Murder Mansion Gutted and Under Renovation: Inside the Menendez Brothers' Notorious Death House of Horrors
Oct. 3 2024, Published 2:26 p.m. ET
The Menendez family moved to California in the 1980s after Jose Menendez became CEO of a Hollywood production company.
The Menendez family home, nestled in the heart of ritzy Beverly Hills, was once a symbol of wealth and privilege — but the residence became notorious for the gruesome murders of José and Kitty Menendez. In the sensational double homicide that horrified the nation, the Spanish-style mansion was the grisly scene where the husband and wife were brutally gunned down by their own sons, Lyle and Erik Menendez, over 25 years ago.
The family lived in this Beverly Hills mansion, where stars like Elton John once lived.
The opulent residence, previously owned by celebrities like Prince and Elton John, became a haunting reminder of a chilling family tragedy that would dominate headlines and courtroom dramas for years. RadarOnline.com can reveal the mansion was recently sold for a reported $17 million and is now undergoing an extensive renovation.
The home was the site of a grisly murder after Lyle and Erik Menendez gunned down their parents, Jose and Kitty, on Aug. 20, 1989.
In 1988, the Menendez family moved into the lavish mansion, but what was supposed to be a happy home spiraled into chaos as the brothers' lives unraveled, leading to the grisly murders.
The bodies of Kitty and Jose were discovered in the den of the mansion.
The following year, on the night of August 20, 1989, José and Kitty were on their living room couch watching TV when 21-year-old Lyle and 18-year-old Erik approached from behind and blasted the couple with two 12-gauge shotguns. According to the autopsy report, José suffered an "explosive decapitation with evisceration of the brain." His wife was hit in the head, chest, hand, arm and leg. Both died at the scene.
The death certificate for Jose Menendez noted he died from multiple shotgun wounds.
After the brothers brutally fired off multiple shots at their parents in the blood-spattered den, Lyle made the now-infamous 911 call, theatrically shouting, "Someone killed my parents!" Both Lyle and Erik were found sobbing on the lawn, but their suspicious spending spree soon raised eyebrows.
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The death certificate for Mary Menendez also listed she died from multiple shotgun wounds.
Before his murder, José Menendez, a Hollywood executive, had threatened to cut his sons, Lyle and Erik, out of his will. The brothers had struggled with failure — Lyle had been suspended from Princeton, and Erik’s once-promising tennis career floundered.
Jose and Kitty Menendez were shot multiple times by their own sons in the home's den.
Autopsy reports revealed the horrifying extent of the attack, and due to the sheer brutality of the murders, police initially believed the murders were mob-related. The killer brothers capitalized on this, blaming their father’s business dealings for the slayings
What was once a luxurious residence filled with opulence became a haunting reminder of a chilling family tragedy that would dominate headlines and courtroom dramas for years.
Just months after the murders, Lyle and Erik began spending wildly, burning through nearly $1 million on luxury cars, Rolex watches, and trips abroad — raising suspicions about their involvement in the killings.
The Menendez family home, nestled in the heart of ritzy Beverly Hills, was once a symbol of wealth and privilege.
A breakthrough in the case came when their therapist revealed Erik had confessed to the murders during therapy. Tapes from these sessions, obtained by the police, played a pivotal role in the brothers' arrests. During the trial, Lyle claimed their father had sexually abused him and he feared José would kill them both. Despite these allegations, the unsealed therapy tapes made no mention of the abuse.
After the shooting, both brothers were found sobbing on the lawn, but their suspicious spending spree soon raised eyebrows.
The Menendez brothers were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole. After nearly 30 years apart, they reunited in 2018 at a California prison, tearfully embracing in a "remarkable moment." Recently, the blood brothers' chilling story was portrayed in the Ryan Murphy series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.