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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:01,283 --> 00:00:06,473 ♪♪ 2 00:00:17,483 --> 00:00:25,173 ♪♪ 3 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:32,380 ♪♪ 4 00:00:32,416 --> 00:00:34,196 Welcome to "How It Really Happened." 5 00:00:34,233 --> 00:00:35,433 I'm Hill Harper. 6 00:00:35,466 --> 00:00:38,446 It was a hot August night in 1989 7 00:00:38,483 --> 00:00:42,053 when media titan José Menéndez and his wife, Kitty, 8 00:00:42,083 --> 00:00:43,373 were gunned down in cold blood 9 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,200 in their multimillion-dollar Beverly Hills mansion. 10 00:00:46,233 --> 00:00:48,283 The gruesome double murder shocked residents 11 00:00:48,316 --> 00:00:50,326 of this well-heeled hamlet 12 00:00:50,366 --> 00:00:52,326 and would later transfix a nation drawn 13 00:00:52,366 --> 00:00:56,346 to the lurid testimony playing live from a Van Nuys courtroom, 14 00:00:56,383 --> 00:00:59,223 but for the first several months following the murders, 15 00:00:59,250 --> 00:01:01,450 the world would be riveted by one of the most publicized 16 00:01:01,483 --> 00:01:04,053 whodunits in history, 17 00:01:04,083 --> 00:01:07,053 and it was straight out of a Hollywood film noir. 18 00:01:07,083 --> 00:01:08,473 But how did it really happen? 19 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,130 ♪♪ 20 00:01:13,166 --> 00:01:16,366 Velez-Mitchell: Beverly Hills represents wealth, 21 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:19,070 represents exclusivity. 22 00:01:22,416 --> 00:01:26,026 Prettiest people, the fanciest cars. 23 00:01:28,066 --> 00:01:32,096 Crimes happen all over L.A., but rarely in Beverly Hills. 24 00:01:32,133 --> 00:01:35,373 Beverly Hills, California, averages two murders a year, 25 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:39,230 and in August 20, 1989, their quota was filled. 26 00:01:39,266 --> 00:01:46,196 ♪♪ 27 00:02:02,433 --> 00:02:05,173 The phone rang, and it was the watch commander indicating 28 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:09,000 that I needed to respond to the station. 29 00:02:09,033 --> 00:02:13,423 They had a double homicide at 722 North Elm. 30 00:02:13,450 --> 00:02:15,400 Reporter: The first patrol car pulls up. 31 00:02:15,433 --> 00:02:18,123 Erik Menéndez is curled up in a ball, 32 00:02:18,150 --> 00:02:20,380 weeping hysterically on the front lawn. 33 00:02:20,416 --> 00:02:24,346 At this time, we have two deceased persons inside, 34 00:02:24,383 --> 00:02:27,273 a male and a female. 35 00:02:27,300 --> 00:02:31,300 They escorted me into the home to show me the crime scene. 36 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:37,430 As you enter, there is a large double door 37 00:02:37,466 --> 00:02:39,226 directly in front of you. 38 00:02:39,266 --> 00:02:45,066 ♪♪ 39 00:02:45,100 --> 00:02:48,030 The -- The victims were in their home, you know, 40 00:02:48,066 --> 00:02:51,376 watching TV, having dessert, relaxing. 41 00:02:54,083 --> 00:02:56,133 Apparently, that's where they started shooting 42 00:02:56,166 --> 00:02:59,476 the second they were in the room. 43 00:03:00,016 --> 00:03:02,026 Fogg: Mr. Menéndez was sitting on the couch 44 00:03:02,066 --> 00:03:05,316 and quite a bit of trauma to the legs, 45 00:03:05,350 --> 00:03:10,350 to the head, to the torso, just immense carnage on -- 46 00:03:10,383 --> 00:03:12,203 on the body itself. 47 00:03:14,316 --> 00:03:18,066 Just below, on the floor between the coffee table 48 00:03:18,100 --> 00:03:23,030 and the couch, was Mrs. Menéndez, Kitty Menéndez. 49 00:03:24,450 --> 00:03:27,200 In my 38 years in law enforcement, 50 00:03:27,233 --> 00:03:30,433 I've seen murder victims and I've seen suicide victims, 51 00:03:30,466 --> 00:03:33,266 but the condition in which these two bodies were in 52 00:03:33,300 --> 00:03:35,000 just I'll never forget the look. 53 00:03:35,033 --> 00:03:37,483 They were basically unrecognizable. 54 00:03:38,016 --> 00:03:40,346 The way movies depict a crime scene 55 00:03:40,383 --> 00:03:44,373 is tamer often than what it really is. 56 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:46,400 It's always shocking, the amount of blood. 57 00:03:46,433 --> 00:03:50,103 It's more than you can fathom. 58 00:03:50,133 --> 00:03:52,383 Fogg: Occasionally, you would hear a flop here and a flop there, 59 00:03:52,416 --> 00:03:55,126 and that would've been the tissue falling down from the -- 60 00:03:55,166 --> 00:03:57,276 the bookcases or the ceiling. 61 00:03:57,316 --> 00:04:00,426 My partner needed to hold an umbrella over my head and camera 62 00:04:00,466 --> 00:04:03,396 so that it would protect us both 63 00:04:03,433 --> 00:04:08,223 from the types of tissue falling down. 64 00:04:08,250 --> 00:04:11,250 Edmonds: When they picked up José's body, 65 00:04:11,283 --> 00:04:13,183 the brain fell out of his head. 66 00:04:15,433 --> 00:04:18,323 It was just a -- a scene you don't want to see very often. 67 00:04:18,350 --> 00:04:26,120 ♪♪ 68 00:04:26,150 --> 00:04:31,100 It was quarter to 12:00, 12:00 at night, 69 00:04:31,133 --> 00:04:33,423 and the phone woke us up. 70 00:04:33,450 --> 00:04:37,130 Erik was screaming on the phone, "My father is dead! 71 00:04:37,166 --> 00:04:38,326 My father is dead!" 72 00:04:38,366 --> 00:04:41,276 The house was cordoned off already with that yellow tape. 73 00:04:41,316 --> 00:04:43,396 There was a number of police cars. 74 00:04:43,433 --> 00:04:46,183 They blocked off the traffic, no traffic. 75 00:04:46,216 --> 00:04:49,166 Lyle was on the sidewalk talking to one or two 76 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:51,030 either policemen or detectives. 77 00:04:51,066 --> 00:04:52,146 The police show up at the scene, 78 00:04:52,183 --> 00:04:54,183 and there are these two distraught sons, 79 00:04:54,216 --> 00:04:56,116 these two boys, 80 00:04:56,150 --> 00:04:59,380 and they've just found their parents murdered. 81 00:04:59,416 --> 00:05:02,196 Lyle and Erik Menéndez, the brothers, 82 00:05:02,233 --> 00:05:04,133 they had a good reputation. 83 00:05:04,166 --> 00:05:05,326 They were good students. 84 00:05:05,366 --> 00:05:07,326 They were great tennis players. 85 00:05:07,366 --> 00:05:09,346 Heffernan: I was quite close to them at that time, 86 00:05:09,383 --> 00:05:11,433 and I felt like they needed me. 87 00:05:11,466 --> 00:05:14,466 We went down to the police station, and I went with them. 88 00:05:17,266 --> 00:05:22,146 I interviewed the two boys, Lyle and Erik, 89 00:05:22,183 --> 00:05:26,003 and Erik was very, very tearful 90 00:05:26,033 --> 00:05:29,283 and told me that they had been to a food festival 91 00:05:29,316 --> 00:05:32,146 and a movie in Santa Monica. 92 00:05:32,183 --> 00:05:35,473 And when they came in, they entered the house, 93 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,300 they found their parents deceased. 