez brothers family came

3:37

out in full force in front

3:39

of dozens of cameras to emotionally

3:41

plea for their release. This is

3:43

about truth, justice and healing. I

3:45

never thought this day would come. It's

3:47

time to give them the opportunity to live

3:49

the rest of their lives, free

3:52

from the shadow of their past. They

3:54

were boys, young, scared and abused

3:57

by their father in ways no...

4:00

child should ever experience. It

4:02

is time, time

4:04

for Eric and Lyle to come home.

4:06

They're notorious cases back in the headlines,

4:09

35 years after their parents' brutal murder.

4:13

All right. What's the problem? What's

4:17

the problem? There's something to my

4:19

bed. Pardon me? Don't.

4:22

It was from the jump one of

4:24

the biggest cases in Los Angeles and

4:27

in the country. No one

4:29

could believe that these two young

4:31

men had killed their parents this

4:33

way. Entertainment executive Jose Menendez and

4:35

his wife were slain in the

4:37

family room of their Beverly Hills

4:39

mansion. You had two young brothers

4:42

armed with shotguns accused

4:44

of killing their parents. Society focuses on

4:46

that one moment that would cause a

4:48

birth point to it. Their

4:50

freedom, once unimaginable, is now

4:52

looking more and more possible.

4:55

You know, how they killed their parents,

4:57

Jose and Kitty, was always clear. But

5:00

why they did it has divided the

5:02

nation. Remember,

5:04

this was not a who done

5:06

it. This was why. Physical,

5:10

verbal, psychological, sexual abuse that went

5:12

on for years. Lyle and

5:15

Eric Menendez are stone, cold

5:17

murderers. None of the abuse

5:19

excuse evidence is corroborated. But

5:21

even if you accept that

5:23

it's true, abuse does not

5:25

justify a revenge killing. Never,

5:28

never, never, ever. We're in

5:30

a fascinating time in society

5:32

now and everybody has an opinion

5:34

about this case. There are some

5:36

who argue that the sex abuse

5:39

was fabricated. Sure they do, they

5:41

don't want to admit the truth. From

5:44

ABC News, this is

5:47

2020. Tonight,

5:51

I killed my parents. 2020

5:54

covered the Menendez murders extensively from the

5:56

start. And when a new generation discovered

5:58

it in the age of tickling, tiktok

6:00

we were there. Enter

6:02

tiktok amazing the men and the

6:04

story going viral in I

6:08

don't believe they got a fair trial. They

6:10

don't deserve to live the rest of

6:12

their life in prison. I think they're

6:14

seen as the victims of a less

6:16

enlightened time. I

6:19

would say people by generation predominantly do believe

6:21

that it was an act of self defense.

6:33

I'm sorry. Now the wildly popular scripted

6:35

netflix series monsters is creating a new

6:37

wave of interest in the case that's

6:39

gaining momentum. And he said that he

6:41

didn't mean to hurt me. Rosie

6:45

O'Donnell who's become friends with the

6:47

brothers is now calling for their

6:49

release. Do you think their

6:51

punishment fit their crime. Their punishment has

6:54

as outlasted they were 21 and 18

6:57

when they committed their crime their brains

7:00

were not even formed yet. All as

7:02

a powerful movement builds online to set

7:04

the brothers free. With the

7:06

Millie Vanilli song. While

7:10

dedicated to his parents blowing up on

7:12

tiktok. These kids they get impassioned you

7:14

know that 1820 in college

7:17

and they blew up this

7:20

freedom and end as brothers absolutely blew

7:22

it up. But tiktok is more the

7:24

court of public opinion. It's not the

7:26

law. Tiktok is 100% the

7:28

wrong forum for this. The

7:31

reason we have rules and

7:34

law is because when awful

7:38

awful things like this happen we

7:40

have a forum is called court

7:42

system and now the court system

7:44

itself might have to reconsider in

7:46

2023 the Menendez brothers

7:49

attorneys filed a new motion citing

7:51

newly resurfaced evidence in a push

7:53

to get them out of prison.

7:56

That catalyst was something in real

7:58

time that wasn't available. something

8:00

else that was not available. The

8:03

evidence? A letter from Eric Menendez

8:05

to his cousin, alluding to his

8:07

father's abuse, written months

8:09

before the murders. I

8:11

knew immediately that it was a

8:14

potentially major piece of evidence. The

8:16

other piece of evidence? A new

8:18

alleged victim of the father, Jose

8:21

Menendez. This one is a former

8:23

member of the 80s boy band,

8:25

Menudo, Roy Rossello. The

8:27

Menudo star. Said

8:30

that Jose molested him in his

8:32

home. In

8:35

that home. Not surprising. The

8:37

significance is now, oh,

8:39

this does support that this man, Jose

8:42

Menendez, was a sexual

8:44

predator, not only with his children, but

8:46

with other people's children. And

8:49

now, a blockbuster move. The LA

8:51

district attorney... Good afternoon, everyone. ...announced that

8:53

his office is reviewing the Menendez case.

8:55

One of the most notorious murder trials

8:58

in US history. What the district attorney

9:00

is considering whether Lyle and Eric Menendez

9:02

should be resentenced. The decision to move

9:04

forward is now in the hands of

9:07

the district attorney, who'll need to consider

9:09

the questions, have the Menendez brothers served

9:11

enough time, and have they been rehabilitated?

9:14

Do you think the Menendez brothers will

9:16

walk free someday? Given the totality of

9:18

the circumstances, I

9:21

don't think that they deserve to be in prison

9:23

until they die. Okay? I don't believe

9:25

that. Lyle

9:28

and Eric Menendez have been behind

9:30

bars now for more than three

9:32

decades. And they've only ever spoken

9:34

once, sitting side by side, to

9:37

our own Barbara Walters. Tonight, never

9:39

before seen excerpts from that iconic

9:41

interview. Do you think you're evil?

9:57

My name is Lyle Menendez. I

10:01

am the kid that did kill his parents and

10:05

no river of tears has changed that

10:07

and no amount of regret has changed it.

10:14

I think I will end

10:16

up dying still being in

10:18

the nightmare of this horrifying

10:20

events and tragedy. This

10:28

was the first big trial. I covered

10:30

it. It was the American dream come

10:32

crashing down. Lyle

10:38

and Eric Menendez seem to have it

10:40

all. From

10:46

the outside the Menendez family we're living

10:48

the American dream. An

10:51

immigrant from Cuba who had risen to

10:53

the heights of Hollywood power.

