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Who is Erik Menendez?

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

The pair were convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents, José Menéndez and his wife, Mary ("Kitty").

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

Who is Erik Menendez?

Erik Lyle Menéndez was born on November 27, 1970, in .

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

His mum Mary Louise "Kitty" Andersen was a teacher before giving up work to look after her children..

Erik began attending high school at Beverly Hills High and possessed an impressive talent for sports.

He was very good at tennis and ranked 44th in the United States for players 18 and under.

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 Erik Menendez been in prison?

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.

Hulu is streaming a number of programmes about the brothers including The Menendez Murders: Erik Tells All and Truth and Lies: The Menendez Brothers.

In 2021, after the , on 20/20.

Erik and Lyle Menendez's stories can be followed in a number of documentaries streaming on Hulu
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Erik and Lyle Menendez's stories can be followed in a number of documentaries streaming on HuluCredit: AP

Why did Erik Menendez kill his parents?

Erik and Lyle used shotguns to .

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

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

" according to the newspaper, that their parents were going to kill them if they did not act.

Inside the Menendez Movement explores the infamous 90s murder trial now being reexamined after getting millions of views on TikTok
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