94 00:05:38,333 --> 00:05:41,433 I tried to console him and then tried to get information 95 00:05:41,466 --> 00:05:44,376 as to who would've possibly done this. 96 00:05:47,016 --> 00:05:48,026 Camerota: The first hours after the crime, 97 00:05:48,066 --> 00:05:50,076 the police are scrubbing the crime scene, 98 00:05:50,116 --> 00:05:51,376 and they're looking for DNA evidence. 99 00:05:51,416 --> 00:05:53,246 They're looking for fingerprints. 100 00:05:53,283 --> 00:05:56,253 They are looking for eyewitnesses 101 00:05:56,283 --> 00:05:57,433 and for what people might have heard, 102 00:05:57,466 --> 00:06:00,346 particularly when the crime is gunshots. 103 00:06:00,383 --> 00:06:07,223 ♪♪ 104 00:06:07,250 --> 00:06:11,000 I believe, at 10:00 in the evening, 105 00:06:11,033 --> 00:06:13,353 the neighbors heard a banging 106 00:06:13,383 --> 00:06:15,283 but did not want to get involved. 107 00:06:15,316 --> 00:06:17,446 It sounded like [Imitates gunshots] 108 00:06:17,483 --> 00:06:20,053 Shotgun blasts over and over again -- 109 00:06:20,083 --> 00:06:23,473 you're talking, you know, a good 16 shots with a shotgun blast. 110 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:27,200 Nobody called the police, which is very surprising. 111 00:06:27,233 --> 00:06:31,173 They call on barking dogs all the time in Beverly Hills, 112 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:33,180 and parking violations. 113 00:06:33,216 --> 00:06:35,166 I remember first hearing 114 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:39,420 about the Menéndez murders on local TV, 115 00:06:39,450 --> 00:06:44,070 and it seemed completely unreal. 116 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:49,400 The names of the victims that we have 117 00:06:49,433 --> 00:06:54,103 is Joseph Enrique Menéndez, 45 years old, 118 00:06:54,133 --> 00:06:58,253 and his wife, Mary or Kitty Louise Menéndez, 119 00:06:58,283 --> 00:07:00,123 44 years old. 120 00:07:00,150 --> 00:07:04,180 Who could get into the home and creep up on them 121 00:07:04,216 --> 00:07:07,366 as they're watching TV, you know, in their den? 122 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:09,420 There was no real struggle. 123 00:07:09,450 --> 00:07:12,250 How did the perpetrator do that? 124 00:07:12,283 --> 00:07:14,383 Reporter: People in this quiet, exclusive neighborhood 125 00:07:14,416 --> 00:07:16,466 remain surprised at the murders. 126 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:18,080 Woman: It said Beverly Hills, 127 00:07:18,116 --> 00:07:20,016 and I thought it was somewhere else, you know? 128 00:07:20,050 --> 00:07:21,180 Reporter: Why? Why'd you think that? 129 00:07:21,216 --> 00:07:22,296 Well, I didn't think it would be here, right -- 130 00:07:22,333 --> 00:07:24,123 right where I come to work at. 131 00:07:24,150 --> 00:07:25,430 After what happened here last night, 132 00:07:25,466 --> 00:07:28,366 some of the neighbors are worried and afraid. 133 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:32,030 We don't know if this is an isolated incident. 134 00:07:32,066 --> 00:07:35,266 Fogg: There was an urgency that we needed to solve this -- 135 00:07:35,300 --> 00:07:38,000 this case, not only for the victims 136 00:07:38,033 --> 00:07:40,053 but for the community at large. 137 00:07:40,083 --> 00:07:41,323 Was it a gang-related type thing? 138 00:07:41,350 --> 00:07:43,320 Was it a Mafia-related type thing? 139 00:07:43,350 --> 00:07:45,100 This was a horrific crime. 140 00:07:45,133 --> 00:07:47,233 Reporter: Police have no conclusive evidence. 141 00:07:47,266 --> 00:07:49,096 Who hated them? 142 00:07:49,133 --> 00:07:50,433 Who had they crossed? 143 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:59,420 ♪♪ 144 00:07:59,450 --> 00:08:01,100 Reporter: It happened at this mansion 145 00:08:01,133 --> 00:08:03,153 in the heart of Beverly Hills. 146 00:08:03,183 --> 00:08:06,083 At approximately 11:47 P.M. last night, 147 00:08:06,116 --> 00:08:09,076 we received a call on our 911 emergency line 148 00:08:09,116 --> 00:08:10,446 from the residents stating 149 00:08:10,483 --> 00:08:12,173 that there had been a shooting here. 150 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:16,230 On the night José and Kitty Menéndez were killed, 151 00:08:16,266 --> 00:08:20,226 Erik and Lyle Menéndez, you know, made this 911 call. 152 00:08:48,283 --> 00:08:50,253 Reporter: All morning, detectives and technicians 153 00:08:50,283 --> 00:08:53,103 from the crime lab continued to look for clues 154 00:08:53,133 --> 00:08:57,073 behind the huge oak doors and the ornate windows. 155 00:08:57,100 --> 00:08:59,100 Heffernan: This was all about loss. 156 00:08:59,133 --> 00:09:00,323 They had lost their parents, 157 00:09:00,350 --> 00:09:05,230 and it was a huge issue of loss and immediate grief. 158 00:09:05,266 --> 00:09:13,276 ♪♪ 159 00:09:13,316 --> 00:09:16,266 Lyle: It's really hard to describe the -- 160 00:09:16,300 --> 00:09:22,330 the feelings, just the shock, just not believing 161 00:09:22,366 --> 00:09:27,016 that this was happening and that my parents were dead. 162 00:09:27,050 --> 00:09:28,420 Rand: There were three memorial services 163 00:09:28,450 --> 00:09:30,250 for José and Kitty Menéndez. 164 00:09:30,283 --> 00:09:32,273 There was a third memorial service that was held 165 00:09:32,300 --> 00:09:34,250 in late September '89, 166 00:09:34,283 --> 00:09:35,383 about a month after the murders, 167 00:09:35,416 --> 00:09:38,996 for the Cuban-American relatives in Miami, 168 00:09:39,033 --> 00:09:41,053 and Erik and Lyle didn't show up. 169 00:09:41,083 --> 00:09:44,233 They told their aunt that they were just too emotional. 170 00:09:44,266 --> 00:09:51,416 ♪♪ 171 00:09:51,450 --> 00:09:54,300 Camerota: In the days following the crime, 172 00:09:54,333 --> 00:09:57,333 police were confused, 173 00:09:57,366 --> 00:09:59,276 and they were baffled. 174 00:09:59,316 --> 00:10:04,066 You had two dead people in a high-class residential area, 175 00:10:04,100 --> 00:10:09,400 which is like a red light to the press and to this community. 176 00:10:12,266 --> 00:10:14,346 And we had no leads, zero. 177 00:10:17,466 --> 00:10:20,446 Reporter: Is it as much of a mystery to everyone around here 178 00:10:20,483 --> 00:10:22,333 as it seems to be to the police right now? 179 00:10:22,366 --> 00:10:23,346 Yeah. 180 00:10:23,383 --> 00:10:25,373 I mean, we just have no clue how -- 181 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:27,470 how anything like that could -- could happen. 182 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:36,020 ♪♪ 183 00:10:36,050 --> 00:10:38,180 The goal was to solve the crime. 184 00:10:38,216 --> 00:10:41,426 We checked everything trying to find some evidence 185 00:10:41,466 --> 00:10:44,126 that possibly the crooks left. 186 00:10:47,050 --> 00:10:51,150 We found quite a bit of shotgun pellets that were left behind, 187 00:10:51,183 --> 00:10:53,333 and those were everything from bird shot, 188 00:10:53,366 --> 00:10:56,026 which is very small, to double-ought buck, 189 00:10:56,066 --> 00:10:57,346 which is very large. 190 00:10:57,383 --> 00:10:59,423 There was some pieces of wadding in there 191 00:10:59,450 --> 00:11:01,400 from the shotgun rounds. 