individual SPEECH
SPEECH TYPE: CHRONOLOGICAL SPEECH
MENENDEZ BROTHERS
Greeting ladies and gentlemen,
Have you ever sympathized with a killer? Is it possible or is it a sin to sympathize with and help a killer?
I believe everyone has a different kind of family. Some might be poor but have a happy and peaceful family, some might be rich and have no worries, some might have a toxic relationship with their family. The Menendez Family - Jose Menendez (father), Kitty Menendez (mother), Lyle and Erik Menendez (brothers). The Menendez family is rich and seems to have it all, but there is a very deep secret within this family.
The story begins with On August 18, 1989, Eric and Lyle Menendez purchased a shotgun at a store in San Diego, which is over a hundred miles away from their home in Beverly Hills. The next day, their parents chartered a yacht and took them shark fishing. On August 20th, 1989, the brothers killed their parents with the gun, firing 15 shots while their parents were watching television on the couch. Erik started the fire first, but in the end, Lyle fired the bullet in the back of their father, Jose's, head and shot the fatal blow into their mother, Kitty's, face. Erik and Lyle were 21 and 18 years old at the time. They drove to the movie theatre to enjoy the Batman movies after killing their parents. They tossed the guns and changed into clean clothes before driving back to their house and pretending to discover the scene all over again. They called 911, with Lyle whining about their parents’ death, "Someone killed our parents."
The details of their crimes are still unclear, but it seems that the brothers spent millions on various luxuries after the murders. The police believed that the brothers’ financial motives meant they were most likely the perpetrators. Erik had confessed the murders to his psychologist, who passed the word on to the police through his wife. Lyle was arrested on March 8, 1990, while Erik turned himself in three days later, on March 11, 1990, after he returned from a tennis tournament in Israel. On March 12, 1990, murder charges were filed against Erik and Lyle with the killing motive of inheriting an estate estimated to be worth about $14 million. On March 26, 1990, Erik and Lyle pleaded innocent to murder. After several months, on December 8, 1992, Erik and Lyle were indicted for murder.
You must be thinking: why on earth would someone kill their own parent? The brothers were sexually, psychologically, and corporally abused by their own family for years. During the first trial on July 20, 1993, Lyle and Erik were tried separately with one jury for each brother. The brothers claimed that they committed the crime for self-defenses because they feared their father, who was a cruel perfectionist and pedophile, had threatened the brothers to death if they tried to expose his sexual and emotional abuse.
During the trial, Lyle and Erik said they were sexual abused since they were young. Th elder brother Lyle Menendez claimed that he was forced to do oral sex for his father. Lyle Menendez testified on the witness stand that he had molested his younger brother, Erik, repeating some of the terrible acts that his father perpetrated on him. Lyle said he took Erik into the woods and used a toothbrush to molested him. Lyle Menendez took the allegations even further when he claimed on the witness stand that his mother sexually abused him. He said his mother washed his body until he was 13. According to Lyle, she also forced him to touch her "everywhere" on her body.
In January 1994, the two juries were deadlocked, and a mistrial had to be called. At the retrial on February 23, 1994, the judge was much more restrictive in allowing the defense attorneys to focus on the alleged sexual abuse. The brothers were convicted in March 1996 and sentenced to life in prison. The brothers were separated in different prisons for 31 years and met again at a prison in San Diego.
After several years, the video of the brother’s heart-wrenching testimony during the first trial about their abuse and their emotional effects after the abuse went viral over TikTok, which led to actual change in the social justice system. These videos received over 173 million views, drawing millions of people's attention to these cases. Some people claimed that they were "the hottest criminals" and others claimed the judgement was unfair since they were also victims of abuse. There is also an interesting report where "None of these teenagers deny that this horrific crime of their parents' being murdered happened or that it was Erik and Lyle who committed it; rather, they take an empathetic approach supported by the benefits of hindsight." All of the tiktokers have grown up in an era where # MeToo reigns and where people speak openly about their uncomfortable experiences. The Menendez Defenders say they will continue producing their TikTok and Instagram videos until their voices are heard. Eventually, the Menendez brothers have been in prison since 1996. They’ve exhausted all their appeals, but if there was new evidence, they could possibly get another trial.
There was this letter where Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin Andy Kano about how his father was still molesting him at the age of 17 and that he didn't know what to do about it. He stated that he was afraid every night when he heard his father coming down the hallway. Erik wants to seek help by exposing his father, but his father has threatened him with death. Lyle was very traumatized by his father and he could only seek his brother for help. Their fears, stress, trauma, and depression lead them to kill their parents. It is true that the Menendez brothers were victims of abuse, but we could not turn our eyes off the fact that they had killed their parents. Sometimes life is not fair to anyone, but if at that time there were people who lent their hands to the brothers, maybe things would change. There are still a lot of people out there who are facing the same situation, abused and sexualized by their own family. What we can do is spread awareness. Look out for the people surrounding you. Maybe there is someone who needs help but they remain quiet.