10:58

His wife and their two sons

11:02

who were star tennis players and destined

11:05

for great colleges. They

11:08

had achieved the American dream. They were living in the

11:10

mansion in Beverly Hills. They

11:12

were living behind the gate. So on the outside

11:15

to most people this was the perfect all American

11:17

family. People assume that if

11:19

you have money you have no problems

11:22

and you're certainly not going to do anything like kill your

11:24

parents because you got it made. And

11:26

it turns out that rich people have dysfunctional

11:29

families just as much as poor people.

11:32

One kid killing the parents is

11:34

a bad seed. Two kids killing the

11:36

parents is a bad family. Jose

11:48

Menendez was an immigrant. He

11:50

emigrated from Cuba at about the age

11:53

of 16. With

11:56

this ferocious drive

11:58

and talent. Jose

12:00

and Kitty Menendez met when they were

12:02

both students at Southern Illinois University. Kitty

12:06

was my sister, my younger sister. She

12:08

was stunningly beautiful. And

12:11

I mean beautiful on the outside and even more

12:13

so on the inside. They got

12:15

married when they were both in college. Jose

12:20

Menendez rose to the really

12:22

heights of corporate power. He was

12:24

a music executive, he was a

12:26

movie executive, and he was a

12:28

domineering personality. Kitty

12:30

Menendez had dreams of becoming an actress,

12:33

and after her sons were born, Jose

12:35

basically told her, you can't work, you

12:37

need to take care of our sons.

12:41

The boys were extremely spoiled. I

12:44

would tell Kitty, I said, you know, there's got to

12:46

be some discipline in their life somewhat, and I think

12:48

it would be smart for you to rein them in

12:50

a little bit and hold them accountable for some of

12:52

the things that they do. And of

12:54

course, she would come right back and say, Brian, don't tell

12:56

me how to raise my boys. She

12:59

wanted Lyle and Eric to be as competitive

13:01

as she was and as her husband was.

13:05

For 20 years, the Menendez family lived in

13:07

Princeton, New Jersey, and then Jose became

13:09

an executive in the entertainment industry. So in 1987, the

13:11

family moved to California. And

13:16

they were really, really proud to have this house

13:18

that they had found there. And this is just

13:21

the most beautiful setting. Jose

13:23

and Kitty Menendez were very concerned

13:25

about the facade of their family. They wanted the public

13:28

image to be perfect. Lyle

13:30

and Eric were very influenced by what their

13:33

father thought, and they

13:35

wanted at all times to please them.

13:39

Describe your relationship with your father. Brutal.

13:45

Painful. Torturous.

13:52

And yet... I

14:00

admired him because he

14:02

was so strong.

14:06

He was everything that success was

14:08

that I was taught that success

14:10

was. And

14:13

I thought that he was the most powerful and

14:16

brilliant person I had ever met. I

14:19

was his first born son. That was very

14:21

important to him. And he

14:24

was a very forceful

14:27

and I think very brutal person. And

14:32

my bond with him was,

14:36

I thought, strong because we

14:38

had been through so much together.

14:42

Lyle Menendez was going to be the better

14:44

improved version of Jose. For

14:47

Jose Menendez, having a son go to

14:49

an Ivy League school like Princeton was

14:51

the end of the American dream. But

14:54

Lyle Menendez had mediocre grades, was

14:56

not a great student. He really

14:58

wasn't Princeton material. Lyle

15:02

was flunking out of Princeton, not only academically

15:04

but socially. He was doing things he wasn't

15:06

supposed to do. Eric

15:11

and Lyle Menendez kept screwing up. They

15:14

were hanging out with a group of friends that

15:17

began doing what was called hot prowls, in

15:20

which they would sneak into a house when nobody was there. At

15:26

one point, Lyle Menendez actually committed

15:28

a burglary with several of his

15:30

friends. Lyle showed

15:32

his little brother that he had done this crime and his little

15:34

brother said, well, I can do the same thing. The initial

15:37

victims were the parents of some of their friends. And

15:40

in the first burglary, over $100,000 of

15:42

items were taken out of the house,

15:44

including cash and jewelry taken from a

15:46

safe. Now, it was my

15:48

understanding that their burglaries consisted

15:51

of backing up a moving van to a

15:53

house that was empty and cleaning out the

15:55

house, which is different from breaking

15:57

into a house and stealing the family. silver.

15:59

What's that about? I think they were practicing

16:01

to be criminals. I think they thought being

16:03

a criminal would be a fun way to

16:05

earn a living. They

16:08

wind up getting arrested and Jose

16:11

in his inimitable way

16:15

decided that he was going to quickly put it to

16:17

rest and he went out and he visited every

16:19

one of the homes that had been robbed. He

16:22

apologized and his son apologized and he wrote him

16:24

a check right on the spot. When

16:27

poor kids do a burglary like they

16:29

go to their neighbor's house and take

16:31

the big-screen TV, they go to juvenile

16:33

court or they go on probation or

16:35

something like that. When rich kids do

16:37

it, they go to the psychiatrist. Joe,

16:39

when he found out that the children

16:41

had been arrested, he was ashamed by

16:43

them getting caught because

16:45

I think Jose thought that

16:48

life was about winning and

16:51

probably it was not as important how you

16:53

got there. Joe was never

16:56

satisfied. Lyle

16:58

and Eric, I think

17:00

had a strong fear of dad. It

17:02

was so obvious but it

17:05

was not spoken. The

17:08

impression I got about Jose Menendez's

17:10

character was that he could

17:12

be charming when he chose to but that

17:14

his basic nature was very abusive

17:16

and that he was abusive to his sons

17:19

especially and to his wife. When

17:21

you say uncomfortable, you mean like everyone

17:23

was on pins and needles. Everybody was

17:25

on pins and needles and everything

17:28

had to be just perfect just

17:30

the way Jose would want it.

17:32

Appearances meant a lot. Yes, appearances

17:34

were everything. When we went

17:36

to their house there was a ferret always

17:39

and the ferret died one day and

17:42

Katie and Joe assumed that one

17:44

of their dogs had killed

17:47

it and one of

17:49

their dogs was a black very

17:51

aggressive dog. They had aggressive dogs.

