why did the menendez brothers kill their parents

The Menendez brothers, Lyle and Erik Menendez, killed their parents in August 1989. They have consistently said they did so out of fear and self-defense after enduring a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their father, José Menendez. The brothers recounted that on the night of the murders, they believed their parents were about to kill them to keep the abuse secret, so they armed themselves with shotguns they had purchased days earlier and shot their parents. They claimed their father had sexually abused them over many years, and their mother did not protect them from this abuse. Prosecutors contested their claims, arguing the murders were premeditated and motivated by greed to inherit the family fortune, which was worth over $14 million. The trial included allegations and testimonies regarding the abuse and the brothers' motives. The courts ultimately convicted Lyle and Erik Menendez of first-degree murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment without parole. Despite their brutal crime, the brothers maintained that their actions were driven by their traumatic history of abuse and fear for their lives. They have been denied parole as recently as August 2025. In summary, the Menendez brothers killed their parents mainly because they claimed to be victims of years of severe abuse and feared for their safety, which they said justified their actions as self-defense.