Original subtitles

[woman] In the matter of the People of the State of California

v. Orenthal James Simpson,

case number BA097211,

we, the jury, in the above entitled action,

find the defendant, Orenthal James Simpson,

not guilty of the crime of murder in violation of penal code section 187A,

a felony upon Nicole Brown Simpson, a human being,

as charged in count one of the information.

[dramatic music playing]

[buzzer blares]

[dramatic music ends]

So what are you saying? That we're fucked now?

Because I gotta level with you, I just don't see it that way.

OJ is, like, the biggest fucking killer of all time, right?

And he got away with it.

And the best part, Leslie,

is that the guy didn't even have to take the fucking stand...

Lyle, they are out for blood.

Garcetti cares about one thing, one thing only, and that is his re-election.

That is why they're trying to gut our case

because they need a win and they need it now.

Fine, I understand that.

Then you need to file a motion.

Wow.

This is even more of a reason that we're not gonna bring on

some shitty fucking public defender, Leslie.

Charles Gessler is the best in LA.

[mocking] Oh, is he?

Lyle, it's nice to finally meet.

[mellow music playing]

Come on in.

[door opens]

[Lyle] It's not happening.

It's just a no.

So I don't know what we need to do to get this figured out.

My preference would be to have Jill back or call Cochran.

I can't just call Cochran, and you don't have any money.

[chuckling] Leslie, do you know how much money I was able to raise

just this past week?

Well, you know, I'm glad you bring that up because...

That's a great letterhead, by the way.

"In helping me, you're also voicing your support

for so many other abused people."

"We're all survivors together."

"If you can help by pledging an amount on the 15th of each month,

a monthly pledge card to the Lyle Menendez Defense Fund?!"

How many times have I told you to stop writing letters?

Because they will be used against you, and it is a terrible look!

Says the woman making $4,000 a day on Dateline blabbing about OJ,

and attacking the same people who are trying...

- It's called a job, okay? - Okay.

While we're talking about money, may I just mention

that I am still here fighting for your life pro bono.

Did you order a new wig and have it sent to the jail,

and it cost $2,500?

This is from the same guy who did OJ's hair treatment.

- So yes, I did. - Lyle!

I think we can all take a page out of the fucking guy's book, okay?

Because the guy clearly had something fucking figured out!

You know what he had figured out? He had a fucking catchphrase!

And I think that we would all benefit from a catchphrase.

And I think our catchphrase can be,

"If you've been abused, you cannot be accused."

[Erik chuckles]

- What? What the fuck is so funny, Erik? - You are unbelievable.

Okay, well, I'm sorry. That's my bad. It's just my life is on the line.

Yeah. Well, you sound like an idiot.

Erik, do I need to remind you why we're here in the first place?

Because of you.

You're the fucking idiot.

And all you had to do was keep your stupid, little mouth shut.

- [whispering] Really? - Mm-hmm.

"Lyle Menendez, in his own words."

- Fuck that crazy bitch. - No.

No. You don't get to do that anymore.

Because you fucked us.

We are fucked. They have hours of you on tape!

- I did not know she was recording me! - And you sound insane!

You sound insane. Do you realize how fucking stupid that was?

Then you go and write all those crazy fucking letters

asking everyone to lie for us?

Who are you?!

All I ever wanted growing up was to be like you.

But do you know what people say about you now?

They say that you look dead in the eyes.

They say your eyes are black.

They call you a psychopath.

We were so close. Lyle, we were almost free.

Yeah, because of me.

It was because of you that we almost got out of here.

But we didn't.

And now we're fucked, and it's all your fault!

All we had to do was hang one more jury.

We had to convince one more person and we'd be out of here.

But that's never going to happen now because no one believes us.

Lyle, everyone hates us. Everyone wants us dead!

And I'm really scared because I don't want to die.

And I don't want you to die. And I hate what we did.

I wish it never happened. I wish I could take it back, but I can't.

And now I'm stuck here in this hellhole.

I'm thinking about it every day while you run around like a fucking crazy person!

The only thing I can do is try and save us! Because it's all up to me now!

And I don't know if I can get back up there and do it again. I don't know.

You better figure it the fuck out 'cause I'm not dying in here

just 'cause you're a pathetic, weak little bitch.

[Leslie] Erik! Hey! Enough!

Fuck! You fucked it up!

- I should've fucking killed you too! - There he is.

- There's my brother. The killer. - You f...