17:53

The children opened the refrigerator one

17:56

day and found

17:58

the dog's head inside. To

18:02

me, the Menendez brothers became

18:05

homicidal monsters that

18:07

were shaped by Jose Menendez.

18:11

Next up, this is a rare look

18:13

inside the 2020 vault. Never

18:16

before seen footage. The first

18:18

thing you said to me was that you missed your mother.

18:21

I remember thinking it a very strange thing to say.

18:40

This is a rare look inside the 2020 vault.

18:45

Never before seen footage of Barbara Walters' exclusive

18:47

1996 interview with the Menendez brothers.

18:52

It's hard for people to understand, I

18:54

guess, how close the two of you

18:57

are. On

18:59

the other hand, had you not been that close, all

19:03

of this might never have happened. It's

19:08

true. I

19:11

think in the environment we

19:13

grew up in, home

19:15

was like a fearful, demeaning place. And

19:18

for Eric and I, I bet

19:21

it's probably not uncommon for siblings

19:24

that grew up in those kind of homes to be

19:26

unusually close. Because

19:29

they have to be there for each other and there's

19:32

so much stress. It

19:35

is true that this

19:38

happened in part because Eric

19:42

needed my help.

19:47

He blames himself for that and I blame

19:49

myself for not protecting him earlier. And

19:53

we just, you know, we try

19:55

to just go on. The

20:00

Menendez brothers were close because they

20:02

were fighting the common enemy, which was their father.

20:05

He believed that life is like war and

20:07

that anything you do to achieve your end

20:09

is fine, including, it

20:11

turns out, killing your parents. There

20:15

are people, a great number

20:17

of people, who think that you two

20:19

are spoiled brats. What do you say to them? I

20:21

don't know that there's anything I can say to them. Because

20:24

I came from a family of

20:26

wealth, it

20:29

doesn't make me spoiled. I'm

20:31

just a normal kid. Oh, Eric,

20:33

you're a normal kid who killed

20:35

your parents. I know. And

20:38

you still say you're a normal kid? Well,

20:41

I didn't have normal experiences, but I

20:44

am. I did that,

20:46

and there's not a day that goes by that

20:49

I don't think about what happened and

20:51

wish that I could take that moment back.

20:54

Is it hard for you, Lyle? It

20:58

is difficult to be

21:01

a whole 28 years

21:04

defined by a day.

21:09

That day, according to the

21:11

brothers, was the culmination of

21:13

years of unspeakable abuse by

21:15

their father, Jose. This

21:17

was a very chaotic,

21:19

traumatic, dysfunctional, horrific

21:24

family situation. You

21:29

could see when they were younger, and

21:32

less so as they got older,

21:34

that there were these two lively,

21:37

fun children, young boys,

21:39

who just became sadder and

21:41

sadder through the years. Karen's

21:45

sister Diane was living with the Menendez

21:47

family and babysitting for the brothers when

21:50

she says Lyle confided in her. When

21:53

Lyle told me about the abuse, he

21:55

was eight years old at the time.

22:00

room, changing the sheets

22:02

on my bed. And Lyle came in

22:04

saying that he was afraid

22:06

to sleep in his own bed because

22:08

his father and him had been touching each

22:10

other down there. And

22:13

I went upstairs and got Kitty. By

22:15

her demeanor, I could tell that she was

22:17

not believing any of this. Lyle

22:20

told his cousin Diane that he had

22:22

been molested. And she told his mother

22:25

Kitty. But Diane says Kitty

22:27

adamantly denied that this was true. And

22:29

she was very upset. And could that

22:31

be because perhaps now the secret is

22:33

out? You know, it

22:36

is hard to wrap your head around that until

22:38

you think about the fact that she knew. Eric,

22:43

you and I met once before several years ago. This

22:46

is even more footage from that Barbara Walters

22:48

interview that has never been seen before. And

22:51

the first thing you said to me was that you missed

22:53

your mother. I remember thinking it a

22:55

very strange thing to say. Describe

22:57

your relationship with your mother. My

23:02

relationship with mom was very

23:05

close. There

23:07

was not a lot of communication. But

23:10

I saw her as

23:12

I saw her

23:14

and saw her get beaten by my

23:16

dad. And

23:18

so I loved her. And she loved me.

23:22

There wasn't a lot of communication. But there was

23:24

a bond between us where

23:30

she would try to reach out to me with a

23:32

smile. And I

23:34

would try to help her through

23:37

it. We went through

23:39

it together. If

23:44

Jose was with one of the boys down the

23:46

hallway, you were not allowed to

23:48

go down the hallway. That to me

23:50

is chilling. It

23:52

sexually molested me before I was a

23:55

teenager. And it

23:57

was a much different experience than Eric's.

24:00

Because you were little? Because I was

24:02

little, I guess. But it was

24:04

difficult to be close to my father

24:07

and yet have so much conflict in

24:09

the home. Now

24:12

a crucial piece of evidence has resurfaced. A

24:15

long-forgotten handwritten letter from Eric Menendez

24:17

to his cousin, Andy. And guess

24:20

what? Barbara Walters first revealed it in

24:22

2016. It

24:25

was given to me recently by a

24:27

Menendez relative. A

24:29

letter 15-year-old Eric had written to

24:31

his cousin Andy about his father.

24:35

It's still happening, Andy, but

24:37

it's worse for me now. I

24:40

never know when it's going to happen and

24:42

it's driving me crazy. Every

24:45

night I stay up thinking he

24:47

might come in. I need to put

24:49

it out of my mind. I

24:51

know what you said before, but

24:54

I am afraid. That

24:59

letter predates the killings by eight

25:01

to nine months. That

25:04

letter details Eric's disgust

25:06

and frustration and trauma

25:08

over the repeated sex acts by

25:10

his dad and how disgusted he

25:13

was complaining to his very close

25:15

cousin, Andy. In

25:17

hindsight, I wish that I would

25:20

have been stronger about

25:23

what Lyle was telling me so that I

25:26

could have done something to help them. There

25:31

was certainly no indication of any kind

25:33

that there was ever any abuse. I mean, it

25:36

just didn't happen. What do

25:38

you say to people who say, well, I think they made it out? I

25:41

say, well, you have your own opinion, but I know

25:43

the truth. There

25:45

was a confrontation. It's

25:48

very difficult to understand

25:50

the emotion and the fear and

25:53

the conflict that

25:56

is building over the years to

25:59

something like this. It's difficult to

26:01

just say, well, this is why this happened. There

26:03

was going to be a violent confrontation at some

26:05

point. Are you going to stop?