192 00:11:01,433 --> 00:11:05,123 I believe that there were 13 of those that we recovered 193 00:11:05,150 --> 00:11:07,380 throughout the floor, but the interesting fact 194 00:11:07,416 --> 00:11:11,016 was the expended cartridge cases were all picked up. 195 00:11:11,050 --> 00:11:14,300 And fingerprints on a plastic shotgun shell 196 00:11:14,333 --> 00:11:17,033 would be pretty darn good for fingerprints. 197 00:11:17,066 --> 00:11:21,296 So it was a very calculated move on the suspects' part 198 00:11:21,333 --> 00:11:25,153 of trying to collect as much evidence as possible. 199 00:11:25,183 --> 00:11:29,053 Why they didn't pick up the -- the wadding, I don't know. 200 00:11:29,083 --> 00:11:30,453 Camerota: So when a crime happens in Beverly Hills, 201 00:11:30,483 --> 00:11:33,033 the first kind of snap judgement you would make is, 202 00:11:33,066 --> 00:11:35,226 "Oh, robbery. This involves money." 203 00:11:35,266 --> 00:11:37,476 There were no apparent signs of a forced entry. 204 00:11:38,016 --> 00:11:39,166 We're uncertain, as of this time, 205 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:41,000 as to how whoever committed the crime 206 00:11:41,033 --> 00:11:42,483 actually got into the home. 207 00:11:46,116 --> 00:11:47,376 Curtis: Was it a robbery? Probably not, 208 00:11:47,416 --> 00:11:49,996 because we don't believe there was any property missing. 209 00:11:52,450 --> 00:11:55,250 The next thing the police have to do is, 210 00:11:55,283 --> 00:11:58,453 what could be the connection between the murderers 211 00:11:58,483 --> 00:12:00,433 and the victims? 212 00:12:00,466 --> 00:12:03,166 There were a lot of signs at the scene 213 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:07,280 that indicated there was some type of relationship, 214 00:12:07,316 --> 00:12:11,296 that the killer and the victims knew each other in some way. 215 00:12:11,333 --> 00:12:13,353 A lot of the shooting occurred very close 216 00:12:13,383 --> 00:12:16,303 because Mr. Menéndez was sitting on the couch, 217 00:12:16,333 --> 00:12:20,403 and right on the arm of the couch was a remote 218 00:12:20,433 --> 00:12:22,133 that did not fall off. 219 00:12:22,166 --> 00:12:25,076 Also, the coffee table immediately in front 220 00:12:25,116 --> 00:12:27,126 of both victims, 221 00:12:27,166 --> 00:12:29,196 the items on that were not disturbed, 222 00:12:29,233 --> 00:12:34,483 so the shooters were very, very close-range, point-blank. 223 00:12:36,300 --> 00:12:39,250 Camerota: They would start looking at Kitty and José Menéndez 224 00:12:39,283 --> 00:12:41,233 about who their enemies were. 225 00:12:41,266 --> 00:12:44,216 The initial media speculation about the Menéndez murders 226 00:12:44,250 --> 00:12:47,220 was that it was somehow related to the entertainment business. 227 00:12:47,250 --> 00:12:50,420 Curtis: It's my understanding that it was the two boys, 228 00:12:50,450 --> 00:12:53,250 Erik and Lyle, who also indicated early on 229 00:12:53,283 --> 00:12:55,303 that this might be a Mafia involvement. 230 00:12:55,333 --> 00:12:58,053 Johnson: When José and Kitty were murdered, 231 00:12:58,083 --> 00:13:00,423 the original idea was that it was supposedly 232 00:13:00,450 --> 00:13:03,150 because José's business dealings 233 00:13:03,183 --> 00:13:06,033 previously had an arm of their company 234 00:13:06,066 --> 00:13:08,346 that dealt in soft-core porn. 235 00:13:08,383 --> 00:13:11,403 I was, at the time, working in a suburban bureau 236 00:13:11,433 --> 00:13:13,133 of theLos Angeles Times, 237 00:13:13,166 --> 00:13:16,216 and I was covering the pornography industry. 238 00:13:16,250 --> 00:13:19,180 There had been a previous mob hit of a pornographer 239 00:13:19,216 --> 00:13:20,996 in Los Angeles just the year before, 240 00:13:21,033 --> 00:13:24,423 and I started looking into the allegations of a mob hit. 241 00:13:24,450 --> 00:13:28,220 Reporter: TheLos Angeles Times is reporting organized crime 242 00:13:28,250 --> 00:13:30,380 may have played a part in the murders. 243 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:37,150 So Doug Plog and I went to Newark... 244 00:13:40,050 --> 00:13:44,180 ...and interviewed a guy that was part of organized crime. 245 00:13:44,216 --> 00:13:45,476 He said, "We wouldn't have been as messy," 246 00:13:46,016 --> 00:13:48,166 because we described to him what happened, 247 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:50,280 "And we wouldn't have killed his wife." 248 00:13:50,316 --> 00:13:52,326 Reporter: Police have no conclusive evidence 249 00:13:52,366 --> 00:13:54,366 that the shooting was mob-related 250 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:57,250 and would not comment on the alleged mob connection 251 00:13:57,283 --> 00:14:00,353 other than to say they are not ruling it out. 252 00:14:00,383 --> 00:14:02,273 There was speculation in the media that, 253 00:14:02,300 --> 00:14:04,200 because José was Latino, 254 00:14:04,233 --> 00:14:07,283 that there was some type of drug connection. 255 00:14:07,316 --> 00:14:14,076 So then we profiled José to see if he had any connections, 256 00:14:14,116 --> 00:14:16,026 and it was all dead-end stuff. 257 00:14:16,066 --> 00:14:17,996 Camerota: At the same time the police are doing 258 00:14:18,033 --> 00:14:19,103 their investigation, 259 00:14:19,133 --> 00:14:22,183 these twoL.A. Times print reporters, 260 00:14:22,216 --> 00:14:25,116 who were looking into this very spectacular, 261 00:14:25,150 --> 00:14:30,230 gruesome case, the reporters went to talk to the brothers. 262 00:14:30,266 --> 00:14:32,416 When confronted with a sensational murder, 263 00:14:32,450 --> 00:14:34,250 you want to talk to the family. 264 00:14:34,283 --> 00:14:39,303 My colleague, Ron Soble, and I visited them at their mansion. 265 00:14:39,333 --> 00:14:43,103 It had been only a few weeks, and so I walked in fully 266 00:14:43,133 --> 00:14:46,303 expecting to see two traumatized young men, 267 00:14:46,333 --> 00:14:51,303 and with Lyle, there -- there wasn't any trace of that. 268 00:14:51,333 --> 00:14:53,483 He had some ideas to start businesses. 269 00:14:54,016 --> 00:14:57,276 He was much more interested in talking about his business plans 270 00:14:57,316 --> 00:15:01,476 than he was about what happened with his father and mother. 271 00:15:02,016 --> 00:15:06,126 Erik took his cues from Lyle in trying to show that he was, 272 00:15:06,166 --> 00:15:10,146 you know, ready to assume the mantle of adulthood. 273 00:15:10,183 --> 00:15:12,253 We had a strong suspicion at that point 274 00:15:12,283 --> 00:15:15,103 that there was something Lyle and Erik were not telling. 275 00:15:15,133 --> 00:15:18,003 Something wasn't right. 276 00:15:23,166 --> 00:15:24,996 Bye! 277 00:15:25,033 --> 00:15:26,303 Bye, everyone! 278 00:15:26,333 --> 00:15:32,003 ♪♪ 279 00:15:32,033 --> 00:15:37,223 ♪♪ 280 00:15:37,250 --> 00:15:40,280 My editor at theMiami Herald wanted me to write a biography 281 00:15:40,316 --> 00:15:44,146 about the fascinating life of José Menéndez, 282 00:15:44,183 --> 00:15:47,223 Cuban-American rags-to-riches success story 283 00:15:47,250 --> 00:15:49,100 that ended in this horrible tragedy. 