Take this into the courtroom, please,

because I'm ready to get the fuck out of here.

You f... [panting]

[buzzer blares]

Nice to see this again.

- Take him out. - Do your job.

[seething] You...

You...

[man] So that is their strategy, to put the parents on trial

because the defense fails logically, psychologically, and legally.

It's a phony story that never took place.

- Objection. - [judge] Overruled.

You won't be hearing from Lyle Menendez during this trial

because he wrote a book that is more or less a glossary of all his lies.

Objection.

[judge] Overruled.

So it will all come down to the testimony of Erik Menendez, the killer,

and whether you're going to believe him.

Objection.

Ms. Abramson, we're not doing this.

- Ugh. - Overruled. Let him speak.

Thank you.

[inhales]

Ladies and gentlemen, judge people by what they do.

Erik Menendez can say anything in the world,

but remember what Lyle and Erik Menendez did.

[uneasy music playing]

You sold Jose Menendez the Alfa Romeo

that he purchased for his son Lyle, correct?

That's correct.

Happy graduation, my son.

[Lyle chuckles]

- [Lyle] Really? - [Jose] Yes.

[whispering] Dad, this car is a piece of shit.

And what was the sticker price for this, quote, "piece of shit"?

- $32,000. - Objection.

What are you objecting to?

That the price matters.

Sit down, please.

- Your Honor, may I approach? - No, you may not.

Lyle was really mad about the Alfa.

I was like, "It's a really nice car."

I can lean over and touch the fucking passenger seat.

This feels like a fucking clown car.

- I feel like a fucking clown! - Okay, okay, okay.

I'm sorry. We'll get you a different one.

We thought, your mother and I, that this was the car for you.

Well, you thought wrong! For fuck's sake.

Let's wrap this up. Sign the fucking papers.

Thank you for buying me a piece of shit.

[David] Craig, you're one of the co-authors of Friends, aren't you?

Not the hit TV show on NBC, by the way.

This is an unproduced screenplay you and Erik wrote.

Correct.

And to the best of your knowledge, is the NBC show

starring Jennifer Aniston and others

about people who viciously murder their parents in cold blood?

Objection.

He can answer.

Uh... No, it's not.

No. Because the screenplay Friends that you and Erik wrote

is about a character named Hamilton Cromwell

who murders his parents.

Objection. Relevance.

If I may. You can't object to everything he says, Counsel.

Craig...

Erik confessed to you. Did he not?

He did.

But it's not the story that they told Dr. Oziel.

No.

[David] Nor is it the same story they told in this courtroom.

No.

What did Erik tell you?

That they uh... they'd gone to the movies and Erik went inside to get his fake ID.

He didn't go in through the front door. He went in through the living room window.

[David] And did he say why?

[Craig] Yeah, because those doors were quieter,

and he didn't want to wake them up.

[uneasy music continues]

[indistinct dialogue from TV]

So they were asleep.

Yeah. That's what he told me.

Fuck.

[Craig] And he also told me that when he got back to the car,

Lyle was holding the guns.

[Lyle] You want to do it? Right now.

Let's do it.

Uh-huh.

That was when they murdered their sleeping parents.

- Yes. - [horn honking]

Yes!

Fuck!

Lyle... We gotta change our fucking clothes.

Look, there's blood! How did I not fucking see that?

[dog barking in distance]

And do you believe the murders were premeditated?

- Objection. Strike that from the record. - You're shouting, Counsel.

Well, I'm sorry I'm shouting. I'm angry, so my voice is loud.

I don't care if you're angry. You will control yourself in my courtroom.

Mr. Cignarelli, are you familiar with a film called The Billionaire Boys Club?

Yeah. It's basically what Lyle and Erik did,

rich kids who killed their parents for money.

Objection.

The court is going to hold you in contempt.

Well, I'm gonna hold the court in contempt pretty soon

because I am finding your rulings astonishingly biased.

Erik didn't just happen to see that movie on TV, though, did he?

No. No.

Yeah, he knew about the story way before it was a movie.

I mean, we both did, because our friend Brian...

Well, it was like about his parents.

So 14 months before he killed his parents,

Erik heard the story of how your parents were murdered, murdered for money.

Well... yes. Correct.

Brian, did Lyle Menendez write you a letter from jail?

Yeah. He... he wanted me to watch this movie called At Close Range.

[man coughs]

[Lyle] "I need you to say that you and me watched it with my dad,

and that he said the movie was unrealistic because the father would've killed the son

as soon as the trouble started and not waited,

and that you were shocked when he said that."