26:08

Yes. Who is the person that was shot?

26:10

I'm out of it right there. This

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28:45

for details. On

28:52

the Tuesday before the murders, Lyle

28:54

Menendez and his mother Kitty were having

28:56

an argument. She got so upset

28:59

that she began striking the

29:01

older brother and she even ripped off his

29:03

toupee. And Eric was actually

29:06

in the hallway and he saw this happen

29:09

and he didn't even know that his

29:11

brother was wearing a toupee. Which his

29:13

father had forced him to wear because

29:15

he started having thinning hair. And

29:17

the brothers had a very

29:19

emotional conversation in which they

29:21

agreed that there were so many secrets in the

29:23

family. And at that point Eric

29:26

broke down and he started crying and

29:28

his brother said what's wrong with you?

29:30

What are you crying about? And Eric

29:32

said dad

29:36

has been doing things to me. So

29:41

this family was reaching a crisis

29:43

point. Lyle Menendez confronted

29:45

his father after Eric had

29:47

told him that he was

29:49

still being molested by his father. Jose

29:51

Menendez got furious, threatened to cut them out

29:54

of the family, cut them out

29:56

of the will. Then with this

29:58

secret about it, to come out,

30:01

Lyle and Eric Menendez, the defense

30:03

claimed, genuinely believed

30:05

that Jose Menendez was going to

30:07

kill them. And they thought, we

30:10

have to kill him before he kills us. You

30:13

know, there are

30:15

some questions that everybody asks like, why

30:18

didn't you run away? And

30:22

I wish that I could have. I

30:26

tried to run away when I was 12 and

30:28

my father found me, he

30:30

caught me and said, if you ever run

30:32

away, I will kill you, I will

30:34

find you and I will kill you. August

30:39

20th, 1989 was an unusually

30:41

warm, balmy evening in Beverly

30:43

Hills. Most

30:46

of the neighbors who lived near the Menendez mansion

30:48

had their windows open to let fresh air in.

30:52

Beverly Hills is a quiet town.

30:56

Even the business district kind of folds up at 7

30:58

o'clock. We average

31:00

two murders a year and really

31:02

don't know what you're in for when you

31:04

get a murder call. What's the

31:06

problem? What's the problem? There's nothing to it, my bad.

31:09

Pardon me? Don't kill me. What? Who? Are they still

31:11

there? No. The people... Oh

31:13

no. Were they shot?

31:15

Yes. They were shot? Yes.

31:18

No. What happened? No, no, no.

31:20

I heard a hysterical noise. What happened? Who was the person

31:22

that was shot? My mom and my dad. Your mom and

31:24

dad? My mom and dad. Okay,

31:27

hold on. I'm sorry. What happened? My mom

31:29

and dad. My mom and

31:31

dad. My mom and dad. My mom and dad. My

31:33

mom and dad. My mom and dad.

31:35

My mom and dad. My mom and dad. My mom

31:37

and dad. Okay, hold on a second. Twelve

31:47

shots in the middle of Beverly Hills on a

31:49

Sunday night and no one calls the police. We're

31:51

waiting at the house. No one shows up. And

31:55

I still can't believe it. I'm

31:58

sitting on the stairs afterwards thinking that the

32:00

police are going to be there in seconds.

32:02

They've got roving patrol. And people, many, many

32:04

people did hear the shots. Many neighbors came

32:06

in and said they heard all these shots,

32:08

but nobody called because they just figured, this

32:10

is Beverly Hills, this doesn't happen in Beverly

32:13

Hills. So you called the police, but at

32:15

that point, you had already decided. We

32:17

had decided not to. You weren't going to say anything. We

32:19

had decided that our feeling was not,

32:23

we'll just explain what happened and it'll be

32:25

okay. We were very stunned

32:28

and we felt that we would go

32:30

to jail, obviously. And we, it

32:32

was a selfish reason to just not want to have

32:34

to, to go through that. By

32:39

this intersection, I could actually see the police

32:41

tape and the police cars in

32:44

front of Nenda's house. Hello,

32:46

this is police department. Yes. Okay, I

32:49

want you to come outside. Okay, come out the

32:51

door. I never seen

32:53

my brother. You tell your brother, everybody

32:55

that's here, come outside. Okay,

32:58

okay. As

33:01

we walked in the front door, the

33:03

only thing I could really detect is

33:05

the silence. It

33:08

was just eerily quiet. It was so

33:10

quiet inside. From

33:12

the foyer was a staircase. And then in

33:14

the back of the foyer was this library

33:17

family room, which is where

33:20

the murder occurred. The television

33:22

was on. So it was just a normal evening

33:24

for them. Kitty

33:26

was wearing white. She was

33:29

covered in blood. Jose had

33:31

a shotgun blast to the back of his

33:33

head, blood everywhere. There was brain matter on

33:35

the ceiling, on the windows. It

33:38

was really

33:40

horrendous. There

33:44

were some typical protocols that

33:46

police would normally do at a

33:49

homicide scene that weren't done in

33:51

this case. There are

33:53

things that could have been done that

33:55

night that would have proven that they

33:57

were the killers. The murder.

33:59

weapons were in their cars. Nobody

34:02

bothered to look. Among

34:04

the things that the police decided not

34:07

to subject Lyle and Eric to was

34:09

gunshot residue tests on their hands to

34:11

determine if they'd fired a firearm. At

34:14

the time we felt they were victims

34:17

and you're not going to press them because their

34:19

parents just got blown away. The

34:23

sons told police they left their parents at home

34:25

to go to the movies. The parents said they

34:27

came home from a movie. We

34:32

didn't have an alibi. All we did was

34:34

say we were at the movies. But they never checked

34:36

you for a gun powder. You did for the police.

34:38

That day they didn't. Eventually

34:41

they changed their policy. Jose

34:43

was shot five times, once to the head

34:45

and four others to the body. I

34:49

had nightmares. I had nightmares about it.

34:52

I could see their house and I could

34:54

see them out as

34:57

I saw on TV, the bodies. Tell

35:03

me as clearly as you can why you

35:06

murdered your parents. The first thing

35:08

that comes to mind is terror.

