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But out in the real world, where social media sites like TikTok appear to have garnered the power to create actual change in the social justice system, a lot has changed. Their argument of how they cumulatively found themselves believing that their lives were in danger is a contorted one, and its missing what would be the most obviously legally useful component a clear and unambiguous direct threat from both parents shortly before the brothers shot them. I wish rather than 101 witnesses that we presented, I had 45 seconds of video of a child being sexually abused and raped.. There are a few basic rules of working in news. Robert Rand, who covered the Menendez trial as a reporter and has since become an advocate for their cause, traces the latest wave of interest in the case to the 2017 release of The Menendez Murders: Erik Tells All, a true crime docu-series on A&E that featured in-depth interviews with Erik Menendez about his claims of abuse. That has been one of the most interesting parts about this reporting. I swore and told him he was a fking sick person, and I told him no, and that he wasnt going to touch my brother again, and I threatened him that I would I tell everybody everything about him that I would tell the police and I would tell the family.. I did know that they were innocent. Simpson and the hunt for serial killer Jeffrey Dahmar, plans to make Season 2 of Netflixs Monster about the Menendez brothers. For the second trial, they were tried together by a single jury, which found them guilty, and were each handed life sentences. Maybe Id be dead. However, speaking to the teenagers I reached didnt feel like speaking to a teenager. Lyle Menendez, left confers with brother Erik during a court appearance, April 2, 1991, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez leave the courtroom in Santa Monica, Calif., Aug. 6, 1990, after a judge ruled that conversations between the two brothers and their psychologist after their parents were slain are not privileged and can be used as evidence in their murder case. I think my team at ABC does a great job of all three - especially keeping up with the stories that we've taken pride in telling over the years. In one, he is someone who has long ago come to terms with a sentence of life without possibility of parole. I cant say anything else other than I am extremely ashamed at, you know, what a screwed up teenager I was, he said this May. In a matter of months, the Menendez Instead, a young-looking girl was on my screen, fawning over images of the young, attractive brothers at their murder trial. Erik Menendez. News US News RUTHLESS How old were the Menendez brothers in 1989? Janne does not credit the success of her account to advanced video editing skills or social media strategy but rather to the sheer shocking and upsetting nature of Erik and Lyles testimony. Through her research, she says she has become an educated and passionate supporter of Erik and Lyle Menendez taking to TikTok to share her opinions. In order to understand where weve arrived now, you have to understand the basic facts of the Menendez Brothers case. Lyle has a Facebook page under his own name though the pinned post makes clear that he has no internet access, and that while basic information is occasionally channelled from him, the page is primarily set up to be a supportive safe place for adult survivors of abuse. That has been one of the most interesting parts about this reporting. In May, Erik, 52, and Lyle Menendez, 55, requested the court vacate their 1989 I think my team at ABC does a great job of all three especially keeping up with the stories that weve taken pride in telling over the years. A second trial began in 1995. Informed law enforcement sources revealed how both the style and circumstances of the killings indicated mob involvement: Theres no question that its organized crime.. Simpson, Nancy Kerrigan and Lorena Bobbitt. They had removed all the furniture and the rug, so it was just a room and the bookcases and the brothers tennis trophies. He has also for the past five years been back in regular contact with Lyle, whom he speaks of as a friend and visits regularly. But this news wasnt about the infamous Menendez brothers themselves, or their parents, or the trial that created a media frenzy decades ago. The brothers were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Youve made yours. And then he just looked at me and he got up to leave I thought, Oh my God, he thinks Im going to tell people regardless. And I started pleading with him before I left, Dad, Im only going to tell people if you dont stop touching Erik if it doesnt stop. And he just looked at me and said, Youre going to tell everyone anyway. And he left.. For us, just having grown up in the same chaotic bit of a terrorising childhood, we just sort of bonded early and never really let go.. Why the Menendez Brothers? O'Donnell said that Slowly but surely, the tone of the videos showing up completely changed. What do you think, Im stupid?. Noted chronicler Dominick Dunne had been covering the trial for Vanity Fair, where he relayed stories he had heard about how the brothers had concocted, researched and rehearsed their tales of abuse, alongside a cavalcade of other second-hand anecdotes which showed them in a poor light. What is there even to post about? And the second time, I thought, Boy, if my parents had been blown away here, I wouldnt be living in this house.. Through her research, she says she has become an educated and passionate supporter of Erik and Lyle Menendez -- taking to TikTok to share her opinions. Erik will settle for the US Senate.. At the time of their imprisonment, the California Department of Corrections separated the brothers and sent them to