José & Kitty Menéndez

On the evening of August 20, 1989, José Menéndez (45), a Cuban-born entertainment executive who was CEO of LIVE Entertainment (later Artisan Entertainment), and his wife Mary Louise 'Kitty' Menéndez (47) were shot to death with 12-gauge shotguns in the den of their Beverly Hills mansion at 722 North Elm Drive. They were struck by a combined total of 15 shotgun blasts. Their sons Lyle (21) and Erik (18) called 911, claiming they had returned home to find their parents dead.

Initially, police investigated the murders as a possible mob hit related to José's business dealings. However, Erik began confessing to his psychologist, Dr. Jerome Oziel, who recorded the sessions. When Oziel's ex-girlfriend Judalon Smyth learned of the recordings, she contacted police. The brothers were arrested in March 1990.

The first trial in 1993-1994 was televised live on Court TV and became a national sensation. The brothers admitted to the killings but claimed they acted out of fear after years of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse by their father. The trial ended in two hung juries (one for each brother). At the second trial in 1995-1996, the judge significantly limited testimony about the abuse allegations, and both brothers were convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy. They were sentenced to life without parole.

The case experienced renewed attention in the 2020s, driven by documentaries, a Ryan Murphy Netflix series, and a TikTok campaign advocating for the brothers' release. In 2024, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office recommended resentencing, citing new evidence supporting the brothers' abuse claims, including a letter Erik wrote to a cousin before the murders describing the abuse and testimony from Roy Rosselló, a former member of the boy band Menudo, who alleged he was also sexually abused by José Menéndez.