35:10

I was so afraid. I

35:14

was running downstairs and I was crying.

35:17

And my mother was on the couch and she had been

35:19

drinking. And she

35:21

said, what's wrong with you? And I said nothing,

35:23

nothing. You wouldn't understand. And she said, oh, I

35:26

understand. What do you think? I'm stupid.

35:29

And she told me that

35:31

she had known all my life what my father was

35:34

doing. And Lyle said to my mother, are

35:36

you going to let this happen? And

35:39

she said to him, you ruined this family.

35:42

A few days before I had said to myself,

35:44

I'm never going to let my father touch me

35:46

again. And just before the

35:49

shootings, my dad told me to get to my room.

35:51

He was going to come up and there was going

35:53

to be sex. And it was

35:55

like an explosion in my mind. No.

36:00

But their behavior in the next days

36:03

and weeks would call into question their

36:05

real motive. Entertainment

36:17

executive Jose Menendez and his wife

36:19

were slain in the family room

36:21

of their Beverly Hills mansion by

36:23

killers using 12-gauge shotguns. They

36:25

were murdered, killed gangland style,

36:27

in cold blood. Homicide detectives

36:29

say it could have been a mob

36:32

hit. Contract killings. They

36:35

tried to make it look like a mafia hit

36:38

by the kneecapping. They told the police it was

36:40

a mafia hit. When

36:42

you heard about the shooting, what went through

36:44

your mind? Initially, you know, they

36:46

thought it was like a mob

36:48

hit. So at first they were

36:51

even worried about, you know, extended family. People

36:54

were calling and saying, we want you to,

36:56

you know, be really careful. Lyle

36:59

and Eric weren't suspects at first. Police

37:01

were looking elsewhere. The sun said they

37:03

discovered the bodies when they arrived home

37:06

several hours later. How

37:09

many shots do you think went off?

37:11

About six in a row. The

37:16

police felt it necessary to start investigating the

37:18

organized crime aspect, and they soon realized that

37:20

was a dead end. They knew that the

37:22

brothers had done it. But

37:24

knowing it and proving it are two different things.

37:28

The Menendez family fortune quickly became

37:30

a focus for the police. Five

37:36

weeks after the murders, Eric and Lyle Menendez

37:38

received an insurance policy payout of

37:41

$400,000. And they went

37:43

on a huge spending spree. I mean, if

37:45

I kill my parents, I don't think I'd buy a

37:47

Porsche the first week. They

37:52

weren't shattered and traumatized by grief.

37:55

They were having a grand old time

37:57

spending the money of the dead dead.

38:00

man. Bought cars, bought suits,

38:02

bought watches, bought luxury

38:04

goods. So much

38:06

has been made over the decades of

38:09

the boys' spending spree. There

38:12

were, you know, the Rolex and the this

38:14

and the that. I just kind of laugh

38:16

at that because that's how they were raised,

38:18

spending money. And they

38:20

may have gone out and had a spending spree, but

38:23

it was probably the first time they got to choose

38:25

what they wanted to buy. They didn't go on a

38:27

spending spree out of green? No. I

38:31

would think that you would be in such grief

38:33

that you wouldn't be able to buy Rolexes and

38:35

invest in businesses. Explain to me.

38:37

Let me understand. I'm, you know, I'm

38:39

the public. Lyle didn't buy anything without

38:42

first approving it with my uncle or

38:45

my aunt. You weren't just two greedy kids

38:47

who wanted a lot of money. That's what you're saying. I didn't

38:49

know what to do with the money. I went to, I got

38:52

to a point where I have all this money

38:55

and so much pain. I don't know

38:57

what to do with it. You went

38:59

to your psychologist, Dr. Ozzie, and

39:01

told him that you

39:04

had committed this crime. You were in torment

39:06

and you told him. I got to a point

39:08

where I could no longer live. I felt that I was the

39:10

worst person on earth and I, I, I,

39:12

it got to a point where I couldn't live

39:14

with myself anymore and I needed help. I just

39:16

could not face God. I could not face God

39:18

with what I had done. And so I went

39:20

to him and that

39:22

is what the catalyst was for me

39:25

getting arrested in law. This exchange with

39:27

Barbara Walters, shown for the first time,

39:29

sheds light on Lyle's reaction and

39:32

the brother's relationship. When you

39:34

heard that your brother had

39:36

confessed, you knew them to

39:38

be arrested. weren't you furious with him? It

39:41

really, I was, I was

39:43

upset that he

39:45

had not come to me. But

39:47

we had trouble communicating. We kind of

39:50

separated because when we were together,

39:52

we would be too reminded of what happened.

39:55

And so he started to look

39:57

to other people and in that way it was upsetting.

40:01

Dr. Oziel went on to tape

40:03

conversations with both Eric and Lyle,

40:06

and Dr. Oziel's mistress, Judalon Smith,

40:08

overheard the confession. She's

40:10

the one that came to the police

40:13

and said, I have information about this

40:15

Oziel. They didn't talk about shooting

40:18

the father a whole lot. They

40:20

did talk that they had to keep shooting the mother.

40:23

Eric filled Dr. Oziel in on many

40:25

details about what had happened, including where

40:27

they bought the shotguns. And ABC News

40:30

has learned that two 12-gauge shotguns were

40:32

purchased at this sporting goods store in

40:34

San Diego on August 18th, two

40:37

days before the murders. You bought the guns.

40:39

It wasn't something that just happened that moment.

40:41

You'd thought about it. No.

40:44

You bought the guns in advance. They just went in the

40:46

house. Yes, we bought the guns in advance. So it just

40:49

didn't just happen that moment. We

40:51

bought the guns. There was many

40:53

a series of confrontations and

40:55

blow-ups in the house. My dad, when

40:58

it first was revealed that I had

41:00

told Lyle about the secret, my dad

41:02

said to Lyle, you're going

41:04

to tell everyone, and I'm not going to let

41:07

that happen. And that's

41:09

when we bought the guns, because we didn't know what was going

41:11

to happen. All the pieces

41:13

fell together, and we were able to make

41:16

the arrest. I

41:22

couldn't believe it. The

41:24

family was on the phone to each other. We

41:26

were talking back and forth. How could this

41:29

possibly be? Prosecutors say

41:31

greed drove the boys to shooting their parents

41:33

to death last August. $14

41:35

million provides ample motive to some people

41:37

to commit murder. To me, it was

41:39

like a nightmare, like a

41:41

movie, like it couldn't be reality.

