Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual abuse and rape which some readers may find distressing.
The family of the incarcerated Menendez brothers have been left furious after an audio recording was leaked during a parole hearing, throwing it into chaos.
Erik and Lyle have spent nearly 30 years behind bars after being convicted of the 1989 murder of their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez.
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The two brothers from New York were sentenced to life for their crimes in 1996 in what seemed to be an open and shut case, until both brothers explained their motive, which was years of sexual abuse at the hands of their father.
Interest in the case soared after it was covered in the Netflix drama series Monsters, with many calling for the two brothers to be freed, and they had the chance to achieve that freedom with their parole hearings last week.
Erik appeared before the judge on Thursday 21 August but was denied parole and won't be able to reapply until 2028 at the earliest.
While that decision was already met with outrage from the family and the brother's supporters, there was even more anger when audio taken from Erik's hearing was published online during Lyle's hearing, which reportedly threw things into chaos.
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According to ABC 7, who obtained the recording through a public records request, one of Erik's relatives Tiffani Lucero Pastor lambasted the parole board, shouting: "This is disgusting.
“You’ve misled the family, and now to compound matters, you’ve violated this family and their rights."
During the recording, Erik explains more about the night in 1989 where he and his brother shot their parents at their home in Beverley Hills.
He said: “Fear was driving me to that den, and rage. The idea that dad was going to come to my room.
"Dad was going to come to my room and rape me that night, that was going to happen one way or another…
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"And so I just went and I ran and I got the gun in my room and went down to the car and I loaded it and I ran into that den before Lyle could."
He was also asked more about why the brothers opted to kill their mother Kitty as well, despite her not taking part in any of the sexual abuse.
“She was his [dad’s] victim, I should have known that, I should have separated it in my mind. But that night, I saw them as one person,” he said.
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“I was raised purposely without the moral foundation that I should not do wrong when I know the difference between right and wrong. I was raised to lie, to cheat, to steal, steal in a sense, in an abstract way.
Despite parole attorney Heidi Rumme arguing that the audio leak was outrageous and that the hearing was no longer fair, both brothers were eventually told that they would need to wait three years for another parole hearing.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.
Topics: Menendez Brothers, Crime, Netflix, True Crime
James Moorhouse