Victim's Heartland
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.

Joseph and Erik Menendez

3 posters

Go down

Joseph and Erik Menendez Empty Joseph and Erik Menendez

Post by Guest Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:48 am

Joseph Lyle Menendez (born January 10, 1968) and brother Erik Galen Menendez (born November 27, 1971) were convicted in a highly publicized trial for the shotgun murders in 1989 of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, residents of Beverly Hills, California. Under the terms of the sentences for their multiple crimes, the brothers are expected to spend the remainder of their lives in prison.

Jose Menendez was born in 1944 to an upper class family in Havana, Cuba. His father was a well-known soccer player who owned an accounting firm. His mother was a swimmer who was elected to Cuba’s sports hall of fame. Jose had two older sisters, Teresita, known as "Terry", and Marta. Jose’s parents’ accomplishments in sports guaranteed them an honored place in Cuban society. In 1960, following the Cuban Revolution, Jose fled to the United States, where he settled in Scranton, Pennsylvania, studying English and eventually accounting. Jose was a very successful businessman who worked his way up from nothing to having a $1 million a year plus salary. While director of RCA records he signed such acts as Eurythmics and Duran Duran. Jose was so committed to his work that he once flew the Concorde overseas to watch his son play in a tennis tournament competition. As soon as the match concluded he flew the Concorde back again so he could wrap up a business deal.

Kitty Andersen was born in 1941, the youngest of four children of Charles and Mae Andersen. Her family lived in Oak Lawn, Illinois. During her early childhood, Kitty’s family was solidly middle class. Her father owned a successful heating and air conditioning business, and her mother stayed at home to care for Kitty and her two older brothers, Milt and Brian, and Kitty’s older sister, Joan.

The brothers
The Menendez brothers grew up in Blackwood, New Jersey, both attended Princeton Day School for grade school, and Lyle attended Princeton University. Lyle was placed on academic probation at Princeton for poor grades and disciplinary probation, and eventually dropped out after allegations of plagiarism.

Crimes
The murders occurred on August 20, 1987, in the den of the family's 722 Elm Drive home in Beverly Hills. Jose and Kitty were tired that summer evening as the family had been out shark fishing on a chartered yacht Motion Picture Marine until midnight the previous day. With Lyle and Erik out for the evening both Jose and Kitty retired to the den to watch the James Bond thriller The Spy Who Loved Me. At around 10pm the neighbors reported hearing what sounded like firecrackers. The noise was dismissed by neighbors as nothing concerning. Jose was shot point blank in the back of the head with a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun. Kitty awakened by the shots sprang from the couch and made a run for the hallway but was shot in the leg causing it to break. She then slipped in her own blood that ran down her leg and when she fell she was then shot several times in the arm, chest and face leaving her unrecognizable. They were then both shot in the kneecap to make the crime to appear mob related. The brothers then drove off and dumped their shotguns on Mulholland Drive and bought tickets at a local movie theater, seeing the movie Batman to use as an alibi. Then at 11:47 pm when the brothers returned home, Lyle called 911 and cried, "Somebody killed my parents!" Initially, the police did not consider the brothers as suspects. At their trial, Erik said he spotted a shotgun shell they had left on the floor, and removed it when the policeman talking to him looked away.

Security at 722 North Elm Drive was of a high standard. The Mediterranean mansion was rented to the likes of Prince and Elton John. Jose frequently left the alarm system off and the gates open even after his Mercedes 560SEL was stolen from the front circular driveway of the house just weeks before the murders. Kitty on the other hand was agitated leading up to the murders. Constantly locking her bedroom door at night and keeping a rifle in her wardrobe for safe keeping. It was clear that something was troubling her. Kitty did mention to her psychiatrist a few weeks before she was murdered that she feared her sons may be sociopaths.

