What happened to the Menéndez brothers' money? All that is known

Joseph Lyle and Erik Galen Menéndez, commonly known as the Menéndez brothers, hit the headlines in the 1990s. They were convicted of murdering their parents, José and Mary Louise. The prosecutor in their case argued that the siblings committed the heinous act so they could inherit José and Mary's estate. The brothers are not rich right now, so what happened to the Menéndez brothers' money?

Numerous people say they would do anything to become wealthy, but would they if it involved killing their parents? Well, the Menéndez brothers murdered their parents, allegedly for wealth. They seem to have lost the fortune, begging the question, what happened to the Menéndez brothers' money? Find out more.

What happened to the Menéndez brothers' money?

The Menéndez brothers were raised in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles County, California, United States of America, by affluent parents. Joseph Lyle was born on 10 January 1968, while Erik Galen was born on 27 November 1970.

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Joseph Lyle and Erik Galen killed their parents, José and Mary Louise. Mary's nickname was Kitty. They allegedly did so to inherit their parent's multimillion-dollar estate. Events turned, and the brothers are not as wealthy as they desired.

Who got the Menéndez brothers' money?

On 20 August 1989, Lyle and Erik entered their parents' Beverly Hills mansion. At the time, José and Kitty were standing in the den of the home.

The boys shot their dad six times, and Kitty was shot ten times. The brothers remained in the house, awaiting the police to show up because the gunshots had caused noise in the neighbourhood.

When the police arrived, the boys claimed the killings occurred when they were out on a movie. The police did not confirm the two had recently discharged firearms.

Shortly after the killings, the boys started spending their parents' fortune extravagantly. They indulged in luxury items, travel, and businesses. This showed they had access to their parents' wealth.

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Lyle used the fortune to purchase a Rolex watch, a Porsche Carrera, Chuck's Spring Street Cafe, and a Buffalo Wing restaurant in Princeton. On the other hand, Eric hired a full-time tennis coach.

The brothers eventually chose to vacate their parents' mansion and bought adjoining condos in Marina del Rey. They spent about $700,000 before being arrested.

Before their arrest, some family members said the boys' spending was not caused by the murder of their parents. Instead, it was their coping mechanism after suffering the loss.

Police began investigations into the murders and soon started suspecting the boys did it for their parents' wealth.

On the other hand, the boys said their motive for the killings was out of fear that their father would kill them. The fear arose after they allegedly threatened to expose him for years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.

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The prosecution argued that they conducted the murders to inherit their father's multimillion-dollar estate. In a twist of events, the brothers did not inherit as much wealth as they expected.

They inherited about $2 million each after loans and taxes, but their expectation was to inherit $90 million. It turned out that their parents had loans on their Calabasas and Beverly Hills homes.

When the loans on the properties were deducted, the value of José's real estate was $5.7 million. The brothers thought their parents had hidden millions in a secret Swiss bank account. This was not the case.

In reality, the brothers do not have the money they expected to inherit. According to the California Slayer Statute, they cannot receive inheritance because of their felonious act. Therefore, they are not rich.

Menéndez brothers' net worth in 2024

While the Menéndez brothers' net worth is yet to be officially confirmed, it is close to nil. This is because the brothers did not receive any inheritance after it was proved that they killed their parents.

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Where are the Menéndez brothers now?

The Menéndez brothers are currently serving time at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County. The two underwent trial and were sentenced for killing their parents.

On 2 July 1996, the siblings were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. During their pretrial detention, they were separated and segregated from other prisoners.

They were hosted in different prisons until February 2018. The brothers met again on 4 April 2018 at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility after about 22 years of being away from each other. Today, they share a housing unit.

Will the Menéndez brothers ever be released?

The American judicial system has not issued the Menéndez brothers' release date because the brothers were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The siblings tried to appeal the court's decision. On 27 February 1998, the California Court of Appeal upheld their murder convictions. On 28 May 1998, the Supreme Court of California refused to review their case.

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In 1999, they filed habeas corpus petitions with the Supreme Court of California. The petitions were denied, exhausting their appeal remedies in state court.

On 4 March 2003, their separate habeas corpus petitions in the United States District Court were denied. They also appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the judges denied their appeal.

In May 2023, they sought a new hearing after it was reported their late father had molested Roy Rosselló. Roy alleged José had drugged and molested him at 14.

Who lives in the Menéndez brothers' house now?

