Joseph Lyle Menéndez and Erik Galen Menéndez are two American brothers who were convicted in 1996 for unaliving their parents, José and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menéndez.

During their trial, the brothers painted a picture that they committed the crime out of fear that their father would kill them first since they threatened to expose him for years of ab_use. The prosecution argued that the boys actually did it to inherit their father's multimillion-dollar estate.

The brothers were first tried separately with one jury for each brother. However, both juries deadlocked which resulted in a mistrial.

For the second trial, they were tried together - this time, the judge did not allow them to discuss the allegations of ab_use. The single jury ultimately found them guilty. They were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

In 2023, the brothers filed a habeaus corpus appeal claiming that two new pieces of evidence have surfaced that prove the boys were telling the truth when they claimed their father abused them,

Are the claims true? Should the brothers be released if they are?

This Part 1 of this 2-part series will explores the history of the Menendez family, which led up to the time of the brutal crime.