"Then you say you always felt my dad was a powerful person

and that you never felt welcome."

[judge] Please state your name.

Erik Galen Menendez, M-E-N-E-N-D-E-Z.

- Hi, Erik. - [Leslie] Objection.

I literally just said "hi."

- Intimidation, Your Honor. - Overruled.

Erik, is it true you contemplated using a crossbow to kill your parents,

hunt them like animals?

Well, we just, that was...

We could do it with a crossbow.

[Lyle laughs]

I mean, with your license suspended and all of your fucking speeding tickets...

That wouldn't be an issue because we don't have to use an ID.

When we were at the gun store and we thought we wouldn't be able to get a gun,

I just noticed that there were the crossbows in the...

And it was just a thought. It went out of my mind, like, a second later.

Reloading, though.

Yeah, you'd have one shot.

When you thought you couldn't get a gun or when you'd already tried to get a gun?

I... I don't remember.

Well, because if you saw crossbows at the place you were trying to get a gun,

it means you weren't just thinking about getting a gun,

you'd already tried to get one.

- I'll have to object to that relevance. - Overruled.

[David sighs]

Were there any other weapons you considered?

What if we just use a knife?

Objection. Relevance. Your Honor...

[David] I'm trying to establish premeditation.

Your Honor, Lyle and Erik Menendez ideated on, conspired about,

meticulously planned the murder of their parents.

How, why, and when they planned it, it's more than relevant.

It is central to the State's interest in this case.

Correct. I'll allow it.

- Mistrial. - [David] Oh, mistrial.

Leslie, Counsel, just stop.

Your Honor, she wants to derail this line of questioning

because it proves special circumstances,

making her clients eligible for the death penalty.

No. I would just like to be heard.

- Ms. Abramson, stop it. - Your Honor...

[whispering] This is...

Erik, when you purchased guns,

is it true you initially bought birdshot as ammunition?

[inhales deeply] I don't think so. I... I think...

Quote... Your words. "We initially bought birdshot as ammunition."

Okay. Yes, I remember that.

[David] And did you judge that not to be strong enough?

Strong enough?

Did you go back and purchase buckshot because buckshot is more lethal?

- Yes. - [David] Okay.

And after you had fired approximately 12 rounds of buckshot

into the bodies and into the faces of your mother and father...

Objection. We dispute that number.

- [David] I said "approximately." - He said "approximately."

- No love. No love in this courtroom. - No, Counsel. No. No.

If there's no love in this courtroom, it is there and there.

If there's no love in this courtroom,

it's the two heartless murderers who had no love for their parents.

Because if you love your parents...

you don't do this.

[dramatic music playing]

If it's a lack of love you're feeling, Counsel,

I think it's on that side of the table.

Erik... [clears throat]

...after you'd emptied two shotguns into your mother and father,

and Lyle came outside to reload,

is it true you told Dr. Vicary that you handed him the last shotgun round?

- I don't know. - [David] Okay. You don't know?

I will quote you again.

Quote, "Lyle came out, and the ammo was rolling around in the trunk everywhere,

so I handed the round to him."

Did you say that?

Yes.

Erik, when you and Lyle were lying to your family, to the press,

saying you believed it was the Mafia who killed your parents,

you said something interesting.

You said that you believed that the Mafia had used shotguns to, quote...

"make a mess," and quote, "send a message."

- Okay. - [David] Okay.

And by make a mess, you meant?

Uh...

Just that, uh...

[clears throat]

You know, the Mafia, they...

shoot out people's kneecaps,

and, uh, just all in all,

they... [clears throat]

...they, uh, just make a mess of their victims.

[David] But you did that.

I mean, you and Lyle did that.

You and Lyle shot out your mother's kneecap.

There it is.

I mean, she was shot so many times, Erik.

So many times that her skeleton,

quote, "effectively lost all structural integrity."

- [Leslie] Objection. - [judge] Overruled.

- Okay. - [David] Okay?

- [laughs] Yeah. Okay. Yeah, you did that. - I've already testified to that.

Yeah, but what I'm saying is you planned to do it like that. Right?

You planned to make it look like the Mafia did it.

You bought shotguns, you bought buckshot.

You shot her through the knee. You shot them multiple, multiple times.

You planned to make it look like the Mafia did it.

You didn't just come up with that in the heat of the moment.

You planned it.

