TRUE CRIMEErik Menendez Recalls Being 'Violently' Attacked in Prison During Joint Interview With Brother Lyle From Behind Bars
Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted in 1996 of the 1989 double murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty.
Erik and Lyle Menendez seem to have found peace during their roughly 35 years behind bars — but the early days were far from easy.
During a guest appearance on a recent episode of TMZ's "2 Angry Men" podcast, the siblings, who were convicted in 1996 of the 1989 murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, reflected on their time in prison ahead of their upcoming resentencing hearing.
Erik and Lyle Menendez were bullied 'violently' and attacked during their early days behind bars.
Erik was only 18 when he was found guilty of first-degree murder alongside his brother, Lyle, then 21, which made both of the young inmates prime targets at their respective prisons.
The younger Menendez Brother said he was "picked on" and "bullied violently," calling his experience "traumatic" and "continual."
Erik and Lyle Menendez claimed their father, Jose, started sexually abusing them at age 6.
"I'm not going to fight back," Erik remembered thinking to himself at the time, as he explained being alone and "separated from Lyle" made it almost impossible to defend himself. "I had no one to turn to for help."
Since they spent their first 21 years behind bars in separate jails, Erik didn't know that Lyle had also been facing the brunt of violent prison conditions.
Erik and Lyle Menendez were 18 and 21, respectively, when they were sent to prison.
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"I remember the day that I was told Lyle just got assaulted and got this jaw broken," Erik shared, noting, "at least we could protect each other maybe if we were together, but we were not together."
"20 years ago it was an even darker and more dangerous place," he admitted of the apparently worse environment the system had when they first entered more than three decades ago.
While their past will always haunt them, Erik, 54, and Lyle, 57, have done an impressive job at looking forward to their futures.
"You have to find yourself in prison," Lyle declared, as both brothers said they were "hopeful" about their resentencing hearing — which was initially rescheduled to take place at the end of January, but later pushed to March due to the Los Angeles wildfires.
Erik and Lyle are doing their best to remain optimistic, though the brothers mentioned the delays have made their family members on the outside quite concerned.
The siblings said their loved ones have been "very anxious" as they wait for a judge to decide the fate of Erik and Lyle's future, with the brothers confessing their family has found the delays "very upsetting."
Erik and Lyle Menendez remain 'hopeful' about their potential release from prison.
With elderly aunts, Erik, Lyle and their relatives are worried something "bad" will happen, like the loss of a family member, before the siblings are potentially freed.
The Menendez brothers resentencing hearing comes after former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón recommended the reduction of Erik and Lyle's sentences — suggesting they be eligible for immediate parole.
"Given the totality of the circumstances, I don’t think they deserve to be in prison until they die," Gascón explained during an appearance on an ABC show in October 2024.
After Election Day 2024, Gascón lost re-election to former U.S. Attorney General Nathan Hochman, prompting the latter to take over duties involving the Menendez brothers' cases.