41:45

When the suspicion turned to the brothers and

41:47

they were arrested, what was your reaction to

41:49

that? I was very upset,

41:51

but I have to say I wasn't

41:54

surprised. It's not like I ever suspected

41:56

them, but in

41:58

my mind I thought. It

42:00

makes sense. Because? Because

42:03

they just had no

42:05

way to make

42:08

a life for themselves, to get away from this man.

42:11

Do you think you're evil? Oh no, oh

42:13

no, I'm the opposite

42:15

of evil. He's not an evil person and I'm

42:17

not an evil person. This

42:19

was a horrific murder. The

42:21

community and the general public wanted

42:23

to see justice done in this case. With

42:27

the Menendez trial, a family

42:29

tragedy became a media frenzy.

42:33

This was one of the very first

42:35

trials aired gavel to gavel. This trial

42:37

was a sensation. People watched it wall

42:40

to wall. Good

42:42

afternoon. But now with the family

42:44

exerting public pressure and a scheduled

42:46

court hearing next month, a

42:48

reversal of fortune could be in the works.

42:51

My hope is to have him over for

42:53

Thanksgiving dinner. You want the Menendez brothers home

42:55

for Thanksgiving. Yeah. In

43:24

this section, there's LifeLock. Start

43:26

protecting your identity today with

43:28

a 30-day free trial at

43:30

lifelock.com/podcast. Thank

43:54

you. The

44:00

abused son of wealthy parents and found their

44:02

parents lying dead were slain in the

44:12

family room. The

44:14

Menendez murders that stunned the country.

44:17

There are people who think that

44:19

you are evil, that you are

44:22

monsters. The bombshell trial that transfixed

44:24

everyone. I just told him,

44:27

I don't. You

44:33

heard about some of

44:35

the things that he liked to

44:37

do to his little boy.

44:39

I was saying the boys because

44:41

it's a shorthand for the dirtbags over there

44:43

who killed their parents. Talk

44:46

to five. But now, 35 years later. I

44:49

get the feeling here that we have been heard.

44:51

The testimony from the brothers. My dad

44:54

had been less than me. It's

44:57

getting a fresh appraisal. Plus,

45:01

the support of so many family members. It's

45:04

far too much

45:06

punishment. They were punished just by

45:08

being with that man. Does sexual

45:11

abuse lessen your responsibility for murder?

45:13

That was the question in the

45:15

case. This is done. This

45:17

is done. You understand? Tonight,

45:20

the impact of a miniseries.

45:22

The never-before-seen tapes from Barbara Walters' now

45:25

iconic interview. The first thing you said

45:27

to me was that you missed your

45:29

mother. And a growing movement to set

45:31

the brothers free. Do you think the

45:33

Menendez brothers will walk free someday? We

45:44

were with the family this week as

45:46

they prepared for perhaps the most important

45:48

press conference of their lives. Eric

45:52

and Lyle Menendez have been in prison serving

45:54

life sentences. Several family members want them released.

45:56

And this afternoon, they announced a new push

45:58

for that to happen. Please know

46:00

that I'm nervous and full of emotions. I

46:04

never thought this day would come. I

46:08

am Kitty's sister. I

46:11

stand here today with a heavy heart, and

46:13

also with hope and justice

46:16

and understanding. This

46:18

new surge of interest this week is very

46:20

reminiscent of the media crush back in 1993.

46:24

It was a spectacle. The

46:27

trial was carried gaveled gaveled by a

46:29

new cable TV channel called Core TV,

46:33

and people were following it

46:35

everywhere. It's like

46:38

the crowds in the Roman Coliseum, you

46:40

know, blood, they smell blood. When

46:43

I first saw Eric Menendez walk

46:45

into the courtroom, my blood went

46:47

cold because I had never seen

46:49

someone who had murdered his parents

46:51

before. The only question in this

46:53

case is why

46:55

did these killings occur? It

46:59

will become apparent that this murder

47:01

was unjustified and wholly

47:03

premeditated, and that but for

47:05

a few mistakes they made, this was

47:07

almost the perfect murder. I

47:10

knew that we could prove that the Menendez brothers

47:12

killed their parents, but I also started thinking about,

47:15

okay, let's say I'm going to make up a

47:17

defense. What defense would I make up? And I

47:19

said, I think they're going to fabricate a sexual

47:21

abuse defense because I can't think of

47:23

any other reason why we're going to trial. And

47:27

guess what? They did. Eric

47:29

Menendez was the abused son of

47:31

wealthy parents. Leslie Abramson

47:34

was Eric's dogged defense attorney.

47:36

She aggressively pushed abuse as

47:38

the central issue of the trial. I

47:41

didn't buy it at the start at all. I thought it

47:44

was a total artificial

47:46

construct to do something to save these

47:48

guys from the death penalty. The

47:52

origin of this killing was

47:55

a lifetime of abuse at

47:57

the hands of those same parents. I

47:59

think ... I think the strongest piece of evidence that we

48:02

had, and certainly the most compelling for a

48:04

prosecutor, were the crime scene photos and the

48:06

way that they killed their parents. This is

48:08

her before, and this is her after. And

48:11

the problem for the defendants in this case is

48:13

they can't explain adequately killing

48:15

Mom. They just can't do it.

48:18

The prosecutors carefully and meticulously

48:20

laid out their case of

48:22

two young brothers planning

48:24

a vicious and brutal premeditated

48:26

murder. They called

48:28

Dr. Jerome Oziel. He's that psychologist

48:31

who spoke at length to both

48:33

brothers. Remember, they'd confessed to him

48:35

about the murders. Well,

48:38

basically, they hated their father. They

48:41

felt they had to kill him because he was

48:44

constantly, this was a

48:46

lengthy conversation. He ridiculed them.

48:48

He put them down. He controlled their

48:50

every activity. And did

48:52

you ask them why they killed their mother? Yes,

48:55

I did. The mother was

48:57

more or less a victim,

49:00

that the father had nothing but

49:02

an abusive relationship with her. They

49:05

also felt that they were putting

49:07

the mother out of her misery, that she

49:09

was a miserable, unhappy lady. Although

49:13

they felt that the mother didn't deserve to die

49:16

and shouldn't die, they included

49:18

her in the plan along

49:21

with killing their father because it was

49:23

the only way that they could figure out to kill their

49:26

father. It ripped

49:28

apart their stories and made

49:30

them seem like petty

49:32

liars covering up an

49:34

appalling homicide. I'm sorry.