Thank you.
Have you ever sympathized with a killer? Is it possible or is it a sin to sympathize with and help a killer?
I believe everyone has a different kind of family. Some might be poor but have a happy and peaceful family, some might be rich and have no worries, some might have a toxic relationship with their family. The Menendez Family - Jose Menendez (father), Kitty Menendez (mother), Lyle and Erik Menendez (brothers). The Menendez family is rich and seems to have it all, but there is a very deep secret within this family.
The story begins with On August 18, 1989, Eric and Lyle Menendez purchased a shotgun at a store in San Diego, which is over a hundred miles away from their home in Beverly Hills. The next day, their parents chartered a yacht and took them shark fishing. On August 20th, 1989, the brothers killed their parents with the gun, firing 15 shots while their parents were watching television on the couch. Erik started the fire first, but in the end, Lyle fired the bullet in the back of their father, Jose's, head and shot the fatal blow into their mother, Kitty's, face. Erik and Lyle were 21 and 18 years old at the time. They drove to the movie theatre to enjoy the Batman movies after killing their parents. They tossed the guns and changed into clean clothes before driving back to their house and pretending to discover the scene all over again. They called 911, with Lyle whining about their parents’ death, "Someone killed our parents."
The details of their crimes are still unclear, but it seems that the brothers spent millions on various luxuries after the murders. The police believed that the brothers’ financial motives meant they were most likely the perpetrators. Erik had confessed the murders to his psychologist, who passed the word on to the police through his wife. Lyle was arrested on March 8, 1990, while Erik turned himself in three days later, on March 11, 1990, after he returned from a tennis tournament in Israel. On March 12, 1990, murder charges were filed against Erik and Lyle with the killing motive of inheriting an estate estimated to be worth about $14 million. On March 26, 1990, Erik and Lyle pleaded innocent to murder. After several months, on December 8, 1992, Erik and Lyle were indicted for murder.
You must be thinking: why on earth would someone kill their own parent? The brothers were sexually, psychologically, and corporally abused by their own family for years. During the first trial on July 20, 1993, Lyle and Erik were tried separately with one jury for each brother. The brothers claimed that they committed the crime for self-defenses because they feared their father, who was a cruel perfectionist and pedophile, had threatened the brothers to death if they tried to expose his sexual and emotional abuse.
During the trial, Lyle and Erik said they were sexual abused since they were young. Th elder brother Lyle Menendez claimed that he was forced to do oral sex for his father. Lyle Menendez testified on the witness stand that he had molested his younger brother, Erik, repeating some of the terrible acts that his father perpetrated on him. Lyle said he took Erik into the woods and used a toothbrush to molested him. Lyle Menendez took the allegations even further when he claimed on the witness stand that his mother sexually abused him. He said his mother washed his body until he was 13. According to Lyle, she also forced him to touch her "everywhere" on her body.
In January 1994, the two juries were deadlocked, and a mistrial had to be called. At the retrial on February 23, 1994, the judge was much more restrictive in allowing the defense attorneys to focus on the alleged sexual abuse. The brothers were convicted in March 1996 and sentenced to life in prison. The brothers were separated in different prisons for 31 years and met again at a prison in San Diego.
After several years, the video of the brother’s heart-wrenching testimony during the first trial about their abuse and their emotional effects after the abuse went viral over TikTok, which led to actual change in the social justice system. These videos received over 173 million views, drawing millions of people's attention to these cases. Some people claimed that they were "the hottest criminals" and others claimed the judgement was unfair since they were also victims of abuse. There is also an interesting report where "None of these teenagers deny that this horrific crime of their parents' being murdered happened or that it was Erik and Lyle who committed it; rather, they take an empathetic approach supported by the benefits of hindsight." All of the tiktokers have grown up in an era where # MeToo reigns and where people speak openly about their uncomfortable experiences. The Menendez Defenders say they will continue producing their TikTok and Instagram videos until their voices are heard. Eventually, the Menendez brothers have been in prison since 1996. They’ve exhausted all their appeals, but if there was new evidence, they could possibly get another trial.
There was this letter where Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin Andy Kano about how his father was still molesting him at the age of 17 and that he didn't know what to do about it. He stated that he was afraid every night when he heard his father coming down the hallway. Erik wants to seek help by exposing his father, but his father has threatened him with death. Lyle was very traumatized by his father and he could only seek his brother for help. Their fears, stress, trauma, and depression lead them to kill their parents. It is true that the Menendez brothers were victims of abuse, but we could not turn our eyes off the fact that they had killed their parents. Sometimes life is not fair to anyone, but if at that time there were people who lent their hands to the brothers, maybe things would change. There are still a lot of people out there who are facing the same situation, abused and sexualized by their own family. What we can do is spread awareness. Look out for the people surrounding you. Maybe there is someone who needs help but they remain quiet.
Thank you.