In legal terms, that's called "lying in wait."

I understand what you're, uh, getting at here, Mr. Conn,

but, uh, we... we didn't plan anything.

We really didn't. We were just trying to be prepared to defend ourselves

because when I was growing up... [inhales]

...my dad always told me

that if I ever told anybody what was going on between us,

that he would kill me.

And then I told Lyle.

And when Lyle confronted my dad about it, I believed him.

I thought he was gonna... I thought he was gonna kill us. I didn't...

That preparation you describe...

that's premeditation, Erik.

The way you did it proves that it was a premeditated double murder.

Have you ever been raped by your father, Mr. Conn?

- Irrelevant. - [Leslie] Objection!

We'll get to the lie that you were sexually abused by your parents.

- Objection! [exhales] - [judge] Overruled.

Or we can get to it now, Your Honor.

Should we talk pool repairman?

There are two days in my life I'll never forget.

The day JFK was shot,

and the day I saw Erik and Lyle Menendez talking that way to their parents.

Why're you acting like that? I don't understand.

Because you're a fucking faggot, Dad!

- [Erik] Exactly. - [Kitty] Lyle!

- [Erik] Don't defend him, Mom. - I told you to shut up.

[David] And just to reiterate, what day was this?

Saturday.

Saturday, the day before the murders.

Did Lyle and Erik seem scared of their parents?

No. Their parents were scared of them.

That day on the boat, did Lyle and Erik seem scared of their parents?

[man] Not at all.

They found out the boat was used in the movie Tequila Sunrise,

and they really liked that.

Dude, I fucking love that movie. I got to third base watching that movie.

- Yeah, it's Michelle Pfeiffer. - Yeah.

- She's so fucking elegant. - Smoke show.

When you heard Jose and Kitty Menendez had been shot to death in their house,

can you tell the court what your first thought was?

Oh yeah. It was that the boys did it.

Thank you.

And you lived in the Menendez home five days a week, correct?

- Monday through Friday? - Yes.

- And you lived in the house? - [Flor] Yes.

My bedroom was in the main house by the kitchen.

Erik has testified it was a violent home, that they were always fighting.

That the parents hit them and screamed at them. Yes?

No. I never heard any shouting.

But what about fighting? Erik said that Jose and Kitty were always fighting.

No. I never heard fighting, no shouting.

They were just very messy.

You worked for Jose Menendez for many years. Um...

You'd have seen him interact with his boys.

Yes, since they were young.

And did you ever see him hit them or threaten them or shout at them?

Never. Not once.

Jose was not an angry man. I never saw him angry.

She loved those boys. She would do anything for them.

She gave up everything for them.

And for them to accuse her of the things that they're saying that she did...

You're going to burn in hell for that, boys. You're going to burn in hell.

- Objection. - [judge] Overruled.

This...

This is their only piece of evidence that abuse took place.

This is a doctor's report

that one time Erik Menendez got a bruise in the back of his throat.

- Objection. - [judge] Overruled.

A bruise that their own witness admitted is commonly seen in children.

[squeaking, thud]

Objection.

Overruled.

Do you remember... Do you remember this book, ladies and gentlemen?

What if this is where their story came from?

It's not a huge leap to take

because the author of this book advised the defense in the previous trial.

Your Honor, none of that is true.

There is not a shred of evidence that any of that ever happened.

I demand a mistrial.

No. Sit down.

[breathing shakily]

Your Honor.

Ms. Abramson, sit down. Now.

Counsel.

Thank you, Your Honor.

It's all in here, ladies and gentlemen.

Down to how you should wear a yellow sweater on the stand

to seem innocent.

Eight instances of alleged abuse are exactly the same as in this book.

How many hours did they spend confessing to Dr. Oziel?

They mentioned every other excuse. Why didn't they mention sexual abuse then?

When Erik confessed to his best friend Craig

that they were the ones who killed their parents,

why didn't he mention the reason they killed them,

this alleged sexual abuse that stretched back years and years?

Why did they never mention it?

Because it never happened.

Because it didn't even occur to them to say it

until they met that woman right over there.

- Objection. - [judge] Overruled.

That woman whose last high-profile murderer client got off.

How? The abuse excuse.

She basically pioneered it, ladies and gentlemen.

So why not try to give it a shot here? Here's how it works.

You take a few facts, okay?

Jose Menendez hit Lyle in the arm once. There's this popsicle injury.

And you weave that into a story so horrific

it's almost impossible to believe.