284 00:15:49,133 --> 00:15:52,123 We lost a friend as -- as well as a -- a -- 285 00:15:52,150 --> 00:15:54,020 a business associate. 286 00:15:54,050 --> 00:15:55,180 Rand: The people that worked with him 287 00:15:55,216 --> 00:15:57,176 at Live Entertainment tended -- 288 00:15:57,216 --> 00:16:01,416 tended to like José very much, admire him very much. 289 00:16:01,450 --> 00:16:05,320 José worked like a demon to succeed in America, 290 00:16:05,350 --> 00:16:07,120 and he did. 291 00:16:07,150 --> 00:16:11,420 ♪♪ 292 00:16:11,450 --> 00:16:13,350 Reporter: 45-year-old José Menéndez 293 00:16:13,383 --> 00:16:17,073 was a talented, tough-minded show-business exec. 294 00:16:17,100 --> 00:16:20,020 When he left Cuba at 16, he was penniless. 295 00:16:20,050 --> 00:16:24,330 Well, José was the youngest child in a family in Cuba. 296 00:16:24,366 --> 00:16:26,216 Although they weren't rich, 297 00:16:26,250 --> 00:16:28,320 they were certainly a well-respected family 298 00:16:28,350 --> 00:16:32,070 and considered themselves part of the Cuban elite. 299 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:38,350 When Castro came to power, they lost everything they -- 300 00:16:38,383 --> 00:16:42,473 they had, and, you know, his family gradually, 301 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,280 one after the other, left Cuba. 302 00:16:45,316 --> 00:16:47,046 The company is broad-based, 303 00:16:47,083 --> 00:16:52,023 and it provides pretty much what the consumer wants. 304 00:16:52,050 --> 00:16:55,300 Edmonds: He started off working at Hertz as an executive 305 00:16:55,333 --> 00:16:58,483 and worked himself up like a rocket, 306 00:16:59,016 --> 00:17:01,046 really a brilliant guy. 307 00:17:01,083 --> 00:17:04,273 Rand: When José Menéndez was a top executive 308 00:17:04,300 --> 00:17:05,470 with Hertz Rent a Car, 309 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:08,120 O.J. Simpson actually came for dinner one night 310 00:17:08,150 --> 00:17:11,080 to the Menéndez home in Princeton, New Jersey, 311 00:17:11,116 --> 00:17:13,076 and he met Erik and Lyle Menéndez 312 00:17:13,116 --> 00:17:16,226 when they were young boys, and from Hertz, 313 00:17:16,266 --> 00:17:18,476 he was named head of RCA Records. 314 00:17:19,016 --> 00:17:21,196 José Menéndez, he was very successful, 315 00:17:21,233 --> 00:17:25,083 but it came out that he also had a bit of a dark side. 316 00:17:26,300 --> 00:17:27,430 Johnson: Everybody who encountered him 317 00:17:27,466 --> 00:17:29,366 said one of two things about him. 318 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:33,250 He could charm anyone and, at the same time, 319 00:17:33,283 --> 00:17:36,003 could be the most brutal boss 320 00:17:36,033 --> 00:17:38,173 that anybody had ever worked for. 321 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:41,150 Vicary: At work, he was a holy terror. 322 00:17:41,183 --> 00:17:47,273 I mean, he would yell, scream, degrade, insult, 323 00:17:47,300 --> 00:17:50,200 and the employees were terrified of him. 324 00:17:50,233 --> 00:17:52,233 It began to raise questions 325 00:17:52,266 --> 00:17:57,026 about what kind of person he was behind closed doors. 326 00:17:57,066 --> 00:17:58,346 Reporter: 47-year-old Kitty Menéndez 327 00:17:58,383 --> 00:18:00,323 was a former small-town beauty queen 328 00:18:00,350 --> 00:18:04,120 who met her future husband at a college debating class. 329 00:18:04,150 --> 00:18:06,380 When José met her, you know, he -- 330 00:18:06,416 --> 00:18:13,046 he was a brash, handsome guy with wavy, dark hair, 6'1", 331 00:18:13,083 --> 00:18:15,203 and he swept her right off her feet. 332 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:19,370 Camerota: According to Lyle, her son, 333 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:23,220 Kitty Menéndez was miserable in her marriage, 334 00:18:23,250 --> 00:18:26,320 and she wasn't trying to hide that. 335 00:18:48,083 --> 00:18:50,033 It's very hard not to feel for Kitty. 336 00:18:50,066 --> 00:18:53,046 She seemed trapped in a marriage she didn't know what to do about 337 00:18:53,083 --> 00:18:55,133 with a man who was obviously very difficult. 338 00:18:55,166 --> 00:18:58,066 Kitty Menéndez was the doormat in the family, 339 00:18:58,100 --> 00:19:01,250 and she allowed everyone in the family 340 00:19:01,283 --> 00:19:02,473 to treat her like a doormat. 341 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:05,100 I think that the father treated her with no respect, 342 00:19:05,133 --> 00:19:07,153 and therefore her sons treated her with no respect. 343 00:19:07,183 --> 00:19:10,403 José did, to his associates, 344 00:19:10,433 --> 00:19:14,023 praise his sons filled with admiration. 345 00:19:14,050 --> 00:19:18,150 At the same time, it was filled with expectation. 346 00:19:18,183 --> 00:19:21,403 Vicary: The first thing were the indoctrination of the sons 347 00:19:21,433 --> 00:19:24,373 by the father, who would sit them down 348 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:29,270 in a chair in the basement for hours at a time. 349 00:19:29,300 --> 00:19:31,030 Johnson: Especially Lyle. 350 00:19:31,066 --> 00:19:33,066 Apparently, he would, like, almost put his forehead 351 00:19:33,100 --> 00:19:35,430 against his forehead and, like, 352 00:19:35,466 --> 00:19:41,216 to try to inculcate in him his winner-take-all philosophy. 353 00:19:41,250 --> 00:19:46,330 Vicary: The Menéndez family was like a royal family, 354 00:19:46,366 --> 00:19:50,146 that, "We were better than other people, 355 00:19:50,183 --> 00:19:54,183 that we were athletically gifted. 356 00:19:54,216 --> 00:19:55,276 We were smarter." 357 00:19:55,316 --> 00:19:58,226 Johnson: I think the most dangerous thing he did 358 00:19:58,266 --> 00:20:02,276 was to teach them the lesson that if you want something, 359 00:20:02,316 --> 00:20:07,016 go for it, and don't worry about what you may do to people. 360 00:20:07,050 --> 00:20:09,450 Things began to escalate. 361 00:20:31,233 --> 00:20:33,053 The ends justifies the means, 362 00:20:33,083 --> 00:20:35,153 and that's what he taught his kids. 363 00:20:35,183 --> 00:20:40,453 ♪♪ 364 00:20:40,483 --> 00:20:41,473 Rand: About a year and a half 365 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:43,420 before José and Kitty were killed, 366 00:20:43,450 --> 00:20:45,270 Erik and Lyle Menéndez were involved 367 00:20:45,300 --> 00:20:50,080 in some burglaries in Calabasas where the family was living. 368 00:20:50,116 --> 00:20:53,016 These two had more of a checkered past 369 00:20:53,050 --> 00:20:55,070 than the family ever let on. 370 00:20:55,100 --> 00:20:57,420 Johnson: One of their friend's parents had gone away. 371 00:20:57,450 --> 00:21:00,100 From what I understand, it was Lyle's idea 372 00:21:00,133 --> 00:21:04,153 to break into the house and steal jewelry from the people. 