The Menendez brothers' therapist Dr Jerome Oziel is no longer working as a psychologist after losing license
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
In October 1989, therapist Dr Jerome Oziel received a phone call that would blow the lid off one of the most harrowing true crime cases in the US, with many now wondering what has happened to him since the high-profile 90s trial.
The crimes of Erik and Lyle Menendez have been put back under the spotlight after being at the centre of Netflix's latest instalment of Monsters, and viewers have been left with questions over the real-life people at the heart of the case.
In 1989, brothers Erik and Lyle - who were 18 and 21 respectively at the time - shot their parents dead in their Beverly Hills home.
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Their high-profile televised trial captured the attention of both the public and the media, with the brothers arguing that they killed their parents out of self-defence after suffering years of alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents, while the prosecution argued the pair were instead motivated by financial gain in a bid to get their hands on Jose and Kitty's $14.5 million fortune.
Their first trial ended up being declared a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a verdict, with a second in 1995 ultimately finding them guilty of first-degree murder. The brothers avoided the death penalty, instead being given two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
But one of the key moments of the case came before the brothers were even arrested, when Erik confessed to the murders to his therapist, Dr Jerome Oziel.
In 1989, Erik rang Dr Oziel requesting an urgent appointment and was later captured on tape admitting to committing the murders.
Just months later, Judalon Smyth - Oziel's patient and mistress - told the police about the tapes, cracking the case wide open and setting off a chain of events which would determine whether the tapes could legally be submitted as evidence due to patient confidentiality rules.
In 1992, the Supreme Court of California decided that two of the tapes could be used in the trial, with Dr Oziel becoming a major witness for the prosecution.
But where is Dr Oziel now?
Well, in 1997, he was 'accused by a state panel of breaking confidentiality rules and having sex with female patient' - allegations of which he denies - and lost his license to practice.
Dr Oziel, however, tells a different story.
Speaking to Bustle in 2017, he claims he didn't surrender his license but had instead 'phased out his practice'.
"I did not surrender my license due to the accusation, which implies I gave up my practice because I did things alleged in the original accusation," he said.
"I had phased out my practice because I had a major business offer that was highly lucrative and moved to be the CEO of a large business in another state a year and a half prior to the surrender… No agency ever found I did a thing that was improper or wrong."
He is currently listed as working at Marital Meditation Center which aims to 'improve marriages through mediation as an alternative to divorce'.
Netflix confirmed today that it is releasing a bombshell new documentary on the Menendez brothers, which will see them tell their version of events from prison.
In the trailer, Erik and Lyle can be heard speaking from behind bars at Donovan Correctional Facility, California and vowing to make sure people 'understand the truth'.
The Menendez Brothers will hit Netflix on 7 October.
Topics: Menendez Brothers, Netflix, True Crime, Crime