different prisons. Comment sections were flooded with outrage over their conviction and links to learn more information about the case. All of the men told me some version of, Well, a father would never do that to his sons., Nonetheless, it wasnt Rands book that triggered the greatest recent upsurge in interest in the Menendez brothers case. some lyle appreciation this amazing edit was created by @eriklylemenendez on instagram! He marriedRebecca Sneed in 2003 in a jailhouse ceremony atMule Creek State Prison.. All their legal appeals have long been exhausted. I interviewed every juror after the first trial, Rand tells me. Now, these TikTok users are thriving on the ability to tell a brand new story from a new perspective using old footage. As New York Times reporter Ezra Marcus told me these young adults werent around to experience the sensationalism that takes place when a crime initially happened. What follows are Eriks words that Rand would quote about the sight that had faced the brothers when they arrived home: Ive never seen anything like it and never will see anything like it. In a TikTok video posted over the weekend, the 61-year old actor and comedian says Lyle and Erik Menendez were "boys who had been incested" and were therefore acting in self-defense and were "innocent" in the 1989 murders of their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez.The brothers were convicted in 1996. Janne discovered that the entire trial was available to watch online and spent a great deal of time watching testimonies and forming her opinions about the Menendez Brothers. To accept this call, say or dial five.. In a matter of months, the Menendez Brothers went from being an old tale of true crime to a viral social media sensation. Im always like, Yeah, it is wrong. Im not supporting the fact that they killed their parents, and I never will. Second - always keep your eyes and ears peeled for new stories. Details on Their Current Status. Even if to claim sexual abuse is not to prove it, the way such abuse is thought about now is very different from how it was in the 1990s. For them, life inside prison walls hasnt changed all too much. Recently, these voices have both multiplied and got louder. First - tell the truth and tell it well. Theyve exhausted most appeals processes and their prospects of a new trial have dwindled. Erik is serving his life sentence at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California. He said, We all make choices in life, son. Todays TikTok activists may be teenagers, but they believe they know what theyre talking aboutand a few million likes may prove it. ( NewsNation) Attorney Mark Geragos told NewsNation on Tuesday that hes cautiously optimistic the Menendez Periodically, the automated voice interrupts to remind us that we are being monitored and recorded. Lyle was born on January 10, 1968, and Erik was born on November 27, 1970. On the afternoon of the last Thursday in October, Lyle calls me. All of the TikTokers I spoke with emphasized that they have grown up in an era where #MeToo reigns and where people can speak more openly about what were previously deemed to be uncomfortable issues. He lives in a dorm with five other inmates, including the brother he was reunited with in 2018. Right before my eyes, the army behind the Menendez Brothers grew stronger and louder with each passing second. It was only when the police didnt come that they took some fairly rudimentary and half-baked though, for a while, successful steps to get away with it. In the meantime, the brothers have found their own indirect ways to communicate with the world. On the night Jose and Kitty were murdered, they were simply at home watching a James Bond film, while there sons were supposed to be out seeing a movie. But its the background story thats so much more important to me., Sharon Ross, a professor of media studies at Columbia College Chicago who studies television and fan behavior, wrote in an email that the boom in true crime, alongside short-form social media like TikTok that encourages bite-sized high-impact posts that aim to generate reactions, has fueled debate among young people online on big picture issues such as how we define truth, justice, and equity.. Updated: Jun 27, 2023 / 11:42 PM CDT. In researching this story, I reached out to dozens of TikTok users about the videos they were posting - and I could hardly find anyone over the age of eighteen. On Jan. 5, ABC will revisit one of the most notable murder cases in recent American history. By Erin Murtha March 31, 2021, 4:00 AM 11:24 Lyle Menendez, right, and brother Erik listen to a charge of murderRead More Chris Martinez/AP There are a few On Jan. 1, Ms. Bersching started an Instagram account of her own, where she connected with supporters across the world. Theyd greet me with a bubbly introduction and tell me how old they were, before getting into an evidence-based narrative about why they believed the Menendez Brothers sentencing was unjust. (Nick Ut/AP) -- Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez leave the courtroom in Santa Monica, Calif., Aug. 6, 1990, after a judge ruled that conversations between the two brothers and their psychologist after their parents were slain are not privileged and can be used as evidence in their murder case. ODonnell, 61, revealed in the 3-minute TikTok video that Lyle Menendez first reached out to her in a letter from prison in 1996. The brothers were eventually arrested in 1990 in connection with the murders. It was a grand house before the Menendez family bought it for $4 million, it had reportedly been rented by a stream of notables, including Elton John, Prince and U2 guitarist The Edge but it was strange to see it like this, for obvious reasons. Maybe they should be doing a lot of time in