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Who is Lyle Menendez?

LYLE Menendez and his brother Erik have been thrust back into the spotlight following a movement on TikTok.

The pair were , José Menéndez and his wife, Mary ("Kitty").

Lyle Menendez along with his brother Erik were convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents
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Lyle Menendez along with his brother Erik were convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parentsCredit: AP:Associated Press

Who is Lyle Menendez?

Joseph Lyle Menéndez was born on January 10, 1968, in .

His father José Enrique Menéndez was born in and moved to the States at 16.

Lyle's mother Mary Louise "Kitty" Andersen was a teacher who gave up work to care for her young sons.

Jose and Kitty married in 1964 and Lyle was their firstborn in 1968 with following in 1970.

They reportedly enjoyed a wealthy lifestyle in a $14million estate.

The family moved to Southern California in 1986, before Lyle enrolled at Princeton University.

However, during his freshman year he was placed on academic probation for low grades and poor attendance, and was eventually suspended.

Lyle and Erik used shotguns to shoot Jose Menendez in the head and Kitty in the face and stomach
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Lyle and Erik used shotguns to shoot Jose Menendez in the head and Kitty in the face and stomachCredit: Handout

How long has Lyle Menendez been in prison?

Lyle has been in prison since 1996 after he was tried with his brother and found guilty of first-degree murder.

In July 1996 they were both sentenced to .

The brothers were initially tried separately, but both juries were deadlocked.

 at the time of the double murder.

They are now both being in San Diego after years apart.

You can catch up on the story with The Menendez Murders: Erik Tells All which is available on Hulu.

Hulu is also streaming Truth and Lies: The Menendez Brothers.

You can catch up with their story with The Menendez Murders: Erik Tells All documentary
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You can catch up with their story with The Menendez Murders: Erik Tells All documentaryCredit: Getty

Why did Lyle Menendez kill his parents?

Lyle and Erik used shotguns to .

The legal team for  argued that they were sexually abused by their father.

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The brothers claimed the fatal shooting of Jose and Kitty in their Beverly Hills home was a form of "imperfect self-defense," according to .

They believed, "honestly though mistakenly," according to the newspaper, that their parents were going to kill them if they did not act.

The Menendez brothers were jailed for life in 1996 for the 1989 murders of their parents
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