49:37

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I can't help

49:39

but find who shot. I

49:41

love him, yes. You were

49:43

crying, correct? Right. And at

49:45

the same time, you were lying while you were

49:47

crying. Is that correct? Right. I

49:50

think there was a near universal sense

49:53

that this was going to be a sham defense and

49:55

that it was going to be a joke. And

49:58

then they got on the witness stand. What did

50:00

you think was going to happen? I

50:04

thought they were going

50:07

ahead with their plan to kill us. I

50:09

mean, you're familiar with kids saying, oh, my father's going to kill me.

50:11

Oh, my parents are going to kill me. Is that what you're talking

50:13

about? No. No. Dad

50:16

was going to kill us. I could not conceive

50:18

of these strapping young men being

50:21

in such terror that they

50:23

had to kill their parents out of fear.

50:25

So I didn't buy

50:27

it. Now, after

50:29

you entered the den... I

50:31

was just firing. As I went into the room, I

50:33

just started firing. In what direction? In front

50:35

of me. What was in front of you? My

50:39

parents. She got up

50:41

and ran because her kids came in with shotguns

50:43

and started shooting. I cannot

50:45

imagine. I mean, I

50:47

just can't imagine anything like that. It's just so horrific.

50:51

We fired lots, you know, many,

50:53

many times. And there

50:55

was just glass, and

50:58

you could hear things breaking, and you could hear

51:00

the ringing noises from the booms, and there

51:03

was the smoke from the guns. I

51:06

remember my dad coming forward

51:10

in my direction. So he was

51:12

standing. And

51:15

I remember firing directly at him.

51:19

Now, what was it that happened after the

51:21

shooting ended? I heard a

51:23

noise from my mom. Regrettably,

51:26

the mother was not killed instantly.

51:29

In fact, she was left crawling on

51:31

the floor. And what did you

51:33

do after you reloaded? I

51:39

ran around and shot my mom. Where

51:43

did you shoot her? It's

51:48

reached over. I shot her close. I

51:54

thought that when Lyle described the killing of his mother,

51:57

that a normal jury... would

52:00

find it reprehensible and convict him. You

52:04

know, we loved our mother. Oh, yeah, really? You loved

52:06

her mother? You blew her up. The

52:09

prosecution was completely focused on the idea

52:11

that Eric and Lyle Menendez were greedy,

52:13

rich kids that had killed their parents

52:15

because they were in a hurry to

52:18

inherit their money. Why did you

52:20

need to buy a Rolex watch four days

52:22

after your parents were killed? I

52:25

didn't need to. You wanted to? Well,

52:28

what happened that day is that I was... my

52:31

uncles had talked to my brother and I, and

52:34

that was mainly my brother.

52:36

He needed to get suits for the memorial service

52:38

in L.A. that was coming up. So

52:40

you just thought a $9,000, 18-karat gold Rolex would

52:45

go nicely with your funeral suit?

52:47

And I thought that was a very powerful part

52:49

of the prosecution case. It persuaded me. I mean,

52:51

I didn't think there were fear for their lives.

52:53

I didn't. What do you believe

52:56

was the originating cause

53:00

of you and your brother ultimately

53:02

winding up shooting your parents?

53:08

Me telling Lyle that I'm... You

53:13

telling Lyle what? So whoever

53:15

tells the better story in a trial that's

53:18

anchored in the facts as they come out, that's

53:20

who's gonna persuade the jury. Your

53:25

Honor, can I ask a leading question? If

53:31

you don't ask my dad...

53:34

Wait, one second, Mr. Nolik. Okay, let me

53:36

ask... No, no, he was in the process of answering, so

53:38

I was only to ask him. Can you answer the question?

53:40

Yes. Okay, was you telling Lyle

53:42

what? My dad had been less

53:44

than me. You

53:46

could hear a pin drop in the courtroom, and

53:49

that's when I thought, oh, darn,

53:51

I'm in trouble. Hey,

53:58

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54:03

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54:05

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54:14

go to amazon.com/adfreepodcasts.

54:20

to catch up on the latest episodes without

54:23

the ads. It

54:29

was easy for people to

54:31

dismiss what they were claiming

54:34

as an act. The first

54:36

thing they did is they always dressed

54:38

in pastels and they always wear the

54:40

little crew neck Ralph Lauren sweaters and

54:42

the little polo shirts underneath to make

54:44

them look like little Easter egg candies.

54:46

And they were referred to all the

54:48

time as the boys, not the brothers,

54:50

not the adults because they were adults,

54:53

the boys. The boys are the boys with the

54:55

boys. The boys, the boys, the boys. And it

54:57

got to the point where I was saying the

54:59

boys because it's a shorthand for

55:01

the dirtbags over there who killed their parents.

55:06

For 12 years between

55:09

the ages of six and 18 my

55:13

client Eric Menendez was sexually

55:15

molested by his father. The

55:17

sex abuse defense, the abuse excuse,

55:19

was new in the law and

55:21

so people were very, very skeptical

55:23

of it. Sex abuse

55:26

takes place in private. How

55:29

can you prove it? Who witnesses

55:31

it? The brothers

55:33

never mentioned the alleged abuse to their

55:35

own therapist but they said they did

55:37

have a corroborating witness. When Eric

55:39

Menendez was 10 years old he told his

55:41

cousin Andy Cano that he'd been sexually molested

55:43

by his father. Well he told me his

55:47

father was massaging his s***. Did

55:50

he use that word? Yes he did.

55:52

He wanted to know that this happened

55:55

to every kid. I do remember very

55:57

specifically was him

55:59

at the to make a promise to him never

56:02

to reveal that to anybody. It's hard to

56:04

explain that away, and then when their own testimony

56:06

came, it was very, very powerful. And

56:10

between the ages of six and eight,

56:13

did your father have sexual contact

56:15

with you? Yes. He

56:19

would follow me, and

56:21

he would ask me to do the same with him, and

56:23

I would touch him, and we would undress.

