I just ran out of the room. I didnt want to go back in. Welcome to how it really happened. It was a Hot August Night in 1989 when media titan Jose Menendez and his wife kitty were gunned down in cold blood in their Beverly Hills mansion. The gruesome murder would trans fix a nation drawn to the lurid testimony from the courtroom. For the first several months, the world would be riveted by one of the most publicized who done its in history. How did it really happen . Beverly hills represents wealth. It represents exclusivity. The prettiest people, the fanciest cars. All over Beverly Hills but rarely here. In august, 20th, 1989, the quota was filled. Whats the problem . Whats the problem . Pardon me . The phone rang and it was the watch commander indicating that he needed to respond to the station. They had a double homicide. 722 north elm. The first patrol car pulls up. Erik is weeping hysterically on the front lawn. At this time we had two deceased persons inside. A male and a female. They escorted me into the home to show me the crime scene. As you enter, there is a large double door directly in front of you. The victims were in their home, watching tv, having dessert, relaxing. Apparently, thats where they started shooting the second they were in the room. Mr. Menendez was sitting on the couch and quite a bit of trauma to the legs, to the head, to the torso. Just immense carnage on the body itself. Just below on the floor between the coffee table and the couch was mrs. Menendez, Kitty Menendez. In my 38 years in law enforcement, ive seen murder victims. Ive seen suicide victims. But the condition in which these two bodies were in, ill never forget the look. They were basically unrecognizable. The way movies depict a crime scene is tamer often than what it really is. It is always shocking, the. A blood. It is more than you can fathom. You could hear a flopping and it was the bookcase or the ceiling. My partner needed to hold an umbrella over my head and a camera to protect us from the types of tissue falling down. When they picked up joses body and brain fell out of his head it was a scene you dont want to see very often. It was 11 45, 12 00 at night, and the phone woke us up. Erik was screaming on the phone. My fathers dead, my fathers dead. The house was cordoned off already with that yellow tape. There were a number of police cars. They blocked off the traffic. No traffic. Lyle was on the sidewalk talking to one or two either policemen or detectives. The police show up at the scene and there are these two distraught sons. These two boys. And theyve just found their parents murdered. Lyle and Erik Menendez, the brothers, they had a good reputation. They were good students. They were great tennis players. I was quite close to them at that time and i felt like they needed me. They went to the Police Station and i went with them. I interviewed the two boys, lyle and erik, and erik was very, very tearful and told me they had been to a Food Festival and a movie in santa monica. When they came in, they entered the house. They found their parents deceased. I tried to console them and then tried to get information as to who would have possibly done this. The first hours after the crime, the police are scrubbing the crime scene and theyre looking for dna evidence, for fingerprints. They are looking for eyewitnesses, and for what people might have heard. Particularly when the crime is gunshots. I believe at 10 00 in the evening, the neighbors heard a banging but did not want to get involved. It sounded like a Shotgun Blast over and over again, youre talking a good 16 shots with a Shotgun Blast. Nobody called police which is very unsurprisingly, they call on barking dogs all the time in Beverly Hills and parking violations. I remember first hearing about the Menendez Murders on local tv. And it seemed completely unreal. The names of the victims that we have is joseph enrique menendez, 45 years old, and his wife mary or kitty louise menendez, 44 years old. Who could get into the home and creep up on them as theyre watching tv in their den . There was no real struggle. How did the perpetrator do that . People in this quiet exclusive neighborhood remain surprised at the murders. They said down the hill and i thought it was somewhere else. I didnt think it would be here right where i come to work at. After what happened here last night, some of the neighbors are worried and afraid. We dont know if this is an isolated incident. There was an urgency that we needed to solve this case. Not only for the victims but for the community at large. Was it a gangrelated type thing . A mafiarelated type thing . This was a horrific crime. Police have no conclusive evidence. Who hated them . Who had they crossed . Hit it it takes two to make a thing go right it takes two to make it outta sight one, two, get loose now it takes two to make a. Stay two nights and get a 50 best western gift card. Book now at bestwestern. Com. You said close your eyes dont look down fall into me and ill catch you darling well dance in the street your pride and joy is measured in acres. Keep them looking their best with the kubota lineup. Versatile sidekick utility vehicles. The 1 rated Tractor Brand for durability and owner experience. Professionalgrade mowers for a professional cut. its equipment built with one purpose. To get the job done right. cheering imagine youre doing something you love. Rsv could cut it short. Rsv is a contagious virus that usually causes mild symptoms, but can cause more severe infections that may lead to hospitalizations, in adults 60 and older and adults