373 00:21:04,183 --> 00:21:07,133 It's a way of directing their frustration 374 00:21:07,166 --> 00:21:10,066 and resentment and anger and acting out. 375 00:21:10,100 --> 00:21:14,350 In an attempt to keep Lyle Menéndez out of trouble, 376 00:21:14,383 --> 00:21:17,353 because he was over 18, basically, 377 00:21:17,383 --> 00:21:21,303 Erik Menéndez took the fall for these burglaries in Calabasas, 378 00:21:21,333 --> 00:21:25,083 and José Menéndez made a deal with the DA's office 379 00:21:25,116 --> 00:21:28,446 that Erik would be charged as a juvenile. 380 00:21:28,483 --> 00:21:30,173 They couldn't stay in Calabasas 381 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:33,050 because their sons had burgled the neighbor's houses, 382 00:21:33,083 --> 00:21:36,433 and so they moved to Beverly Hills. 383 00:21:36,466 --> 00:21:40,466 For them, that was the ultimate in showing success. 384 00:21:43,233 --> 00:21:45,473 Rand: When the Menéndez family moved to Beverly Hills, 385 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:48,020 one of Kitty's closest friends said, 386 00:21:48,050 --> 00:21:49,300 "Kitty, you finally made it. 387 00:21:49,333 --> 00:21:52,253 You've got your 90210 zip code." 388 00:21:52,283 --> 00:21:56,033 Kitty: Erik? 389 00:21:56,066 --> 00:21:59,346 Hello, everyone out there in TV land! 390 00:21:59,383 --> 00:22:02,423 Rand: This was a family that was perfect on the outside, 391 00:22:02,450 --> 00:22:04,430 but the perfect family turned out 392 00:22:04,466 --> 00:22:07,266 to actually be a nightmare in real life. 393 00:22:07,300 --> 00:22:10,420 Bye! Bye, everyone! 394 00:22:18,150 --> 00:22:19,250 Who could've brutally murdered the Hollywood executive 395 00:22:19,283 --> 00:22:21,133 and his beauty-queen wife? 396 00:22:21,166 --> 00:22:22,396 For months, the public breathlessly 397 00:22:22,433 --> 00:22:24,283 followed every lead. 398 00:22:24,316 --> 00:22:27,296 Was it a mob hit, a drug deal gone bad? 399 00:22:27,333 --> 00:22:29,253 They all seemed to be dead ends, 400 00:22:29,283 --> 00:22:32,153 but behind the scenes, the trail was getting hotter. 401 00:22:32,183 --> 00:22:35,333 Beverly Hills police detectives and two newspaper reporters 402 00:22:35,366 --> 00:22:39,276 were zeroing in simultaneously on two prime suspects. 403 00:22:39,316 --> 00:22:42,046 If the secret investigations proved true, 404 00:22:42,083 --> 00:22:45,473 the revelation would rock the case and the country. 405 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:51,230 ♪♪ 406 00:22:51,266 --> 00:22:58,146 ♪♪ 407 00:22:58,183 --> 00:23:00,073 Vicary: This was a horrific crime 408 00:23:00,100 --> 00:23:02,330 in a very prominent family, 409 00:23:02,366 --> 00:23:05,076 and it was a mystery as to what had happened. 410 00:23:09,300 --> 00:23:14,050 In October of 1989, I came out to Los Angeles 411 00:23:14,083 --> 00:23:17,183 to work on my biography of José Menéndez 412 00:23:17,216 --> 00:23:19,266 for theMiami Herald Sunday magazine. 413 00:23:19,300 --> 00:23:24,020 ♪♪ 414 00:23:24,050 --> 00:23:25,380 Marta Cano, their aunt, said, 415 00:23:25,416 --> 00:23:27,096 "You have to talk to the brothers 416 00:23:27,133 --> 00:23:29,333 to really understand the Menéndez family." 417 00:23:29,366 --> 00:23:31,166 At a certain point in the interview, 418 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:33,370 I, you know, gently said to Erik, "I -- 419 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:35,050 I need to ask you a few questions 420 00:23:35,083 --> 00:23:37,153 about the night of the murders." 421 00:23:48,283 --> 00:23:52,153 He told me repeatedly how close the family was, 422 00:23:52,183 --> 00:23:54,103 how much he loved his parents, 423 00:23:54,133 --> 00:23:58,023 and he told me what a shock it was to walk in and -- 424 00:23:58,050 --> 00:24:00,170 and see his parents. 425 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:12,280 As we were walking around the house, 426 00:24:12,316 --> 00:24:14,366 straight back from the main foyer 427 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:18,000 was the room where José and Kitty had been killed, 428 00:24:18,033 --> 00:24:20,473 and I felt a chill as I walked by the room, 429 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:22,300 and I thought to myself, 430 00:24:22,333 --> 00:24:24,423 "if my parents had been killed in this house, 431 00:24:24,450 --> 00:24:25,480 had been brutally murdered, 432 00:24:26,016 --> 00:24:28,246 I wouldn't be living in this house." 433 00:24:32,150 --> 00:24:34,270 We had put in several interview requests, 434 00:24:34,300 --> 00:24:40,070 and they finally agreed to sit down with us at their mansion. 435 00:24:40,100 --> 00:24:42,270 It started out just as any interview 436 00:24:42,300 --> 00:24:45,020 that any journalist would do with the survivor of a family. 437 00:24:45,050 --> 00:24:47,200 You want to draw them out and see what -- 438 00:24:47,233 --> 00:24:49,423 what they might know as -- as much as anything, 439 00:24:49,450 --> 00:24:54,450 and so I finally just asked the -- 440 00:24:54,483 --> 00:24:56,233 the question that all of us journalists 441 00:24:56,266 --> 00:24:58,226 are embarrassed to ask, but we ask anyway 442 00:24:58,266 --> 00:25:00,276 because you never know what somebody will say, 443 00:25:00,316 --> 00:25:02,476 which is, "How are you doing?" 444 00:25:03,016 --> 00:25:07,316 And Lyle said, "Well, it's been kind of a long time now," 445 00:25:07,350 --> 00:25:09,380 and remember, this has only been a couple of months, 446 00:25:09,416 --> 00:25:12,996 "so we're pretty much over it." 447 00:25:13,033 --> 00:25:15,303 The only thing I could compare it to was somebody 448 00:25:15,333 --> 00:25:18,373 who might have lost a pet that they cared about, 449 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:20,470 but, you know, you can get a new pet. 450 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,230 These two print reporters from theL.A. Times 451 00:25:23,266 --> 00:25:26,326 were not the only ones who were picking up 452 00:25:26,366 --> 00:25:30,276 on the strange response and reaction 453 00:25:30,316 --> 00:25:32,166 from the boys to the crime. 454 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:34,080 There was just something about them 455 00:25:34,116 --> 00:25:36,326 that did not sit right with me, 456 00:25:36,366 --> 00:25:39,266 especially when I needed to take an inked 457 00:25:39,300 --> 00:25:42,080 set of fingerprints from Lyle Menéndez, 458 00:25:42,116 --> 00:25:45,116 and I asked Lyle, "Can we go into the house. 459 00:25:45,150 --> 00:25:46,280 Is -- Would that be all right?" 460 00:25:46,316 --> 00:25:48,476 As soon as we were in the foyer, he looked over at me, 461 00:25:49,016 --> 00:25:51,016 and he said, "Is that where it happened?" 462 00:25:51,050 --> 00:25:53,000 And I looked at him like, 463 00:25:53,033 --> 00:25:55,283 "You're the one who discovered this, not me." 464 00:25:55,316 --> 00:26:00,276 He looked like he just blew it. 465 00:26:00,316 --> 00:26:02,476 Edmonds: He wanted to know if we had leads 466 00:26:03,016 --> 00:26:04,326 and were solving the crime. 467 00:26:04,366 --> 00:26:07,446 He was overdramatic actually, 468 00:26:07,483 --> 00:26:11,003 and that's when we were starting to -- 469 00:26:11,033 --> 00:26:14,153 had our eyebrows up about him. 470 00:26:14,183 --> 00:26:19,003 Behind the scenes, the police were quietly finding clues 471 00:26:19,033 --> 00:26:20,383 that they did not share. 