Don't feel badly if you don't believe it.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is literally impossible to believe.

And isn't it convenient

that the only two people who could corroborate Leslie Abramson's story

are dead in the ground?

Oh, and they're paying her.

Isn't that incredible?

Dead Jose and dead Kitty Menendez have paid Leslie Abramson

close to a million dollars.

A million dollars

to write the most ridiculous story ever heard in a courtroom.

But it's not going to work this time.

It's not going to work this time because even if their story was true,

they are still guilty of first-degree murder.

They conspired. They were lying in wait.

They committed a premeditated multiple murder.

The law, ladies and gentlemen, the law demands that you find them guilty.

And the law demands that they be put to death.

Ladies and gentlemen, some of you may have been abused.

By a friend, a family member, a parent, sexually or otherwise.

Unfortunately, it happens to millions of people all over the world.

What is not common is murdering people with shotguns.

What is not common is placing a shotgun on the crown of your father's head

and pulling the trigger.

What is not common is placing a shotgun to the cheek of your mother,

whose knee you shot out,

whose fingers you've blown off and pulling the trigger.

Your Honor, would the court ask Ms. Abramson

to stop playing hangman with her client?

Counsel, will you please stop playing hangman with your client?

[uneasy music playing]

I would like to note that it is not my job to prove motive.

But...

it's pretty clear what the motive is here.

It's money.

Lyle stated that his biggest goal in life was to have a Rolex.

[Lyle] And this one.

[David] Erik's never had a job.

Lyle's had two jobs.

He delivered pizza for one day,

and he did an internship at his dad's company.

Their father told them that he was taking them out of the will.

So good luck, kids. You are on your own.

They had to kill him before that happened.

- [Leslie] Objection. - Overruled.

Lyle and Erik drove around Beverly Hills with a safe.

Erik slept with a safe. Who does that?

I guess people who love money.

Lyle opened that safe when he was all alone.

Was the new will in there?

The one that cut him and Erik out of the will?

We know that Erik told Craig Cignarelli

that his father had 75 to 90 million dollars in a Swiss bank account.

75 to 90 million dollars.

In the weeks and months after they murdered their parents,

they spent, in a hurry, $700,000.

The Jeep, the Porsche, the gambling. They lived at the Hotel Bel-Air.

And all they had to do to get that money was for their father to be gone.

All they had to do was one little murder

and they could have all the money in the world.

Except if... if Mom is still alive, they got nothing.

So...

Mom had to go.

Mom had to go too.

[uneasy music ends]

Ladies and gentlemen, the defendants and their legal team are guilty.

Not just of the crime of which they are accused,

but of something even more sinister.

They're guilty of exploiting the trauma of real sexual abuse victims everywhere

and trying to use it to get away with murder.

They're guilty of taking the memories of the good, decent, loving mother and father

whom they killed and dragging those memories

through a putrid cesspool of the ghastliest lies ever concocted.

If there is a crime as heinous as the murders they committed,

it just may be that.

Jose and Kitty Menendez were sleeping.

[dramatic music playing]

They were sleeping.

So they couldn't defend themselves against the sons who executed them.

They can't defend themselves now

against the lies those sons dreamed up

to try to escape the consequences of their actions.

But make no mistake, Jose and Kitty are calling to you

from beyond the grave to defend them now.

You, ladies and gentlemen, have that power.

You have the power to defend them now. You have the power to avenge them!

Avenge them.

[dramatic music ends]

[Joyce] Do you still keep in touch with the Goldman family?

I do. Kim, especially.

Needless to say, they're still devastated.

To think that O.J. Simpson is a free man

despite the overwhelming evidence against him.

But that's justice in America for you.

Whether it's the race card or the abuse excuse,

if you've got a defense team that knows how to game the system,

you can get away with anything.

So, no plans to write about it?

None. I'm actually leaving for Connecticut next week to finish my book.

Crown's been breathing down my neck.

Come on, Nick. You can't leave LA now.

[chuckles]

If I'm being honest, I'm a little over the Menendez boys.

And I think so is the rest of the country.

In the pantheon of celebrity murder trials, they're has-beens.

The culture's moved on.

And not to be catty, but have you seen them lately?

They've lost their luster, not to mention most of their groupies.

However, I did hear that Lyle's in a rather serious, committed relationship.

[mysterious music playing]

[Dominick] Her name's Anna Eriksson.

