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00:00The jury has reached a verdict.
00:23Will the defendant please rise?
00:27In the case of the State of California v. John Thomas Sweeney on the count of second
00:33degree murder, we the jury find the defendant not guilty.
00:40On the count of involuntary manslaughter, we the jury find the defendant guilty.
00:51Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, on behalf of myself, the attorneys, and the two families
00:56here, I want to thank you for your service.
00:59Not for our family, Judge Katz.
01:03Don't thank them on behalf of our family.
01:06Mr. Dunn, you will have your time to speak during sentencing.
01:10It's too late then.
01:12That man strangled our daughter to death.
01:15He should rot in prison for the rest of his life.
01:18Mr. Dunn.
01:19You withheld important evidence from the jury about this man's history of violence
01:26against women.
01:29He beat my daughter for months and then killed her.
01:34He ripped out chunks of her hair.
01:38Mr. Dunn.
01:39He strangled her for five minutes!
01:44You strangled my daughter, you son of a bitch!
01:47Mr. Dunn.
01:49I hope you rot in hell.
01:50Bailiff.
01:51And you!
01:52How can you sleep at night defending this monster?
02:16Hey, crocodile.
02:17Hey.
02:18How are you?
02:21You know, I'm okay.
02:29I'm getting out of here.
02:30I promise.
02:34The trial prep has started and Jo, my attorney, she's...
02:38I mean, she's fine.
02:39It's so hard.
02:41You know, like my parents.
02:44They really don't believe you, Lyle.
02:48They want us to break up.
02:51Jamie.
02:53Forget about that.
02:54They don't know what we have.
02:56Hey.
02:58You know that I love you.
03:00Right?
03:02I just want to get this behind me so that I can give you everything that you deserve,
03:05yeah?
03:08And I...
03:10I need your help.
03:12Okay?
03:14I need you to watch At Close Range.
03:17What?
03:19Is that like a movie or something?
03:21Yeah, with Sean Penn and Christopher Walken.
03:24It's really, really fucking good.
03:26You should definitely watch it.
03:30Okay.
03:32Why?
03:36I need you to do something.
03:39What?
03:41I need you to say that my dad raped you.
03:44What?
03:45No.
03:47Why not?
03:48Because he didn't.
03:50Right, but no one's gonna know that.
03:52It doesn't matter.
03:53I can't just lie about something like that.
03:55Then will you just please say that he fucking came on to you or something?
03:57Please, for the love of fuck, I will pay you.
03:59You want me to say what?
04:01I just want you to remember that time that you found me locked in the closet.
04:07I don't remember that.
04:08Yes, you do.
04:09She made me roll around in dog shit, and then you found me locked in the closet,
04:12and she gave me that fucking Tupperware container to go to the bathroom in.
04:14Are you sure this was me?
04:16Yes. How the fuck don't you remember this?
04:18That I gave you a hand in?
04:20No, just that I asked you for one.
04:23Because you were so afraid of your dad?
04:25Yes, because he threatened us, and we were afraid for our lives, so we asked you.
04:30Yeah, no.
04:31Right, but you told us no.
04:32No, I'm saying no right now. I'm not doing that.
04:34Why the fuck not?
04:36It happened. It was absolutely something that happened.
04:38You just have to remember that it happened because it did.
04:40Or at least tell other people that you remember it because you do.
04:43Because you do, Brian.
04:45Come on, Brian. What the fuck? What the fuck?
04:49Brian, you fucking remember it, Brian. You fucking remember it.
04:54Sorry.
05:05Let me get this straight. Your father killed your dog?
05:08Yeah.
05:10It killed our ferret, so he cut off its head.
05:14And I found it in the freezer.
05:16And if I answered a question wrong, he'd just bash my head against the table.
05:21He would quack at me because he said I walk like a duck.
05:23Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack.
05:25Made fun of my stutter.
05:27What would be the best way to reach out to someone?
05:29What?
05:33Also, my mom would beat us. That was very scary.
05:35She would chase us around the house with a knife.
05:37I wish you were never born!
05:40You know what? Let's call it a day.
05:44It's not that I don't believe those stories are true.
05:47It's like, I don't believe them the way he tells them.
05:52You know?
05:53Well, it's like, when I first sat down with him,
05:56you know, it took a second.
05:58But he was like this scared little boy who I felt such sympathy for.
06:02But for some reason, when he was on the stand,
06:04he's talking about his dog.
06:06Well, he just seems like...
06:08a psychopath.
06:11Well, I was going to say a bad actor.
06:13But sure.
06:21Do you think he's behind the whole thing?
06:24Lyle just invents the whole story,
06:26convinces Eric to go along with it?
06:32I don't know.
06:35What if it's the other way around?
06:40I'm not saying that's where I'm going.
06:43I'm just talking out loud.
06:59I saw you on TV the other day,
07:01and I just had to write.
07:03I know you're innocent, because I'm psychic.