472 00:26:23,250 --> 00:26:25,000 Fogg: There was quite a bit of evidence, 473 00:26:25,033 --> 00:26:27,253 computers that were in the home. 474 00:26:31,066 --> 00:26:33,326 Right around the time of my deadline, 475 00:26:33,366 --> 00:26:36,366 theL.A. Times that Lyle Menéndez 476 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:39,320 had hired a computer expert to come to the house 477 00:26:39,350 --> 00:26:44,150 and look for a possible will on the family's home computer. 478 00:26:44,183 --> 00:26:46,173 Johnson: We found out that they had hired 479 00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:48,480 a computer expert to come in 480 00:26:49,016 --> 00:26:50,216 and erase the computer file 481 00:26:50,250 --> 00:26:53,450 because Kitty was rewriting the family will, 482 00:26:53,483 --> 00:26:55,273 and she had let it be known 483 00:26:55,300 --> 00:26:57,470 that she was thinking of changing the will 484 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:00,230 so that they wouldn't be able to inherit anything. 485 00:27:00,266 --> 00:27:06,196 ♪♪ 486 00:27:06,233 --> 00:27:10,003 The boys were engaging in all sorts of odd behavior. 487 00:27:10,033 --> 00:27:13,223 The boys went to the East Coast, I believe it was in New Jersey, 488 00:27:13,250 --> 00:27:15,080 and started spending large amounts of money, 489 00:27:15,116 --> 00:27:16,196 which seemed unusual. 490 00:27:16,233 --> 00:27:18,103 Fogg: In fact, 3 days after, 491 00:27:18,133 --> 00:27:22,323 they were spending quite a bit of money on lavish items. 492 00:27:22,350 --> 00:27:27,320 Buying Rolex watches. They bought a Porsche car. 493 00:27:27,350 --> 00:27:28,400 They spent a lot of money. 494 00:27:28,433 --> 00:27:30,303 In fact, I think some estimates say that, 495 00:27:30,333 --> 00:27:32,333 in the first 6 or 7 months after the deaths, 496 00:27:32,366 --> 00:27:33,446 they spent $1 million. 497 00:27:33,483 --> 00:27:36,033 That's a lot of money. 498 00:27:36,066 --> 00:27:41,296 They had leased a condo in Marina del Rey 499 00:27:41,333 --> 00:27:44,133 that was part of their insurance settlement. 500 00:27:44,166 --> 00:27:45,176 They lived well. 501 00:27:45,216 --> 00:27:46,196 Edmonds: They bought a restaurant 502 00:27:46,233 --> 00:27:47,373 in Princeton, New Jersey, 503 00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:49,480 a buffalo wing place. 504 00:27:50,016 --> 00:27:53,196 They were spending money like it was -- 505 00:27:53,233 --> 00:27:54,233 they were drunken sailors. 506 00:27:54,266 --> 00:27:55,476 Fogg: Not the typical behavior 507 00:27:56,016 --> 00:28:00,346 that someone who just lost their parents would demonstrate. 508 00:28:00,383 --> 00:28:05,073 So all that is incriminating, but police need cold, 509 00:28:05,100 --> 00:28:08,220 hard facts to actually charge somebody. 510 00:28:08,250 --> 00:28:10,230 It's been 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 511 00:28:10,266 --> 00:28:12,076 6 months, and then boom. 512 00:28:12,116 --> 00:28:15,126 Edmonds: A woman came to the station. 513 00:28:15,166 --> 00:28:21,126 She related a lot of things that only the shooters would know. 514 00:28:21,166 --> 00:28:23,166 That's it. The game is over. 515 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:25,000 I knew it then. 516 00:28:31,150 --> 00:28:34,200 Camerota: For 7 months, there were no suspects. 517 00:28:34,233 --> 00:28:37,333 The police were hitting dead ends, 518 00:28:37,366 --> 00:28:41,296 and then, in March of 1990, 519 00:28:41,333 --> 00:28:45,453 something happened that changed the whole equation. 520 00:28:45,483 --> 00:28:48,353 Iannone: Over the months, we gathered a lot of evidence. 521 00:28:48,383 --> 00:28:50,303 It has been very circumstantial, 522 00:28:50,333 --> 00:28:52,153 and we were waiting for the glue, 523 00:28:52,183 --> 00:28:55,003 if you will, to bind it all together, 524 00:28:55,033 --> 00:28:57,423 and just recently that glue has come about. 525 00:28:57,450 --> 00:29:03,230 ♪♪ 526 00:29:03,266 --> 00:29:05,326 Rand: In the first week of March 1990, 527 00:29:05,366 --> 00:29:08,146 Judalon Smyth walked into the Beverly Hills police. 528 00:29:08,183 --> 00:29:10,223 Edmonds: She related a lot of things 529 00:29:10,250 --> 00:29:12,450 that only the shooters would know, 530 00:29:12,483 --> 00:29:16,103 and the key fact that we got out of it was the -- 531 00:29:16,133 --> 00:29:19,183 the guns were thrown off Mulholland Highway. 532 00:29:22,066 --> 00:29:26,046 They took the guns, and they drove up to Mulholland Drive, 533 00:29:26,083 --> 00:29:31,303 and they just threw them over the side of a very rural hill. 534 00:29:31,333 --> 00:29:35,183 So we had a team of our S.W.A.T. team 535 00:29:35,216 --> 00:29:39,246 and every detective rappel, checking every slope. 536 00:29:43,266 --> 00:29:46,016 We didn't find any shotguns. 537 00:29:46,050 --> 00:29:48,100 Police never find the weapons, 538 00:29:48,133 --> 00:29:51,023 but they do follow her next lead, 539 00:29:51,050 --> 00:29:54,280 and that is to the place where the guns were purchased. 540 00:29:56,483 --> 00:30:00,133 We went to San Diego, goal being we were going to check 541 00:30:00,166 --> 00:30:05,076 every buy book in the town or the county if we had to. 542 00:30:05,116 --> 00:30:07,346 They visited a lot of gun stores all -- 543 00:30:07,383 --> 00:30:09,483 this is just basic good detective work, 544 00:30:10,016 --> 00:30:13,066 and they looked at the registers where people would buy guns. 545 00:30:13,100 --> 00:30:16,370 The second place was a Big 5. 546 00:30:19,450 --> 00:30:22,000 At first glance, it seemed like this was going to be 547 00:30:22,033 --> 00:30:23,353 yet another dead end. 548 00:30:23,383 --> 00:30:27,103 They didn't see the Menéndez boys' names in the register, 549 00:30:27,133 --> 00:30:31,033 but they saw a name of a friend of the Menéndez boys. 550 00:30:31,066 --> 00:30:34,366 Edmonds: And the purchase of two Mossberg 12-gauges 551 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:36,050 and some ammo. 552 00:30:36,083 --> 00:30:39,103 After that, this case started going together real well. 553 00:30:39,133 --> 00:30:43,183 So the real question for police was, how did this woman, 554 00:30:43,216 --> 00:30:48,076 Judalon Smyth, happen to know so much about this case? 555 00:30:48,116 --> 00:30:53,046 It turns out that Judalon Smyth was the former mistress 556 00:30:53,083 --> 00:30:57,323 of the Menéndez brothers' therapist. 557 00:30:57,350 --> 00:30:59,370 Abrahamson: Just when you think you've heard everything, 558 00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:02,300 you have a spurned girlfriend of the therapist 559 00:31:02,333 --> 00:31:04,083 who may know something, 560 00:31:04,116 --> 00:31:07,176 and the something turned out to be explosive. 561 00:31:07,216 --> 00:31:10,016 Erik becomes, after the homicides, 562 00:31:10,050 --> 00:31:13,030 more and more depressed. 