with certain underlying conditions, like copd, asthma, or congestive heart failure. Talk to your doctor and visit cutshortrsv. Com. This electric feels different. Because its powered by the most potent source of energy there is. You. This is the lexus variety of electrification. Inspired by, created for and powered by you. vo this is sadie. Shes on verizon. The network she can count on. And now shes got myplan. The Game Changing new plan that lets her pick exactly what she wants, and save on every perk. Sadies getting her plan ready for a big trip. Travel pass, on. Nice iphone 14 pro cute couple. Trips dont last forever. Neither does summer love. So, sadies moving on. Apple music . Check. Introducing myplan. The first and only unlimited plan to give you exactly what you want, so you only pay for what you need. And get iphone 14 pro on us when you switch. Its your verizon. Reporter it happened at this mansion in the heart of Beverly Hills. At approximately 11 47 p. M. Last night, we received a call on our 911 Emergency Line it happened at this mansion in the heart of Beverly Hills. At approximately 11 47 last night, we received the call on our 911 Emergency Line from the residence stating that there had been a shooting here. On the night jose and kitty were killed, erik and Lyle Menendez made this 911 call. Whats the problem . Whats the problem . Somebody killed my parents. I have an hysterical person. Who was the person who was shot . My mom and my dad. My mom and my dad. Okay. Hold on a second. All Morning Detectives and technicians from the crime lab continued to look for clues behind a huge oak doors and the ornate windows. This was all about loss. They had lost their parents and it was a huge issue of loss and immediate grief. It is really hard to describe the feelings. Just the shock. Not believing that this was happening. And that my parents were dead. There were three Memorial Services for jose and Kitty Menendez. There was a third Memorial Service held in late september 89, about a month after the murders for the Cuban American relatives in miami. And erik and lyle didnt show up. They told their aunt they were just too emotional. In the days following the crime, police were confused and they were baffled. Two dead people in a highclass Residential Area which is like a red light to the press and to this community. And we had no leads. Zero. Is it as much of a mystery to everyone around here as it seems to be to the police right now . Yeah. We have no clue how anything like that could happen. That possibly the crooks left. The goal is to solve the crime. We checked everything trying to find some evidence that possibly the crooks left. We found quite a bit of Shotgun Pellets that were left behind, and those were everything from bird shot, which is very small, to double buck which is very large. There were some pieces there from the shotgun rounds. I believe that there were 13 of those that we recovered throughout the floor. But the interesting fact was the expended cartridge cases were all picked up. And Finger Prints on a Shotgun Shell would be pretty darn good for fingerprints. So it was a very calculated move on the suspects part trying to collect as much evidence as possible. Why they didnt pick up the watting, i dont know. When a crime happens in Beverly Hills, the first Snap Judgment you would make is robbery. This involves money. There were no apparent signs of a forced entry. Were uncertain how the person who committed the crime actually got into the home. Was it a robbery . Probably not. We dont believe there was any property missing. The next thing the police have to do is what could be the connection between the murderers and the victims . There were a lot of signs at the scene that indicated that there was some type of relationship that the killer and the victims knew each other in some way. A lot of the shooting occurred very close. Mr. Menendez was sitting on the couch and right on the arm of the couch was a remote that did not fall off. Also, the coffee table immediately in front of both victims. The items on that were not disturbed. So the shooters were very, very close range. Point blank. They would start looking at kitty and Jose Menendez about who their end msemies were. Initially they thought it was related to the entertainment business. It is my understanding is it is the two boys eric oerik and lyle who indicated this might be a mafia involvement. When jose and kitty were murdered, the original idea is it was because joses Business Dealings previously had an arm of their company that dealt in soft core porn. I was working in a suburban bureau of the Los Angeles Times and i was covering the pornography business. There had been a previous mob hit of a pornographer the year before, and i started looking into the allegations of the mob hit. Fwl the Los Angeles Times is reporting Organized Crime may have played a part in the murders. So doug and i went to newark. And interviewed a guy that was part of Organized Crime. He said we wouldnt have been as messy. We described to him what happened. And we wouldnt have killed his wife. Police have no conclusive evidence the shooting was mobrelated and would not comment on the alleged mob connection other, than to say they are not ruling it out. There was speculation in the media that because jose was latino, there was some time of drug connection. So then we profiled jose to see if he had any connections, and it was all dead end stuff. At the same time the police are doing their investigation, these two l. A. Times Print Reporters who were looking into this very