In the following months, the brothers led a life of luxury and lavish spending, later adding to investigators' suspicions that they were involved in their parents' deaths. Lyle bought an expensive Rolex watch, a Porsche Carrera, a Buffalo Wings restaurant and a Chuck's Spring Street Cafe in Princeton. Erik also hired a full-time tennis coach and competed in a tournament in Israel. They left the Elm Drive mansion unoccupied and lived in 2 separate penthouse apartments in Marina Del Rey. They drove around LA in their late mother's Mercedes SL convertible, had costly lunches, dinners and went on overseas trips to the Caribbean and London. Prosecutors later alleged that the brothers spent about $1 million in their first six months as orphans. The police did not suspect them until Erik confessed to his psychiatrist, who after being threatened by Lyle, told the police. On December 8, 1992, the Menendez brothers were indicted by the Los Angeles County Grand Jury on charges that they murdered their parents.

Trials
The Menendez brothers and the murder of their parents became a national sensation when Court TV broadcast the trial in 1993. The younger brother's defense attorney, Leslie Abramson, vaulted to fame with her flamboyant defense, alleging that the brothers were driven to murder by a lifetime of abuse from their parents, including sexual abuse from their father, Jose. Despite the defense theory, the past criminal records of the brothers stood in contrast to the "escape from parental abuse" theory. The trial ended in two deadlocked juries (while the brothers were tried together, each had a separate jury).

Los Angeles District Attorney Gil Garcetti immediately announced the brothers would be retried. The second trial was somewhat less publicized, in part because Judge Stanley Weisberg refused to allow cameras in the courtroom.

Both brothers were convicted of two counts of first degree murder, plus conspiracy to commit murder. In the penalty phase of the trial, the jury did not support death sentences for the brothers but instead returned recommendations of life in prison. The jury later said that the abuse defense was never a factor in their deliberations and that the jury rejected the death penalty because neither brother had a felony record or a history of violence. Unlike the previous trials, the jury unanimously rejected the defense theory that the brothers killed their parents out of fear, but believed rather that the murders were committed with the intent of gaining control of their parents' considerable wealth.

On July 2, 1996, Weisberg sentenced Lyle and Erik Menendez to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Judge Weisberg sentenced the brothers to consecutive sentences for the murders and the charge of conspiracy to commit murder. On September 10, 1996, the California Department of Corrections separated the Menendez brothers, sending them to different prisons. Both were classified as maximum-security inmates and segregated from other prisoners.

On February 27, 1998, the California Court of Appeal upheld the murder convictions, and on May 28, 1998, the California Supreme Court voted to uphold the murder convictions and life-without-parole sentences, with none of the Supreme Court justices voting to review the case.

Of note, during the penalty phase of the murder trial for Erik and Lyle Menendez, defense lawyer Leslie Abramson allegedly ordered a defense witness, Dr. William Vicary, to alter his notes. Leslie Abramson did not face a criminal investigation, as the district attorney's office decided it would not investigate the infraction. Both brothers filed motions for a mistrial, claiming that they suffered irreparable damage in the penalty phase as a result of suggestions of possible misconduct and ineffective representation by Abramson.

Life in prison
Since entering prison, both brothers have married, even though California does not allow conjugal visits for those convicted of murder or for those serving life sentences.

In January 1997, Lyle married longtime pen pal Anna Erikkson, a former model. The marriage reportedly ended after less than a year after she reportedly discovered that Lyle was "cheating" on her by writing to another woman. In November 2003, Lyle, then 35, married Rebecca Sneed, a 33-year-old magazine editor from Sacramento, at a ceremony in a maximum security visiting area of Mule Creek State Prison. Lyle and Rebecca had reportedly known each other for approximately 10 years prior to their engagement.

In 1997, Erik was reportedly married through a telephone ceremony at Folsom State Prison. In June 1999, Erik, then 28, married Tammi Ruth Saccoman, 37, at Folsom State Prison in a prison waiting room. Tammi later stated that "Our wedding cake was a Twinkie. We improvised. It was a wonderful ceremony until I had to leave. That was a very lonely night." In an interview with ABC News in October 2005, Erik's wife Tammi stated that her relationship with Erik, her husband of six years, is "something that I've dreamed about for a long time. And it's just something very special that I never thought that I would ever have." Tammi Menendez also self-published a book in 2005 titled They Said We'd Never Make It - My Life With Erik Menendez, though Erik said on the Larry King Live show that he had heavily edited the book. In an interview with People magazine, Tammi Menendez stated that "Not having sex in my life is difficult, but it's not a problem for me. I have to be emotionally attached, and I'm emotionally attached to Erik... My friends don't understand. When it started to get serious, some of them just threw up their hands." Tammi also noted that she and her 10-year-old daughter drive the 150 miles every weekend to see Erik, whom her daughter refers to as her "Earth Dad."

