Brothers Eric and Lyle Menendez are campaigning for their freedom, but one man who investigated their double murder believes their life sentences should be upheld.
“If they were tried again today, they would be convicted,” Clark Fogg, a former senior forensic expert with the Beverly Hills Police Department, told FOX News Digital.
Joseph Menendez and Eric, known by his middle name Lyle, were convicted of shooting and killing their parents, Jose and Mary “Kitty” Menendez. beverly hills, los angeles, House in 1989.
They were sentenced to life in prison in 1996, but have recently asked for their sentences to be commuted.
Lyle Menendez, who shot and killed his parents with his brother, plans life after prison amid new plea
Eric and Lyle Menendez listen during a trial in the 1990s. (Ted Soki/Sigma)
“The jury, you know, sentenced them to spend the rest of their lives in prison. … We have the best justice system anywhere in the world,” Fogg said. “And we have to abide by that and what the jury felt was appropriate based on not only this case but other cases as well.”
Netflix's new full-fledged crime drama Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez has sparked mixed opinions about its accuracy and depiction of the decades-old true story.
Fogg believes the show is “totally inaccurate” and “based on facts that didn't happen.”
Menendez brothers who shot and killed their parents slam new show for “dishonest portrayal''
Eric Menendez (left) and Lyle Menendez stand on the steps of their home in Beverly Hills in November 1989. (Ronald L. Soble/Los Angeles Times)
Eric Menendez, through his wife Tammy Menendez, released his own statement on the X show, saying the show has created a “caricature of Lyle that is rooted in the horrific and blatant lies that pervade the show.”
“It is sad to learn that Netflix's disingenuous portrayal of the tragedy surrounding our crimes takes several steps back from the painful truth. Prosecutors say the men were not sexually abused and that the men were not sexually abused. “Men experienced rape trauma differently than women,” Eric said in a statement shared with Tami.
Fogg believes the motives for the brothers' murders had to do with “greed and money.”
“Why did they have to kill the mother in the first place?” Fogg said. “If you killed Mr. Menendez separately from her, she would end up getting the inheritance, right? So they had to eliminate both of them to get the inheritance. It is.”
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An undated photo of the Menendez family appearing at a panel at CrimeCon 2024 in Nashville on June 2nd. Brothers Lyle and Eric were convicted of shooting their parents to death in 1989. (Michael Lewis/Fox News Digital)
Mr. Fogg investigated the Menendez brothers' case in 1989. He photographed crime scenes to preserve evidence, attended autopsies, and took the stand at both trials. In an interview with Fox News Digital, he described the horrific scenes at the crime scene.
“One of the detectives actually had to hold a golf umbrella over my head while I was taking pictures because sometimes things would fall from the ceiling,” Fogg said. “At the end of the day, it's one thing. The reason they're in prison is because they brutally murdered their mother and father, not because they poisoned them, but because they killed them with shotguns so hard that they splattered on the ceiling. TWe see how brutally they were killed. ”
Fogg, who has worked in law enforcement for 40 years and has conducted more than 30,000 crime scene investigations, said he has 44 films of the Menendez crime scene.
“It appeared that Mrs. Menendez was trying to run away, as there was blood on the soles of her shoes. …At that point, they continued to shoot her, killing her.”
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This 1992 file photo shows double murder defendants Eric (right) and Lyle Menendez (left) in a Los Angeles courtroom. (Mike Nelson/AFP via Getty Images)
In 2023, lawyers for the Menendez brothers announced the discovery of a letter written by Eric Menendez to his cousin Andy Cano eight months before the murders, in which he complained of ongoing abuse from his father. was described in detail.
“I was trying to avoid my father,” Eric wrote in the letter. The brothers claim the letter corroborates their initial testimony at the original trial alleging abuse.
Mr. Fogg questioned the authenticity of the letter.
“We're talking about how when his cousin died 20 years ago, this letter mysteriously appeared,” Fogg said. “So my question is, is this letter valid? Have they ever done a paper analysis on this letter? Have they done an ink analysis and found that the ink is actually from the 1980s? Have you determined whether?
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According to the New York Daily News, Lyle (left) and Eric (right) are seen in a recent mugshot from 2023. After years apart, they moved into the same housing unit at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego in 2018, officials said. (California Department of Corrections)
Relatives of the brothers recently spoke out in support of their freedom.
“We are virtually all of Eric and Lyle Menendez's extended family. We are 24 strong and today we want the world to know that we support Eric and Lyle. ” the family wrote in a statement posted to X by Tammy Menendez. Netflix series. “We individually and collectively pray for their release after 35 years in prison. We know them, we love them, and we want them back together. .”
Ryan Murphy, co-creator of the Netflix series, told the Los Angeles Times: “I think this is a false outrage. This story, this Netflix series, is the best thing that's happened to the Menendez brothers in the last 30 years. I think that's because. You can get people to talk about it and ask important questions. ”
Another documentary about the brothers, The Menendez Brothers, will be released on Netflix on October 7th. According to a press release, the film “offers an alternative perspective from the brothers themselves, with all-new audio interviews.” release.
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Fogg believes the brothers are in prison for a good reason.
“They're in prison, and one thing is all it takes to put them in prison for the rest of their lives without the possibility of parole,” Fogg said. “You don't kill your parents. You don't kill anyone.”