prison. WebRosie O'Donnell says "it's time" to free the Menendez brothers nearly three decades after their murder conviction.. One TikTok user, eager to point me in the right direction, put me in a group chat with about ten other TikTok users who primarily used the social media site to create videos about the Menendez brothers or to connect with other supporters. The prosecution claimed the brothers were motivated by their inheritance a theory bolstered by their Beverly Hills upbringing and a lavish spending spree in the months before their arrest while the defense argued that they were victims of sexual abuse. Could this make a difference? When Jose returned from a business trip on Thursday evening, Lyle confronted him. Janne from Germany said she first came across the Menendez case from a recommended video on YouTube. In the months after the murders, the brothers began to spend money lavishly, adding to suspicions that they were somehow involved in the murder of their parents. The two brothers grew up in a life of privilege since their father was a very successful entertainment executive. They grew up in New Jersey before moving to Beverly Hills in 1986. Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed contains new allegations of abuse from former Menudo member Roy Rossell, Rosie O'Donnell, Boys Betrayed (Getty Images/Peacock). In 96, you know in the late 80s, people werent ready to accept the fact that boys to get raped sometimes by their fathers, and as a culture, we ridiculed them. I took to the primary source TikTok itself. He was completely relaxed, Rand reflects. Janne discovered that the entire trial was available to watch online and spent a great deal of time watching testimonies and forming her opinions about the Menendez Brothers. After the Menendez brothers were sentenced, even their wish to be incarcerated in the same institution was refused as they had been judged co-conspirators, it was argued that even behind bars they might conspire in future crimes. As summarised in court by his attorney, this escalated in a carefully calculated pattern of grooming the child for his fathers sexual gratification. On the evening of August 20, 1989, Lyle and Erik entered the den of their house, where their parents were seated on a couch, each with 12-gauge shotguns. This story was about the army of internet defenders the convicted murderers had garnered on -- wait for it -- TikTok. That has been one of the most interesting parts about this reporting. Its literally the opposite now. And notwithstanding the mindset he described of accepting their current circumstance, when I ask how he assesses the chances of ever being free, he replies, Increasingly good. The Menendez brothers belong to a category of criminals whose stories are being retold with more nuance and reassessed in light of shifting public opinion. When they were only 21 and 18 years old, respectively, brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty, on Aug. 20, 1989. They also drove aroundLos Angelesin their deceased mother'sMercedes-Benz SLconvertible, dined expensively and went on overseas trips to theCaribbeanandLondon. During the trial, the brothers alleged that they committed the murders in response to years ofsexualandemotional abusethey suffered at the hands of their parents, particularly their father. But who were these people? The first thing you hear is an automated message: You have a prepaid call from Lyle Menendez, an inmate at the RJ Donovan Correctional Facility, San Diego, California. Why now? I was soon flooded with messages from teens aged 13-19, complete with paragraphs-long sentiments about their beliefs. Instead, there are now numerous TikTok videos, Instagram accounts, podcasts and YouTube channels focusing on the specifics of the trials the testimony and the evidence. Eventually the brothers appeared in their tennis whites, holding racquets. Lyle and Erik Menendez grew up in Southern California as sons of a wealthy couple, Kitty and Jose Menendez. There was also something much more serious going on, a chorus that has evolved to incorporate a backlash against the kind of comments above anyone talking about how hot or cute the brothers are now gets called out pretty quickly for sexualising them, and are sometimes reminded of the particular insensitivity in directing such comments towards people who identify as sexual-abuse survivors. Perhaps strangely, it was written by the journalist who had been there since the very beginning: Robert Rand, who, after that first Miami Herald article, had never let the story go. And I hoped we could connect. And you know, he was right. The brothers have now served 31 years in prison, most of that time spent apart from each other only being reunited recently at a prison in San Diego. Much of it stretched boundaries of taste and appropriateness. On the 911 call, Lyles anguish was all too apparent, as he kept trying to convey what had happened. Rand set out to interview Joses friends, associates and remaining family including the two grieving sons. I had never ever committed a violent act, before or since. You know, being a child of rape, being a child who killed his parents, being someone who had to go through this lurid trial you cant really escape those facts. Both Erik and Lyle say they committed the murders after years of insufferable sexual abuse at the hands of their father. Right before my eyes, the army behind the Menendez Brothers grew stronger and louder with each passing second. Like my life was sort of slipping away, and that we were going to die.. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. Many, she said, are as young as 15. Kitty was hit nine times: to her left breast, the right side of her face, her right hand, her right arm, her left thigh, twice in her left knee, a blast through her left shoulder into the left side of her face, and the shot to her left cheek that shattered her skull. As New York Times reporter Ezra Marcus told me these young adults werent around to experience the sensationalism that takes place when a crime initially happened. He decided to set up an Instagram account called @MenendezSupporter to post about the brothers case. They were horribly abused by their parents. My mom is a person that says like, You know, they killed their parents, and thats wrong, she said. In the meantime, Robert Rand, a reporter based in Miami, had been commissioned by the Miami Herald to write a very different kind of article telling the tale of the Menendez patriarch, a Cuban-American success story who had apparently envisioned big things for himself as the first Cuban-born senator in the American government. At the new Menendez trial, this time, over the defences objections, far less historical testimony about abuse and family trauma was allowed. Recently, young people on TikTok have renewed interest in the case. The 1990s in the U.S. was the decade for infotainment, from more normative news coverage to Jerry Springer, Ms. Ross wrote, citing the headline-dominating stories of O.J. I think my team at ABC does a great job of all three especially keeping up with the stories that weve taken pride in telling over the years. I know what you said before but Im afraid. She hopes the brothers never encounter those sexualization edits, considering theyre both married and have suffered a traumatic childhood., I just want to thank them for inspiring me not only me, but other supporters as well, she said, citing reports of the brothers efforts running therapy groups for other inmates. Meanwhile, many newspaper headlines at the time and documentary programs in the years following capitalized on the concept of greedy rich kids killing their parents for money. Rosie O'Donnell Says Menendez Brothers Should Be Freed, Has Grown 'Very Close' with Lyle Just 18 and 21 years old at the time of their 1993 trial for the 1989 Second always keep your eyes and ears peeled for new stories. Jokes about them on Saturday Night Live, jokes from Jay Leno every night. The New York Times article detailed the mass following and attention the Menendez Brothers had gained on TikTok. But the ones that I first saw didn't have anything to do with the Menendez Brothers' case at all. Gone are the days where a news station was the only place to get information. Meanwhile, law enforcement were asking questions, though the big break only came after Erik confessed to his therapist; complacent enough, it seemed, to feel that he could share such information without consequence. I dont see how thats possible., A family portrait of the brothers with their parents, Kitty and Jose, Menendez brothers, Erik, left, and Lyle on the steps of their Beverly Hills home in November, 1989, Kitty and Jose Menendez, pictured in a newspaper story shortly after the killings, Jerrianne Hayslett, Director of Public Information for the Superior Court, reads the guilty verdict for the Menendez re-trial, 1996, The brothers at a preliminary murder hearing in 1991, Users of social media sites and especially TikTok have taken up the brothers cause in recent times, Erik and Lyle Menendez at their 1994 trial, Journalist Robert Rand visiting Lyle in prison, Ukraine-Russia war live: General Armageddon 'knew about Prigozhin's rebellion plans', Violence erupts in Paris after teenager is shot dead by police, Brazilian judge votes to bar Jair Bolsonaro from office for abuse of power, I was ordering pizza in a bar, half an hour later it was blown to pieces, Gustav Klimts Lady With A Fan sells for record 85.3m, Actor Julian Sands confirmed dead after going missing on a hike in California. Jose was shot in the back of the head, and Kitty was shot in the leg while running toward the hallway. Its probably the hardest thing Ive ever had to do. Possibly, if Lyle and I had been there, we could have done something. He was always there when I needed him., Looking back, with what would soon be known, it may seem incredible that Erik talked to this journalist about his father and his family for three-and-a-half hours. She told me she first came across the case from a recommended video on YouTube that piqued her interest. But by then, the central fact was no longer in dispute: the Menendez brothers had shot and killed their parents. Once they had killed their parents at least 13 shots fired in a quiet Beverly Hills neighbourhood their natural assumption would have been that the police would be there in seconds. Before long, the blame for their slaying was pinned on their sons, 21-year-old Lyle and 18-year-old Erik, and the story of the Menendez brothers would soon captivate America. Somebodys going to fix this! And they dont understand that there has to be a legal pathway, and its just very, very difficult., LYLE: If you dont believe us in 2020 and beyond, I dont get it, Perhaps these next words hint at his more realistic hopes: TikTok, they are like the future lawyers, legislators, doctors, politicians. None of these teenagers deny that this horrific crime of their parents being murdered happened or that it was Erik and Lyle who committed it. Are the brothers still close? They didnt live through the shock of the crime itself, or even the news reports in the days and weeks to follow. Lyle Menendez Wrote to ODonnell. Young people are making impassioned arguments for the release of Lyle and Erik Menendez. By a child, I clarify, he means himself or Erik? Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for murdering their parents, have become the subjects of hundreds of fan accounts across social media. When they killed their mother and father, Lyle was 21 The New York Times article detailed the mass following and attention the Menendez Brothers had gained on TikTok. But out in the real world, where social media sites like TikTok appear to have garnered the power to create actual change in the social justice system, a lot has changed. An earlier version of this article misspelled the given name of one of the Menendez brothers. I was soon flooded with messages from teens aged 13-19, complete with paragraphs-long sentiments about their beliefs. Earlier in 2020, Court TV had posted online footage of the entire months-long first trial, and now TikTok, the social media site filled with short video clips, particularly beloved by teens and 20-somethings, was, somewhat unexpectedly, awash with Menendez brothers content. ODonnell argued that if their allegations of abuse had been believed, the brothers would have served only 10 to 25 years instead of receiving a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. He says that his father told him to stay out of it, and suggested they forget theyd ever had the conversation. Janne discovered that the entire trial was available to watch online and spent a great deal of time watching testimonies and forming her opinions about the Menendez Brothers. Of course, yes. But the ones that I first saw didnt have anything to do with the Menendez Brothers case at all. Kitty slipped on her own blood and fell, which is when she was shot several times in the arm, chest and face, leaving her unrecognizable. Some brothers are, some brothers arent. Correct. There were 173 million views on these videos. In a video shared to TikTok on Sunday, ODonnell said that Lyle had initially reached out to her in 1996, but even though she believed they were innocent, she wasnt ready to publicly support them. Lyle Menendez, right, and brother Erik listen to a charge of murder conspiracy against them, Dec. 29, 1992, in Los Angeles. He told several hours of these really loving anecdotes about two people that he seemed to obviously care about., Rands story, published that Christmas Eve, would close with Erik explaining how he and his brother intended to honour their fathers legacy. They didn't live through the shock of the crime itself, or even the news reports in the days and weeks to follow. Why the Menendez Brothers? The alarm wasnt raised until the couples two sons, Lyle, 21, and Erik, 18, returned just before midnight to the family home at 722 North Elm Drive from a nearby movie theatre that had been showing the new Batman film. Lyle and Erik were 18 and 21 For them, life inside prison walls hasnt changed all too much. Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed is now streaming on Peacock. (ABC NEWS) There are a few basic rules of working in news. Both Erik and Lyle say they committed the murders after years of insufferable sexual abuse at the hands of their father. Lyle is clearly buoyed by the resurgent interest in their case and what he views as a sea change in how they are viewed. This call and your telephone number will be monitored and recorded. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. Erik recounted a similar tale, but one that had continued through his teenage years until his fathers death. CNN Attorneys for brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were convicted of the 1989 murder of their parents, say new evidence shows the convictions and life Frankly, they appear to overwhelmingly be kids. And while the claims were never able to be proven, this defense led to a deadlocked jury and a retrial. Israel Salas-Rodriguez Published: 14:43, 7 Apr 2021 Updated: 16:23, 7 Apr 2021 Israel Salas-Rodriguez Published: Invalid Date, I would say, he replies, that if you didnt believe us in the 90s, I get it. He reiterates that they faced judgment in an era which largely didnt understand the sexual abuse of boys. In a matter of months, the Menendez Brothers went from being an old tale of true crime to a viral social media sensation. I typed "Menendez Brothers" into the search bar, and my screen flooded with hundreds of videos. In a TikTok video posted over the weekend, the 61-year old These realities, combined with the abundant amount of available courtroom footage and unique style of TikTok have laid the groundwork for Gen Z TikTok users to generate an entirely new category of content. Likewise, the multi-day drama the brothers both recounted as the build-up to the killings has the messy, confusing, haphazard contours of real life, not of well-plotted and calculated motivation and justification. Afterwards, confident that they had got away with it, the brothers went on a spending spree buying cars, watches, restaurants and in the first three months after the murders were said to have spent over a million dollars. ET on ABC. Then there is a letter. In a new video shared to TikTok over the weekend, O'Donnell said she As this suggests, the role Rand finds himself in these days is not a straightforward one: he is at once a journalist and an advocate for the brothers release. I mean, really? But out in the real world, where social media sites like TikTok appear to have garnered the power to create actual change in the social justice system, a lot has changed. Ive never seen my dad helpless. The New York Times article detailed the mass following and attention the Menendez Brothers had gained on TikTok. The brothers purposely left the scene of the crime and went to the movie theater. Instead, a girlfriend offered to give Rand a tour. Aileen Wuornos, a serial killer who was executed in 2002 for the murders of seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990, said the killings were self-defense against sexual assault; she has since come to be seen as a misunderstood feminist figure. But its certainly understandable.

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