Lyle and Erik Menendez continue to serve life sentences in prison for the brutal murders of their parents on August 20, 1989, when the brothers—then 21 and 18—shot and killed them in their family’s Beverly Hills mansion.
But 35 years later, the Menendez brothers might get the chance for their case to be reopened, as prosecutors in Los Angeles are reviewing new evidence. Although Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón clarified that the brothers were “clearly the murderers” of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, prosecutors are assessing whether the new evidence could have led the jury to reach a “different conclusion,” according to the DA.
In the aftermath of their parents’ deaths in 1989, the brothers took control of their father’s estate, which was valued at approximately $14.5 million.
In just six months, Lyle and Erik reportedly spent nearly $1 million on parties, travel, and shopping. However, after being arrested seven months later, most of the money from José’s estate had been consumed by taxes and legal fees. By 1994, it was reported that $10.8 million had been spent from the estate—just two years before the brothers were sentenced to life in prison. About half of that amount went toward the brothers’ legal fees, including those of attorney Leslie Abramson, who argued that José and Kitty had subjected their sons to years of emotional and sexual abuse.
Once they were found guilty of their parents’ murder, the brothers lost access to the estate. Under California’s “Slayer Statute,” when someone is feloniously murdered, the perpetrator cannot profit from the victim’s estate, regardless of any family relationship.
With no financial cushion from their inheritance and serving life sentences in prison, Lyle and Erik have not lived a life even remotely close to the lavish one they had before their arrest. Their current net worth is unknown, but without any substantial assets and increasing liabilities from legal fees—especially if the case reopens—it may be close to zero.
Even as the latest subjects of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan‘s Monster anthology series titled Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, the brothers are unlikely to see any funds from such projects.