- [mouthing] I love you. - [Dominick] It started off as pen pals,

but now it seems Prince Lyle and his sweet Rapunzel are very much in love.

And, rumor has it, wedding bells could be in their near future.

And what about Erik? Any news on him?

Ah!

The Hurt Man.

Sounds like Erik's been having a rough time of late.

[indistinct chatter]

Hey, give me back my book, please.

- [chuckles] I didn't take your book. - Yeah, you did.

I saw you take it. Give it back to me.

I said, I didn't take your fucking book!

[tense music playing]

I said, give me back my book!

[door slams closed]

[Dominick] He's been thrown in the hole for several breaches of conduct,

fights with inmates, angry outbursts, another alleged escape plan.

It's obvious he's feeling more on edge during this second trial than the first.

Does he still have the same girlfriend?

Last I heard, yes. Tammi.

She still lives in Minnesota,

and apparently, they write each other all the time.

[Erik] "To my dearest Tammi, wishing you 300 days of love."

"We may be separated by thousands of miles,

but I feel you near to my heart."

So, do you think he and Lyle will be found guilty this time?

Who's to say?

But after Rodney King, the riots, OJ,

I don't think this town could survive another gross injustice.

Which may mean that after nearly seven years, two trials,

and countless legal maneuverings,

this could be the end of the road for Erik and Lyle,

and they'll finally face the reckoning they deserve.

So then, maybe, at least in the Menendez case,

we'll hopefully see some justice after all.

[exhales]

If I still believed in hope,

I'd certainly hope so.

The jury has reached a verdict. Defendants, please rise.

We, the jury, find the defendant, Joseph Lyle Menendez,

guilty of murder in the first degree

for the murders of Jose Menendez and Mary Louise Menendez.

We further find the special circumstance allegation

that the defendant, Eric Galen Menendez,

intentionally killed the victims while lying in wait to be true.

[tense music continues]

[judge] Members of the jury, is this your verdict?

Say you one, say you all?

[all] Yes.

[smacks lips]

At this time, court will recess till Monday morning at 8:30

when we will begin the penalty phase.

And since both defendants have been found guilty of first-degree murder

with special circumstances, under California law,

the jury is only allowed to consider two sentencing options.

Life without parole or death.

Court is adjourned.

[gavel bangs and echoes]

Oh, don't give me that crap. Those shits deserve to die and you know it.

Leigh, we understand how you feel.

And trust me, I don't disagree with you, but you have to let her speak.

Well, I'm getting sick of it. But fine, Mary, go ahead.

I think these boys were abused their entire lives.

- Horseshit. - How can you say that?

Because it never happened.

But maybe it did.

Did you hear their family? Their cousins?

Oh, come on. They paid them to say what they said.

You can't prove that. That poor boy, Andy, how can you say that about him?

Because he's a liar.

If Andy cared so much about his poor little cousin,

why didn't he say something about it years ago?

He was a child, and he was scared.

And what about those horrible pornographic photos of the boys?

Oh, please. They took those photos themselves.

How can you be so stupid?

You saw the whole rest of the roll. They were all taken by kids.

But you don't know that Jose...

If Jose was such a pedophile, why were there only two photos, huh?

Where were the rest of them?

And while we're on the photos, Andrew,

let me see the one of the boys sitting on Jose's lap.

You really think this is sexual abuse?

Because where I come from, we call it a Christmas card.

- Okay, we're gonna have to move... - No. No!

Do you really want me to believe that Erik, the star athlete,

let his father rape him all the way up till a week before the murder?

And then all that junk about attacking him with some Rambo knife?

It's a load of shit.

And if it was the truth, then he should've just run away or told the cops.

Leigh, he could have been too scared to get the police involved.

Ugh! You know what? It's like you were born under a rock or something.

You saw Erik on the stand.

Nothing he said made any sense. None of it!

All he did was lie. It was all lies.

The pins and the toothbrushes.

And don't even get me started on that creep in the wig.

God only knows why he didn't testify.

Did you hear him on the tape

talking about missing his parents that he murdered?

Like missing his dog?

His dog?!

Jesus Christ! I think it's the coldest thing I've ever heard anyone say.

Fucking psycho!

You expect me to have sympathy? And what about that poor mother?

It makes me sick.

Then they keep talking about how scared they were.

If they were so scared, why didn't they run away?

That's what you do when you're scared.

But that's not what they did. They ran towards it.

They ran towards the very thing that they say they were so scared of.