Regarding his sentence of life without parole, Erik has stated: "Tammi is what gets me through. I can't think about the sentence. When I do, I do it with a great sadness and a primal fear. I break into a cold sweat. It's so frightening I just haven't come to terms with it.

Erik reportedly works as a night janitor and shares a 6-by-9-foot cell with another prisoner.

As of 2008, Lyle was being held in Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California. Erik was incarcerated at the Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, California. Under the terms of the sentences for their multiple crimes, the brothers are expected to spend the remainder of their lives in prison. According to Erik, on the same Larry King show, he and his brother have not spoken to each other for more than ten years.


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Anonymous
Guest
Guest


Back to top Go down

Joseph and Erik Menendez Empty Erik Menendez – the patricide’s jailhouse bride, Tammi Saccoman on her reality show tonight!

Post by Nama Tue Mar 30, 2010 1:43 am

How many of us remember Erik Menendez? Probably very less because he had hit the headlines when many of the readers were in their nursery classes! So a quick recap of the incident that made Erik Menendez notorious!
Erik Galen Menendez and Joseph Lyle Menendez are two brothers who did the hideous crime of murdering their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez, residents of Beverly Hills, California, on 20th August 1989 by shotgun.
Both Joseph and Erik were sentenced of lifetime imprisonment and are expected to remain in prison cell till the last day of their life. Erik is reported to be working as a night caretaker and shares a 6-by-9-foot cell with another prisoner!
Erik Menendez married his long time pen pal Tammi Saccoman on 16-Jun-1999 via a telephone ceremony at Folsom State Prison. The wedding took place in a prison waiting room. Tammi later self-published a book titled “They Said We’d Never Make It – My Life with Erik Menendez” where she had revealed many wonderful moments and facts about the couple and the relation they share.
Now, the reason why Erik Menendez is a hot search on internet today is that Tammi Saccoman is to appear on her own reality show named “Mrs. Menendez” at 9PM on A&E on 29th March 2010. She will be tonight on television to let people know of the world of Erik and also the critical marital relationship that they share.
So if you want to know how the Menendez couple carry out their relationship staying 150 miles apart, tune in your TV to A&E at 9PM tonight!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Why is a show like this necessary?
Nama
Nama
Administration
Administration

Join date : 2009-05-28

Back to top Go down

Joseph and Erik Menendez Empty Re: Joseph and Erik Menendez

Post by Wrapitup Tue Mar 30, 2010 2:04 am

It's on A&E as I type this. I will give it about 10 min. and see what the big hype is.
Wrapitup
Wrapitup
Founder
Founder

Join date : 2009-05-28

https://victimsheartland.forumotion.com/forum.htm

Back to top Go down

Joseph and Erik Menendez Empty Re: Joseph and Erik Menendez

Post by charminglane Tue Mar 30, 2010 11:42 am

WTF!
charminglane
charminglane

Join date : 2009-05-28

Back to top Go down

Joseph and Erik Menendez Empty Re: Joseph and Erik Menendez

Post by Wrapitup Tue Mar 30, 2010 12:56 pm

Basically, his now wife felt a kindred spirit w/him during the trial. She was molested and has been through some trauma's of her own. It was actually kind of interesting in a strange way.
Wrapitup
Wrapitup
Founder
Founder

Join date : 2009-05-28

https://victimsheartland.forumotion.com/forum.htm

Back to top Go down

Joseph and Erik Menendez Empty Re: Joseph and Erik Menendez

Post by Sponsored content


Sponsored content


Back to top Go down

Back to top

- Similar topics

 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum