Most people know Lyle and Erik Menendez from their time in Beverly Hills, but they didn’t move to California until 1986. Take a look at all the places the brothers lived before they went to jail for life.
Lyle and Erik Menendez are serving life sentences for killing their parents in their family’s Beverly Hills home on August 20, 1989. Lyle was 21 years old and Erik was 18 years old. Based on Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón’s suggestion, they may have a chance at a new sentence that lets them get release right away. However, the judge has not yet agreed to this.
They didn’t move to California until 1986. Take a look at all the places they lived before they went to jail for life.
New York City, USA (1968–1970)
In 1963, Patriarch José Menendez married Mary Louise “Kitty” Andersen. Patriarch José Menendez was born in Cuba and moved to the United States soon after the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s. They moved to New York City, and José went to Queens College and got a degree in accounting.
Little Lyle was born on January 10, 1968, in New York. He was their first boy.
From 1970 to 1986, Hopewell Township, New Jersey
Later, Kitty quit her job as a teacher, and she and her family moved to New Jersey. Erik, their second boy, was born in Gloucester Township on November 27, 1970. Their home was in Hopewell Township, and both of their boys went to Princeton Day School.
As José’s career grew, he and his family moved again, this time within New Jersey. They bought a house near Community Park North in what is now Princeton’s Mountain Lakes Preserve. When José was named CEO of Live Entertainment in 1986, his business took off even more. This led the Menendez family to move to Calabasas, California.
From 1986 to 1988, Calabasas, California
Erik and Lyle joined a group of kids who were into more trouble after their family moved to Southern California in 1986. Erik was caught twice for burglary in 1988. He avoided jail time but had to go to therapy because of it.
Beverly Hills, California, from 1988 to 1989
The Menendez family moved quickly to Beverly Hills after Erik and Lyle were caught burglarizing several homes. Dominick Dunne, a writer for Vanity Fair, says the brothers broke into two homes in the Calabasas area and stole over $100,000 in cash and jewelry. Erik, who was only a child at the time, took the blame and was only given probation.
The house was built in 1927, and the Menendez family bought it in 1988. Realtor.com says it cost $4 million for José to buy the house from real estate mogul Mark Slotkin. The well-known house is in Beverly Hills on Elm Drive. Famous people like Prince, Elton John, and a Saudi prince have lived there before.
The Mediterranean-style mansion has nine bathrooms, seven bedrooms, and a guest house that is separate from the main house. A post on Realtor.com says that the home has a private tennis court, pool, rose gardens, and a wine cellar with a tasting room, making it an oasis for the very rich.
An impressive circular staircase, imported Italian limestone flooring, and a gourmet kitchen with high-end appliances and a walk-in pantry are some of the other features that the ad talks about.