It is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

Then they come in here with some insane story

about Greek warriors and stuffed animals

and penis blisters and shitting in plastic Tupperware.

And you expect me to believe a word of it?

Well, I don't! And I never will.

Because they're evil little monsters and they deserve to die.

And I will not stop until you all get your heads out of your asses

and put them to death.

You okay, Leigh? Oh my God.

- [Andrew] Leigh! - [Lesley] Oh my God.

Someone get some help.

Oh my God! Somebody get some help right now!

Oh my God! Everyone back up! Somebody help us, please!

[tense music ends]

Um... I gotta admit, I'm pretty nervous about being here.

It's crazy how some things work out. [chuckles]

I know we haven't spoken much since I was just an alternate,

but I've spent the last few weeks trying to figure out

what I would do if I had to decide between life and death.

And, um... now here I am.

We never heard anyone say they were violent or they got in any fights.

All I heard about was how good they were.

All those coaches and teachers.

I... I couldn't believe how much they all cared about them.

And I kept thinking about their relatives.

Talking about how much they loved them.

Fighting for their lives.

That's gotta mean something.

[somber music playing]

[Bruce] Look, I honestly don't know what to believe.

But I know if I were in their position

and lived through what they said they lived through...

[handcuffs clanking]

...I probably would've done the same thing.

I've definitely snapped before.

I never killed anyone, but I've definitely snapped.

And I know we're never gonna know what really happened in that family,

but if there's even the slightest chance that what they said is true...

I'll tell you right now,

I'm not gonna be the one responsible for taking their lives

because I think that would be a huge mistake.

And when the time comes and we vote...

I hope we all think about that.

And I hope we make a decision we can live with

just like they did that night.

Because we're gonna have to live with it for the rest of our lives.

[somber music continues]

[Lyle] Hey.

What?

[door opening]

[guard] They're ready for you.

[kisses]

Ready?

Earlier, a jury recommended that Lyle and Eric Menendez

be sentenced to two consecutive life terms

for the brutal slaying of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez.

The jury could have recommended the death penalty,

but after three days of deliberation,

they opted to send the brothers to prison for the rest of their lives

with no chance of parole.

Mr. Conn, are you disappointed the jury didn't recommend the death penalty?

I think the jury did an excellent job.

We can all rest easier tonight knowing

that Lyle and Erik Menendez will never be free men

and that they'll both die in prison.

Honestly, I feel a sense of enormous relief.

[man] Is it a win?

Man, what's a win?

You know, they're gonna spend the rest of their lives in prison,

which is an awful place.

It's better than watching them be strapped into a gurney at San Quentin

as the State executes them by lethal injection.

They are two tremendous human beings,

and I feel confident that they will find a way

to positively contribute to society from prison.

And if they do have to spend their lives in prison,

at least they won't be alone.

They will have each other.

[indistinct chatter]

Les, I know what you're up to, trying to separate the boys.

It's cruel. It's punitive.

Family members stay together.

Family members who conspired to get out of the murders they committed together?

Ugh! Please.

God knows what they'd cook up if they lived in the same prison

for the rest of their lives.

You know who I was thinking about the other day?

Every client I have ever had for 26 years.

Everyone I have acquitted who is walking around Los Angeles.

And you wanna know what I realized?

Is that Erik and Lyle Menendez

are probably the least dangerous of all of them.

Leslie, they're liars.

[sighs]

They shot their parents while they were sleeping on a couch.

[Erik] It's actually not impossible.

People could wake up in a few years and be like,

"We gotta change the system, where two kids..."

And yes, I know, what we did was very wrong, and I get that.

But, like, to spend the rest of our lives in prison? Like, that's just...

[sighing]

- What purpose does that even serve? - Erik, Erik, Erik.

I want to say something.

Maybe sit.

The appeals process, it's good that you're going through that.

Absolutely.

But I don't want getting out of prison to be the only thing you hope for.

Does that make sense?

[chuckling] No.

Erik, your life is in here now.

You've got to find meaning and purpose in your life in here.

And that is possible, Erik, to... to find a meaningful life in here.

I've seen it happen, and I have complete faith that you will find that.

[door clangs]

[indistinct chatter]

[buzzer blares]

[door clangs]

[door clangs]

["Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" by Milli Vanilli playing]

[buzzer blares]

Wake up, Menendez.

[door clangs]

What's going on?

You and your brother are being transferred.

Okay.

[guard] Come on. Let's go.