spectacular, gruesome case. The reporters went to talk to the brothers. When confronted with a sensational murder, you want to talk to the family. My colleague, ron, and i visited them at their mansion. It had only been a few weeks. So i walked in fully expecting to see two traumatized young men. And with lyle, there wasnt any trace of that. He had some ideas to start businesses. He was much more interested in talking about his Business Plans than he was about what happened with his father and mother. Erik took his cues from lyle, trying to show that he was ready to assume the mantle of adulthood. We had a strong suspicion at that point that there was something lyle and erik were not telling. Something wasnt right. Your blood sugar. Nage and more protein to keep you moving with diabetes. Glucerna live every moment suffering from sinus congestion, especially at night . Try vicks sinex for instant relief that lasts up to 12 hours. Vicks sinex targets congestion at the source, relieving nasal congestion, and sinus pressure by reducing swelling in the sinuses. Try vicks sinex. Introducing new. Black angus steakburgers, the Bourbon Bacon Jam and jalapeno kick topped with a fourcheese crisp. Try all six ultimate steakburger combos served with fries and a drink, starting at 9. Download the app and earn double rewards on steakburgers for a limited time. The lor barista coffee and espresso system. A masterpiece in taste hey. What are you doing right now . You up for something impetuous . Im a palm springs hotel. I got the desert air, sunkissed pools, and shady hideaways. Im looking for someone who can decide on a friday that a one night commitment on a saturday is a fine idea. Maybe you heard of the rat pack . They hung out here all the time. So, pack a bag. Or dont. You could be here in a few hours. Meet me at hotels. Com bye bye, everyone my editor at the miami herald wanted me to write a biography about the fascinating life of Jose Menendez, cubanamerican ragstoriches Success Story my editor at the miami herald wanted me to write a biography about the fascinating life of Jose Menendez, the cuban Rags To Riches story that ended in tragedy. We lost a friend as well as a business associate. The people that worked with him at Live Entertainment tended to like jose very much, admire him very much. Jose worked like a demon to succeed in america, and he did. 45yearold Jose Menendez was a talented, toughminded show business exec. When he left cuba at 16, he was penniless. Jose it was youngest child in a family in cuba. They werent rich but they were certainly well respected family and considered themselves part of the cuban elite. When castro came to power, they lost everything they had, and his family gradually one after the other left cuba. The Company Provides pretty much what the consumer wants. He started off working at hertz as an executive and worked himself up like a rocket, a really brilliant guy. When Jose Menendez was Top Executive with hertz rental car, o. J. Simpson came to their home one night in princeton, new jersey, and he met erik and Lyle Menendez when they were young boys. From hertz, he was named at rca records. Jose menendez was very successful but it came out that he had a bit of a dark side. Everybody who encountered him said one of two things about him. He could charm anyone and at the same time could be the most brutal boss that anybody had ever worked for. At work, he was a holy terror. I mean, he would yell, scream, degrade, insult, and the employees were terrified of him. It began to raise questions about what kind of person he was behind closed doors. 47yearold Kitty Menendez was a former small town beauty queen who met her Future Husband at a college debating class. When jose met her, you know, he was a brash, handsome guy, wavy dark hair, 61, and he swept her right off her feet. According to lyle, her son, Kitty Menendez was miserable in her marriage, and she wasnt trying to hated that. She would just explain all the things that she could have been, the things that she could have had and it would come out in a rage. Dad was having an affair for months and months. I would have to listen to my mother crying in the house. She realized that 20 years of sacrifice was for nothing. Its very hard not to feel for kitty. She seemed trapped in a marriage she didnt know what to do about with a man who was obviously very difficult. Kitty menendez was the doormat in the family and she allowed everyone in the family to treat her like a doormat. I think the father treated her with no respect and therefore her sons treated her with no respect. Jose did to his associates praise his sons, filled with admiration. At the same time, it was filled with expectation. The first thing were the indoctrination of the sons by their father who would sit them down in a chair in the basement for hours at a time. Especially lyle. Apparently, he would almost put his forehead against his forehead and like, to try to put into him his winner take all philosophy. The Menendez Family was like a royal family. That we were better than other people. That we were athletically gifted. We were smarter. I think the most dangerous thing he did was to teach them the lesson that if you want something, go for it and dont worry about what you may do to people. Things began to escalate. My dad, he was trying to be an olympic swimmer at one point. He had all kinds of different methods. How to expand your lungs and how long i should be able to hold my breath. We practiced him holding me under the water. How long i could take it. I would fight him to get air. The ends just