56:27

He would put me on my knees, and

56:31

he would guide me, all my

56:33

movements, and I would have

56:39

oral sexual health. The

56:43

days that Lyle and Eric Menendez testified

56:46

to their claims of sexual abuse are

56:49

among the most unforgettable days I've ever had

56:51

as a journalist. What else did you do

56:53

to him? He

57:02

used objects.

57:07

What kind of objects? A

57:09

toothbrush and some sort

57:12

of shaving utensil brush.

57:17

And did he try to anally penetrate you

57:19

with something else? He did. And

57:23

what was it? It...

57:27

It frightened me.

57:33

Did you ask him not to? I

57:36

just told him. I don't. I'm

57:52

sorry. I

57:57

just told him that I didn't want to do this. and

58:01

let it hurt me. And

58:07

he said that he didn't mean to hurt me. And

58:11

he loved me. At

58:14

one point he was asked, did he do something to

58:16

Eric? And

58:18

he dissolved. He

58:20

broke down. I

58:24

took him out to the woods. I

58:27

took a toothbrush also, and

58:30

I played with Eric in

58:32

the same way. And

58:37

I'm sorry. And

58:39

he says it with such shame,

58:42

but what is even more convincing, and

58:44

I was sitting about 10 feet from

58:46

Eric, is I saw

58:49

this vein start popping

58:51

out of his forehead as he hears

58:53

his brother apologizing, as their own

58:56

secret, horrible,

58:58

sordidness comes out into public

59:00

on television. Did you

59:02

have some hope over that summer of

59:04

1989 for

59:07

some improvement in

59:09

your life? Yes. And

59:12

what did you expect? I was

59:14

gonna go to college. How significant a notion was this? It

59:16

was the most important thing in my life. It was everything

59:18

in my life. It was all I thought about. Why

59:21

was it all you thought about? Why

59:23

was it all I thought about? Yeah. Because

59:26

I would end the sex, and that's all I thought about.

59:29

How did you feel at 18 about

59:32

the fact that your father was having sex

59:34

with you? I hated it. I

59:38

hated it. I

59:40

hated it. You

59:42

slept in bed with your mom a lot, didn't you, even when

59:44

you were little? Yes. And

59:48

did you continue to sleep in her bed around this time when

59:50

you were 11 and 12? Sometimes.

59:57

And sometimes... Did

1:00:00

you touch your mom? Yes,

1:00:03

and where would you touch it? Everywhere

1:00:12

the idea that Eric and Lyle Were

1:00:15

abused by my sister Kitty this

1:00:17

absolute insanity. I thought that was

1:00:19

pretty gratuitous and and just thrown

1:00:22

in as An example of

1:00:25

how awful the parents were that that Kitty

1:00:27

deserved to die too because she was complicit

1:00:30

Because the problem from their point of view was Jose was a

1:00:32

jerk. But what do you do with the mother? Did

1:00:35

she know about the abuse the sexual abuse she

1:00:37

knew and didn't do anything She

1:00:39

knew and it doesn't seem that

1:00:41

she did anything Eric. You were able to

1:00:44

tell you a psychologist That

1:00:46

you had killed your parents, but

1:00:49

you were not able to tell your psychologist

1:00:51

that your father had abused you unless

1:00:54

you've been molested

1:00:57

You can't realize how hard

1:01:00

it is to tell because of shame because

1:01:02

of shame The

1:01:05

sexual abuse is to portray these

1:01:07

people as monsters so that You

1:01:10

will not care that they were dead

1:01:13

both brothers are skilled incredibly

1:01:16

skilled liars I Know

1:01:20

it was real. I'm sorry. I'm just

1:01:22

gonna say it that You

1:01:24

you find me an actor Who

1:01:27

can do that? There

1:01:29

are lots of people who are abused

1:01:32

sexually in other ways and they don't kill

1:01:34

their parents to simplify it to its simplest

1:01:37

degree if a person is

1:01:39

raped man or woman and She

1:01:42

kills the man who raped her is

1:01:44

it an excuse that the reason she killed him is because she

1:01:46

was right Of course not. I

1:01:49

certainly never felt that what I did was

1:01:51

justified or right Was

1:01:53

just a question of how wrong was If

1:01:56

you believe that they were sexually abused does

1:01:58

that lessen their responsibility? for murder. But

1:02:02

soon there's a big complication. Secret

1:02:04

audio tapes are revealed that threaten

1:02:07

to derail the brothers' defense. I'm

1:02:09

gonna have to make something up. So you've got to be just

1:02:11

as convincing. Oh, yeah, well, this is no

1:02:14

problem for me. After

1:02:24

months of gut-wrenching testimony, the trial

1:02:26

for Eric and Lyle Menendez finally

1:02:28

wraps up with both sides making

1:02:31

their closing arguments to jurors. You

1:02:34

heard about some of

1:02:37

the things that he liked to

1:02:39

do to his little boy.

1:02:41

This is not a hard case at all.

1:02:43

This is what happened. These two people were

1:02:45

sitting there watching television, and they

1:02:47

got slaughtered by their sons. At

1:02:50

the end of the day, this trial

1:02:52

came down to, did you believe them?

1:02:55

I remember thinking he's either the best actor in the

1:02:58

world or this is

1:03:00

a true story. These two terrorist

1:03:02

parents built

1:03:05

two bombs that

1:03:07

blew up and killed them. Jurors

1:03:11

have told the jury they are unable

1:03:13

to reach a verdict, hopelessly deadlocked. The

1:03:15

seven women five-man panel sat through six

1:03:17

months of trial, deliberated for 25 days.

1:03:21

The court declares a mistrial. Yeah, that

1:03:23

completes this hearing. I don't

1:03:25

consider it a victory. A victory would be

1:03:27

if my client were free. We never argued

1:03:30

that child abuse is an excuse for murder.

1:03:32

What we argued is child abuse creates a

1:03:34

terrible fear and that that fear

1:03:36

in a certain set of circumstances can cause

1:03:39

people to act because they feel they have

1:03:41

no choice. It was divided

1:03:43

50-50 almost along gender lines. The

1:03:45

women believed the Menendez

1:03:48

brothers' story. The men did not.

1:03:51

The men on my jury did

1:03:53

not buy the sexual abuse story.

1:03:55

They thought that it

1:03:57

either didn't happen or if it

1:03:59

did happen, the boys...