What mental illness did the Menendez brothers have?

Supporting the defense theory that Erik Menendez shot his parents to death in a blind panic, a specialist in post-traumatic stress disorder testified Thursday that Menendez suffers from the disorder as a result of a lifetime of physical, psychological and sexual abuse.

What abuse did the Menendez brothers suffer?

Lyle claimed he had been molested between the ages of 6 and 8, while Erik was abused from the age of 6 until he was 18. The Hollywood son explained his father had raped him once and forced him to perform oral sex often. Inappropriate nude photos of Lyle during childhood were also uncovered.

Did Erik Menendez have hallucinations?

William Vicary told jurors that Erik Menendez, 23, sobbed, shook uncontrollably and had hallucinations during a June 1990 counseling session. Vicary said it took months more of medication and therapy for Menendez to speak of being molested by his father.

Did the Menendez brothers go to therapy?

History With the Menendez Family

After Erik was involved with some burglaries of friend houses, he was ordered by the Juvenile Court to attend therapy. His parents brought him to Dr. Oziel, a sex therapist who did not normally treat youths.

Did the Menendez brothers admit guilt?

Smyth and Oziel had a rocky relationship — she claimed he was controlling and abusive — and after he allegedly attacked her, Smyth contacted the Beverly Police to reveal that the Menendez brothers confessed to their parents' murder.

Menendez Brothers Murder Case, Ethics, & Mental Health

Did Erik Menendez confess to his therapist?

After killing parents Kitty and Jose Menendez, Erik Menendez confessed to his therapist, Dr. Jerome Oziel, a move that ended up in his arrest thanks to a bizarre series of events involving the doctor's mistress.

Are the Menendez brothers considered psychopaths?

Oziel said he described for Lyle and Erik Menendez the difference between a crime of passion and a sociopathic crime done as “a means to an end.” The brothers, Oziel testified, “looked at each other and said: 'We're sociopaths.

How long was Erik Menendez abused for?

Lyle claimed he had been molested between the ages of 6 and 8, while Erik was abused from the age of 6 until he was 18. The Hollywood son explained his father had raped him once and forced him to perform oral sex often.

What was Erik Menendez personality?

Personality. Witnesses described Erik Menendez as anxious, emotional, fearful, eager to please, a nice kid, a gifted athlete and a good friend.

What was the motive of the Menendez brothers?

However, Lyle and Erik — who were 21 and 18 at the time, respectively — eventually said that they killed their mother and father because they were fearful of their own lives and claimed that both their parents had emotionally abused and molested the siblings from a very young age.

Why were the Menendez brothers afraid of their parents?

The brothers did not admit they killed their parents until after their arrest in March 1990. The brothers say they shot their parents because they thought their parents were going to kill them to prevent exposing the family incest secret.

What did Kitty do to the Menendez brothers?

During the murder trial, Lyle testified that he told his mother about the abuse, and that, until he was 13, she also sexually abused him also by inviting him into her bed and washing his body “everywhere.” He now says that it wasn't him who told his mother that he was being raped or abused — but an adult cousin did.

What gun did the Menendez brothers use?

On the evening of August 20, 1989, José and Kitty were standing in the den of their Beverly Hills mansion when Lyle and Erik entered the den carrying shotguns. José was shot 6 times, including the fatal shot in the back of the head with a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun. Kitty was shot 10 times in total.

What was the Menendez brothers defense?

The brothers claim they were afraid their parents were going to kill them. The defense contends that Jose Menendez threatened to kill his sons to stop Lyle from exposing him as a child molester. On the night of the killings, the father made overtures that he would sexually assault Erik, the defense claims.

Did the Menendez brothers suffer from PTSD?

Supporting the defense theory that Erik Menendez shot his parents to death in a blind panic, a specialist in post-traumatic stress disorder testified Thursday that Menendez suffers from the disorder as a result of a lifetime of physical, psychological and sexual abuse.

Could the Menendez brothers be released?

That letter could instigate a reprieve for the brothers at a time when society is more empathetic toward male victims of sexual abuse, Rand says. Several legal experts, however, think freeing Lyle and Erik, now in their 50s, is a heavy lift even with cultural shifts. “There's always the possibility of a retrial.

What happens to the siblings of psychopaths?

Even after the sibling moves out of the original home, the sense of an unsafe world stays within. The sib may have severe startle reactions. These maladies can be treated later but may involve cutting off ties. The general clinical recommendation is to steer clear of psychopaths but children rarely have this choice.

Who is considered the godfather of psychopathy?

Dr. Robert Hare is known as the Godfather of Psychopathy, he developed the psychopathy checklist used by law enforcement agencies and courts all over the world to identify those clusters and traits that only show up in psychopaths.

What happened to the Menendez brothers psychologist?

He was stripped of his psychology license

In 1997, Jerome had been accused of breaking confidentiality rules and having sex with female patients, so he surrendered his license to the state Department of Consumer Affairs' Board of Psychology.

Who pulled the trigger Menendez?

After firing several shots, Lyle Menendez said, he put the 12-gauge shotgun against the back of his father's head and pulled the trigger.

Did one of the Menendez brothers marry his attorney?

Two years after divorcing Eriksson, Lyle married 33-year-old magazine editor from Sacramento, Rebecca Sneed. After their marriage, she became an attorney. They are still married, and in 2017, Lyle told ABC News that he felt it was possible for him to have a successful marriage.

Can the Menendez brothers talk to each other?

"They can and do interact with each other, all the inmates in that facility,” Thornton said.

Who got the Menendez money?

With their parents dead, the Menendez brothers inherit their entire estate, plus $500,000 in life insurance.