563 00:31:13,066 --> 00:31:17,216 I think Erik was haunted by the murders afterwards, 564 00:31:17,250 --> 00:31:20,020 and I think he needed to talk to -- 565 00:31:20,050 --> 00:31:21,470 to people about it. 566 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:23,280 Reporter: Psychotherapist Jerome Oziel 567 00:31:23,316 --> 00:31:24,316 counseled the brothers. 568 00:31:24,350 --> 00:31:27,220 Johnson: Erik, he trusts Dr. Oziel, 569 00:31:27,250 --> 00:31:31,250 and so he confesses to Dr. Oziel 570 00:31:31,283 --> 00:31:34,003 that they killed their parents. 571 00:31:37,450 --> 00:31:41,120 Evidently, Erik was stressed out from killing his parents, 572 00:31:41,150 --> 00:31:44,050 Lyle not so much. 573 00:31:44,083 --> 00:31:48,453 Lyle immediately rushed over to Dr. Oziel's office. 574 00:31:48,483 --> 00:31:51,023 Vicary: He tells Dr. Oziel, 575 00:31:51,050 --> 00:31:53,180 "I understand what my brother said here, 576 00:31:53,216 --> 00:31:58,046 but I want you to know that this must remain a secret. 577 00:31:58,083 --> 00:32:02,253 If any of this comes out, you're a dead man." 578 00:32:05,233 --> 00:32:08,183 Well, Oziel got scared, and he realized, 579 00:32:08,216 --> 00:32:10,026 "I might get murdered. 580 00:32:10,066 --> 00:32:11,476 I'll be the only one to know." 581 00:32:12,016 --> 00:32:17,016 So Dr. Oziel came up with a plan. 582 00:32:17,050 --> 00:32:19,200 Rand: About a month after Erik Menéndez confessed 583 00:32:19,233 --> 00:32:21,323 to Dr. Oziel, 584 00:32:21,350 --> 00:32:26,080 Dr. Oziel told the brothers one afternoon that, 585 00:32:26,116 --> 00:32:28,426 "I think it would be a good idea if we record an audiotape 586 00:32:28,466 --> 00:32:30,376 of one of our therapy sessions, 587 00:32:30,416 --> 00:32:32,376 and just in case you ever get arrested, 588 00:32:32,416 --> 00:32:35,246 that we'll be able to show that you had remorse," 589 00:32:35,283 --> 00:32:37,323 and so the brothers agreed. 590 00:32:51,283 --> 00:32:54,103 So he says, "I'll take the audiotape, 591 00:32:54,133 --> 00:32:56,123 and I'll put it in the safe-deposit box, 592 00:32:56,150 --> 00:32:58,400 and nobody has access to that safe-deposit box 593 00:32:58,433 --> 00:33:03,133 unless something happens to me," 594 00:33:03,166 --> 00:33:08,326 and Dr. Oziel becomes upset and dissatisfied with his mistress, 595 00:33:08,366 --> 00:33:10,296 and he kicks her out. 596 00:33:10,333 --> 00:33:13,023 Rand: The next morning, Judalon Smyth walked into 597 00:33:13,050 --> 00:33:15,000 the Beverly Hills police and said, 598 00:33:15,033 --> 00:33:16,433 "Dr. Oziel has an audiotape 599 00:33:16,466 --> 00:33:20,046 that's in a safe-deposit box in Sherman Oaks with a confession." 600 00:33:20,083 --> 00:33:23,423 Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. 601 00:33:23,450 --> 00:33:26,200 And we got a call at 6:00 in the morning, 602 00:33:26,233 --> 00:33:28,103 and Erik was panicked. 603 00:33:34,116 --> 00:33:37,316 For 7 months, nothing, seems like this is a cold case, 604 00:33:37,350 --> 00:33:39,080 at least to the public, 605 00:33:39,116 --> 00:33:42,416 and then after 7 months, boom, an arrest. 606 00:33:42,450 --> 00:33:48,070 ♪♪ 607 00:33:48,100 --> 00:33:49,470 Johnson: The Beverly Hills police, 608 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:52,020 they cordoned off the street. 609 00:33:52,050 --> 00:33:54,130 They were afraid Lyle was going to run. 610 00:33:54,166 --> 00:33:57,466 I think that's why they moved when they did. 611 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:00,170 And when he got into a car to drive away, they -- 612 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:03,320 they did a -- a stop and arrested him at that time. 613 00:34:03,350 --> 00:34:06,150 Dispatch:One oh seven seven. 22-20. 614 00:34:06,183 --> 00:34:09,253 En route to a vehicle. 615 00:34:09,283 --> 00:34:12,053 On the day that Lyle Menéndez was arrested, 616 00:34:12,083 --> 00:34:14,083 I was actually in West palm beach, Florida, 617 00:34:14,116 --> 00:34:16,226 and I had four or five frantic messages 618 00:34:16,266 --> 00:34:18,066 from the city desk at theMiami Herald, 619 00:34:18,100 --> 00:34:19,320 and they told me that Lyle Menéndez 620 00:34:19,350 --> 00:34:22,430 had just been arrested in Beverly Hills. 621 00:34:22,466 --> 00:34:24,426 Reporter: Erik was believed to be in Israel 622 00:34:24,466 --> 00:34:27,176 playing in a tennis tournament when his brother, Lyle, 623 00:34:27,216 --> 00:34:30,016 was arrested yesterday by police. 624 00:34:30,050 --> 00:34:32,020 Heffernan: We wanted to see if Erik could actually 625 00:34:32,050 --> 00:34:35,200 do this pro-tennis thing, so we went to Israel. 626 00:34:35,233 --> 00:34:38,133 He was in Israel to take part in a tennis tournament. 627 00:34:38,166 --> 00:34:39,396 That was the information that we had. 628 00:34:39,433 --> 00:34:42,323 And then the big question was getting Erik back. 629 00:34:42,350 --> 00:34:45,320 And we got a call at 6:00 in the morning 630 00:34:45,350 --> 00:34:49,070 from Lyle's then attorney, 631 00:34:49,100 --> 00:34:51,020 "You have to leave Israel immediately, 632 00:34:51,050 --> 00:34:52,470 or you will be extradited." 633 00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:56,050 I didn't know what to think, and Erik was panicked. 634 00:34:56,083 --> 00:34:59,073 He said nothing, nothing. 635 00:34:59,100 --> 00:35:01,350 Camerota: The first lawyer that the Menéndez brothers 636 00:35:01,383 --> 00:35:05,253 reached out to and hired was Robert Shapiro. 637 00:35:05,283 --> 00:35:07,273 He ultimately became very famous 638 00:35:07,300 --> 00:35:12,020 because he became part of O.J. Simpson's defense team. 639 00:35:12,050 --> 00:35:17,170 Robert Shapiro negotiated a surrender for Erik Menéndez. 640 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:20,400 We checked out, went to the airport, 641 00:35:20,433 --> 00:35:25,283 found that there was a flight to London, and the next day, 642 00:35:25,316 --> 00:35:26,996 I flew to L.A., 643 00:35:27,033 --> 00:35:30,453 and he flew to Miami to see his aunt. 644 00:35:30,483 --> 00:35:33,183 Reporter: 19-year-old Erik Menéndez, accused, 645 00:35:33,216 --> 00:35:35,066 along with his older brother, Lyle, 646 00:35:35,100 --> 00:35:37,100 of the brutal deaths of their parents, 647 00:35:37,133 --> 00:35:39,373 may be about to turn himself in. 648 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:41,420 We have some unconfirmed reports that he may in fact 649 00:35:41,450 --> 00:35:44,200 be on his way back to the United States. 650 00:35:44,233 --> 00:35:46,033 We don't know what his destination would be 651 00:35:46,066 --> 00:35:48,016 or what his intent is. 652 00:35:48,050 --> 00:35:52,130 His Cuban relatives had to talk him into coming back, 653 00:35:52,166 --> 00:35:54,226 and they said, 654 00:35:54,266 --> 00:35:58,046 "We'll face it with you and do whatever we can to support you," 655 00:35:58,083 --> 00:35:59,253 and they certainly did that. 656 00:35:59,283 --> 00:36:01,453 They convinced him the right thing to do was turn himself in, 657 00:36:01,483 --> 00:36:05,053 so he and his aunt, Marta, that actually both the brothers 658 00:36:05,083 --> 00:36:07,283 were very close to, flew to Los Angeles, 659 00:36:07,316 --> 00:36:10,296 and he surrendered to authorities. 