The Menéndez Beverly Hills house became a point of interest because José and Kitty's murders happened there. The home is currently owned by a telecommunications executive named Sam Delug.

Delug purchased the property in 2001. It underwent major interior renovations in 2002. The exterior remains almost the same as it did when the Menéndez occupied it.

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For a long time, the house had an estimated market value of $5.7 million. Before Delug bought it, the mansion was owned by William Link, a murder mystery television writer.

The Beverly Hills mansion was recently sold for a whopping $17 million. It was sold 28 years to the day after the brothers were convicted of the heinous crime. The new buyer is currently unknown.

José and Kitty owned another home in Calabasas. The property was auctioned to Raymond and Vera Stewart in 1994. The two placed a bid of $1.3 million on it. The amount was lower than the initial appraisal value of $2.65 million.

The money collected from the sale of the properties was used to cater to the mortgages. It was also used to close the house and to pay for internal revenue services.

Who inherited the Menéndez fortune?

Probate files revealed that Joseph Lyle and Erik Galen's inheritance of $14.5 million was lost to taxes, lawyers’ fees, and inflated real estate appraisals. If Lyle and Erik were to be acquitted of murder today, they would stand to inherit nothing.

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Who bought the Menéndez mansion?

Sam Delug, a telecommunications executive, owned the Beverly Hills property until recently. He sold it to an unknown buyer for $17 million. On the other hand, Raymond and Vera Stewart bought the Calabasas home in 1994.

Why was the Menéndez brothers' case significant?

After the Menéndez brothers were arrested, their trial made headlines in television stations, radios, newspapers, and magazines. Numerous headings were about greedy rich children who killed their parents for money.

The case was significant because it exposed multiple societal issues. The brothers tabled a case of self-defence because their father abused them for years.

On the other hand, the prosecution argued they had a sinister motive. They wanted to inherit their parents' wealth.

In March 2024, lawyer Cliff Gardner revealed that the new evidence gathered about the case corroborates claims of abuse. If the judge finds the evidence credible, the lawyer thinks it will be sufficient to give the brothers a new trial.

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Menéndez brothers movie

The Menéndez brothers have inspired multiple documentaries, television series, movies, parodies, and dark comedy productions. The movies based on the case are listed below.

• Menéndez: A Killing in Beverly Hills (1994)
• Honour thy Father and Mother: The True Story of the Menéndez Murders (1994)
• Natural Born Killers (1994) - lose depiction of their story
• Menéndez : Blood Brothers (2017)

Who are the Menéndez brothers' wives?

Both Lyle and Erik Menéndez found love in prison. Erik's wife is Tammi Menéndez. The two first met in August 1997 after years of correspondence.

They fell in love at first sight. Tammi and her daughter moved to California to be closer to Erik. ​The lovebirds got married in 1999 in the waiting room at Folsom State Prison. Talking about the wedding ceremony, Tammi said the words below.

Our wedding cake was a Twinki. We improvised. It was a wonderful ceremony until I had to leave. That was a very lonely night.

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Tammi has authored a book titled They Said We’d Never Make It: My Life with Erik Menéndez. The book documents her relationship and experiences.

On the other hand, Rebecca Sneed is Joseph Lyle's wife. Sneed was working as a magazine editor when she began corresponding via letters to Lyle.

The two exchanged vows in the visiting room of his state prison in 2003. Currently, Sneed is a defense attorney. Before Lyle’s marriage to Sneed, he was married to a model named Anna Eriksson.

Are the Menéndez brothers free now?

The brothers are not free. They are still serving time in prison. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Trivia

• The brothers went to Beverly Hills High School and graduated in 1987.
• Lyle went to Princeton University but dropped out.
• Erik was an aspiring tennis player and had planned to attend the University of California, Los Angeles.
• The unit where the brothers are housed at the moment is reserved for inmates who agree to participate in education and rehabilitation programmes.
• Tammi's daughter calls Erik her "Earth Dad."

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What happened to the Menéndez brothers' money? Well, the brothers lost the fortune they expected to inherit after shooting dead their parents. They are serving life sentences for the crimes.

Yen.com.gh recently published Latarian Milton's biography. Milton was the subject of significant media attention when he was seven.

Milton became an internet sensation because he was a juvenile delinquent from the United States of America. He became a well-publicised child criminal in 2008 after snatching his grandmother's automobile.

Source: YEN.com.gh