♪ I knew it from the start You would break my heart ♪

♪ But, still I had to play This painful part ♪

♪ You wrapped me 'round Your little bitty finger ♪

♪ With your magic smile ♪

♪ You kept me hangin' On a lover's cross awhile ♪

♪ You put your spell on me ♪

♪ Took my breath away ♪

♪ But there was nothin' I could do To make you stay ♪

♪ I'm gonna miss you ♪

♪ All the love I feel for you ♪

♪ Nothing could make me Change my point of view ♪

♪ Oh girl, girl, I'm gonna miss you baby ♪

♪ Giving all the love I feel for you ♪

♪ Couldn't make you change Your point of view ♪

♪ You're leavin' ♪

♪ Now I'm sittin' here, wastin' my time ♪

♪ I just don't know... ♪

[guard] Erik Menendez.

- Yeah? - [guard] Hop in.

Where are we going?

Folsom Prison. Get comfy. It's a long drive.

♪ It's a tragedy for me to see The dream is over ♪

- Is... - [guard] I said hop in.

♪ Girl, I'm gonna miss you ♪

[seatbelt clicks]

[engine starts]

♪ Like a honey bee You took the best of me ♪

♪ Now I can't erase those memories ♪

♪ Like a fairy tale you were so unreal ♪

♪ You left a scar that's so hard to heal ♪

♪ When you had a taste of paradise ♪

♪ Back on earth can feel as cold as ice ♪

♪ I'm gonna miss you ♪

♪ I'm gonna miss you I'm gonna miss you ♪

♪ I miss you ♪

♪ Giving all the love I feel for you ♪

♪ Couldn't make you Change your point of view ♪

♪ You're leavin' ♪

♪ Now I'm sittin' here, wastin' my time ♪

♪ I just don't know what I should do ♪

♪ It's a tragedy for me to see The dream is over ♪

♪ And I never will forget the day we met ♪

♪ Girl, I'm gonna miss you ♪

♪ It's a tragedy for me... ♪

Wait, why isn't the other van following us?

Where... I thought we were going to Folsom.

[guard] You're going to Folsom. Your brother's going someplace else.

Where?

♪... miss you ♪

["Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" by Milli Vanilli ends]

It is beautiful.

You know that there is a shipwreck right underneath us, 200 feet down?

That's where the sharks are?

- Out here. - Wait, are we fishing for sharks?

Yeah. Didn't I tell you?

No, no, no. You said we were fishing. You did not say shark fishing.

[laughing]

I told you about the guy from Arista that I met with in New York.

I was trying to close a deal with him

and he said that he loves the shark fishing shit.

And I lied to him. And I said, "Yeah, me too!"

"Let's do a shark fishing trip next time you're in town!"

So I got to know what I'm talking about.

- What kind of sharks are we fishing? - I don't know. Um...

No idea.

Uh, Captain. Captain.

Yes, sir.

What kind of sharks are we getting today?

Uh, we're looking at blue sharks, mako, maybe a great white.

But they'll be juveniles mostly.

- Okay. Juveniles! - Oh great!

Jaws is going to bite my arm off.

[both laughing]

[Kitty exhales]

I hated it when you went on trips.

Stuck me with those boys all by myself while you were off with her.

Kitty cat, look at me. Look at me, Kitty cat. No, no, no.

That is over.

I chased the wrong things. I chased shit for a long time.

The thing that I needed the most, I had it with me.

I had you.

[melancholy music playing]

And I love you.

[blows kiss]

It wasn't easy, but we fucking did it. We made it.

And you know what, you should go back to journalism, Kitty.

Wait, what? No.

Yes, I mean it. I'll tell you why.

Because if I am running for Senate, you could be writing about me.

[Kitty laughs]

Oh yeah! Report on how wonderful a husband I am.

Oh yeah? You better not be joking because I just might.

[captain] Okay, guys! It's time to chum up the water.

Here we go.

You wanna kinda dribble it in here.

[Jose] Oh dear God.

I can't!

[Kitty laughs]

Boys, come back here!

- What is going on with them? - I don't know.

Who the fuck knows? Just let them be.

[Kitty sighs deeply]

[seagulls warbling]

You're not chickening out, are you?

We bought the guns.

No.

[Lyle exhales deeply]

Let's fucking do it.

Yeah.

Let's fucking do it.

[sniffs]

- [water sloshing] - [seagulls warbling]

[uneasy music playing]

[uneasy music ends]