660 00:36:10,333 --> 00:36:14,473 Judge: Would the defendants please rise? 661 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:18,030 Reporter: Brothers Lyle and Erik Menéndez late this afternoon 662 00:36:18,066 --> 00:36:20,046 were brought into a Beverly Hills courtroom 663 00:36:20,083 --> 00:36:22,203 and told of the charges against them, 664 00:36:22,233 --> 00:36:24,453 both accused of murdering their father and mother, 665 00:36:24,483 --> 00:36:26,453 José and Kitty Menéndez. 666 00:36:26,483 --> 00:36:32,303 When I heard that the sons, their sons that they had raised 667 00:36:32,333 --> 00:36:35,223 with a silver spoon in their mouths, 668 00:36:35,250 --> 00:36:38,430 were the killers, I wasn't stunned. 669 00:36:38,466 --> 00:36:40,266 I was just disgusted. 670 00:36:40,300 --> 00:36:42,380 Both brothers are being charged with both murders. 671 00:36:42,416 --> 00:36:44,316 We believe that both brothers were involved -- 672 00:36:44,350 --> 00:36:46,420 actively involved in the murders. 673 00:36:46,450 --> 00:36:50,470 Both charges are official circumstances 674 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:53,300 for which you could be sentenced to death. 675 00:36:53,333 --> 00:36:55,273 Do you understand the charges? 676 00:36:55,300 --> 00:36:56,430 Yes, Your Honor. 677 00:36:56,466 --> 00:36:59,376 Rand: It was extremely difficult for the Menéndez family 678 00:36:59,416 --> 00:37:03,276 to process the arrest of Erik and Lyle 679 00:37:03,316 --> 00:37:05,276 for the murders of their parents. 680 00:37:05,316 --> 00:37:06,476 They couldn't believe it. 681 00:37:07,016 --> 00:37:08,296 They said it wasn't possible. 682 00:37:08,333 --> 00:37:11,233 Reporter: You believe strongly in the boys' innocence? 683 00:37:11,266 --> 00:37:12,376 Extremely. You can't -- 684 00:37:12,416 --> 00:37:15,116 You cannot imagine how strongly I believe in that. 685 00:37:15,150 --> 00:37:18,280 I -- I cannot -- 686 00:37:18,316 --> 00:37:23,116 I don't have words to say how strong I feel 687 00:37:23,150 --> 00:37:27,070 about the complete impossibility of them 688 00:37:27,100 --> 00:37:31,180 having committed the act that they're accused of. 689 00:37:31,216 --> 00:37:33,266 Heffernan: I think anybody that knew these boys 690 00:37:33,300 --> 00:37:36,300 couldn't imagine that they could've shot their parents. 691 00:37:36,333 --> 00:37:39,023 Reporter: 22-year-old Joseph Lyle Menéndez 692 00:37:39,050 --> 00:37:41,070 and his 19-year-old brother, Erik, 693 00:37:41,100 --> 00:37:44,320 were charged earlier this month with two counts of murder each. 694 00:37:44,350 --> 00:37:46,380 The sons were arrested after a warrant 695 00:37:46,416 --> 00:37:48,266 was served on the family psychologist 696 00:37:48,300 --> 00:37:50,030 in search of evidence. 697 00:37:50,066 --> 00:37:52,016 Abrahamson: You had these two boys of privilege 698 00:37:52,050 --> 00:37:55,450 who had gone to a therapist and bared their souls, 699 00:37:55,483 --> 00:37:58,003 thinking that it was going to be kept confidential, 700 00:37:58,033 --> 00:38:00,433 and the next thing you know, there's a big legal fight about 701 00:38:00,466 --> 00:38:03,026 whether everything they said was going to be admissible 702 00:38:03,066 --> 00:38:04,446 against their interest in a court of law. 703 00:38:04,483 --> 00:38:06,333 It was awesome. 704 00:38:06,366 --> 00:38:08,166 On behalf of Erik Menéndez, 705 00:38:08,200 --> 00:38:10,480 we are going to vigorously defend his 706 00:38:11,016 --> 00:38:13,366 right to have a confidential communication 707 00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:15,100 with his therapist. 708 00:38:15,133 --> 00:38:17,103 If the doctor is threatened, then he can breach 709 00:38:17,133 --> 00:38:20,123 patient confidentiality in order to save his own life. 710 00:38:20,150 --> 00:38:22,100 The defense was hoping that, in suppressing the tape, 711 00:38:22,133 --> 00:38:23,283 they could also convince the judge 712 00:38:23,316 --> 00:38:25,996 that Dr. Oziel should not testify, 713 00:38:26,033 --> 00:38:28,183 and the judge made it clear throughout the hearings 714 00:38:28,216 --> 00:38:30,026 that that was not going to happen. 715 00:38:30,066 --> 00:38:31,396 Months after their arrest, 716 00:38:31,433 --> 00:38:34,383 the Menéndez brothers decided to make a change 717 00:38:34,416 --> 00:38:36,266 in their defense team. 718 00:38:36,300 --> 00:38:41,080 Out went Robert Shapiro, and in came Leslie Abramson. 719 00:38:41,116 --> 00:38:42,446 We always assumed that Dr. Oziel 720 00:38:42,483 --> 00:38:44,103 would be part of the case. 721 00:38:44,133 --> 00:38:45,253 That's what litigation is for. 722 00:38:45,283 --> 00:38:47,053 Some you win. Some you lose. 723 00:38:47,083 --> 00:38:48,203 And Leslie was going to -- 724 00:38:48,233 --> 00:38:50,273 to take every ounce of her energy, 725 00:38:50,300 --> 00:38:53,170 of her soul to make sure that if the state was going to prove 726 00:38:53,200 --> 00:38:55,320 that these boys were guilty of murder, 727 00:38:55,350 --> 00:38:57,370 that the state was going to have to prove it. 728 00:38:57,400 --> 00:38:59,330 But the DA admits that he is fighting 729 00:38:59,366 --> 00:39:01,126 for every piece of evidence 730 00:39:01,166 --> 00:39:05,016 to convict the two Menéndez brothers 731 00:39:05,050 --> 00:39:07,270 for the sensational murders of their wealthy 732 00:39:07,300 --> 00:39:09,330 Beverly Hills parents. 733 00:39:09,366 --> 00:39:12,996 Rand: Both brothers were calling me occasionally from jail. 734 00:39:13,033 --> 00:39:14,373 They said, "Wait until the trial. 735 00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:16,470 You'll find out what was really happening 736 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:19,000 in the Menéndez family." 737 00:39:19,033 --> 00:39:23,323 He just said that it was our secret, 738 00:39:23,350 --> 00:39:28,120 that bad things would happen to me if I told anybody. 739 00:39:30,350 --> 00:39:33,370 After 2 years of high-stakes preliminary hearings, 740 00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:37,030 the judge finally allowed Erik and Lyle's sensational audiotape 741 00:39:37,066 --> 00:39:39,346 confessions to be played at trial. 742 00:39:39,383 --> 00:39:41,403 Based on that key piece of evidence alone, 743 00:39:41,433 --> 00:39:43,153 it looked like it would be an open-and-shut case 744 00:39:43,183 --> 00:39:44,473 for the prosecution, 745 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:48,380 but just before the trial was set to begin in July 1993, 746 00:39:48,416 --> 00:39:51,126 more than 3 years after the murders, 747 00:39:51,166 --> 00:39:54,076 the defense team introduced a shocking new strategy, 748 00:39:54,116 --> 00:39:57,276 which would soon shake the state's case to the core. 749 00:39:57,316 --> 00:40:00,146 The trial that transfixed the nation in part two 750 00:40:00,183 --> 00:40:03,273 of "The Menéndez Brothers: How It Really Happened." 751 00:40:03,300 --> 00:40:07,350 ♪♪ 60017

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