07:13Let me introduce myself.
07:15My name is Candy,
07:17and I'm a divorced mother of two
07:19who's struggled with weight my whole...
07:23Hi, Lyle.
07:25I'm just writing to say, I believe you.
07:27You couldn't have done the things they say you did.
07:29Or if you did,
07:32you certainly had a good reason.
07:34I could tell from your eyes
07:36the very first time I saw you.
07:38If you need anything,
07:40anything at all,
07:42maybe just even somebody to talk to,
07:44give me a call.
07:46All my love, Norma.
07:54This is a call from the Los Angeles County Corrections...
07:58Lyle Menendez?
08:00Hello?
08:02Hi. Norma?
08:04Oh, my God.
08:06I can't believe this is happening.
08:08Me and Jamie, we were never right for each other.
08:10And now she's making stuff up
08:12like I told her to say stuff.
08:14It just goes to show you,
08:16some people are...
08:18Some people are bad news.
08:20Yeah. Not you, though.
08:24You sound hot.
08:30I miss Tony.
08:32There was no time to be depressed
08:34when he was around.
08:36What do you miss most about him?
08:38The sex, or...
08:40What?
08:44I remember when I told you
08:46that my dad and this man,
08:48they were, uh...
08:50They were...
08:52They were...
08:54They were...
08:56They were...
08:58He was my dad's lover.
09:02The one who he told you
09:04your dad was planning on killing you?
09:06Yeah.
09:11So that didn't happen.
09:13I, uh...
09:18I made it up.
09:22I just made it up.
09:25I just made it up.
09:31Can I ask why?
09:35Why did you make that up?
09:40Eric?
09:44Eric, did Lyle tell you to make that up?
09:55We gotta figure out what's going on
09:57with this whole Oziel thing.
09:59It's just a massive hole, you know?
10:01Like, why didn't I tell him
10:03about the sex stuff with my dad?
10:05Yeah, that's... Yeah.
10:07I wish I could write a fucking book.
10:09It's just my story.
10:11Explain what it's felt like my whole life
10:13to be Lyle Menendez.
10:15There's just no way that anybody would say
10:17that I deserve to go to prison.
10:19Lyle, that's a really good idea.
10:21I could even help you write it.
10:23I'm going to ask you to relive that day.
10:25Which one?
10:27The last day.
10:29The last day your parents were alive.
10:31Yeah, okay.
10:34I played some tennis.
10:38But I was pretty distracted.
10:40Because you thought your mom and dad
10:42were going to kill you.
10:44No, I knew that they were going to kill us.
10:46It was just a matter of when.
10:48Which is why the boat trip was so scary.
10:50Yeah, I think if the captain hadn't been there,
10:53then yeah, that's probably when they were going to do it.
10:55They probably would have shot us and then thrown us in the water
10:57and said that we drowned.
10:59But Lyle, I really want you
11:01to walk me through that Sunday.
11:03The day it...
11:05The day it happened.
11:07Yeah, okay.
11:09I think we need to get out of here.
11:11Where are they? Where the fuck are mom and dad?
11:13I don't know. I mean, I think they're downstairs.
11:15The TV's on.
11:17Let's just get the fuck out of here.
11:19Meet me at the car. I need you to be there in one minute, okay?
11:21Okay.
11:51Where are you going?
12:11We're just going to the movies.
12:13Oh no, you're not.
12:15You're not leaving this house.
12:17We just want to go to the movies.
12:19Get upstairs.
12:21No, no. You're not going to touch my brother.
12:23You're never going to fucking touch my brother ever again.
12:25Your brother is my son and I can do whatever I want with him.
12:27Move away.
12:29Move away.
12:31I'm just going to fucking stand there and you're going to let him do it.
12:33You don't get to talk to me.
12:35You don't get to say anything!
12:37You ruined this family.
12:45Okay, let's go.
12:47Let's go.
13:01What did you think they were going in there to do?
13:03I thought they were going to grab their guns.
13:05Where are their guns? Are their guns upstairs?
13:07I don't know. Do we go check?
13:09Here.
13:13No, there's not enough time.
13:15Let me get the car.
13:45Let's go.
13:59But that's not what happened.
14:01Is it?
14:03No, but that's what we thought was going to happen.
14:05I don't believe it.
14:07What?
14:11I don't believe a word you are saying
14:13even if I am the jury.
14:15When you first told me that story
14:17you felt every emotion again
14:19which meant I felt it too.
14:21I was right there with you.
14:23But for some reason
14:25when you sit in that chair
14:27I feel like you're making it all up.
14:29I'm trying to get the story straight.
14:31No, forget the story. That is my job.
14:33You put a shotgun to your mother's face.
14:35Did you not?
14:37Why did you do that?
14:39We were, I guess,
14:41trying to
14:43put her out of her misery.
14:45No, you're not a farmer, Lyle.
14:47She's not your prized sow.
14:49Why did she deserve to die?
14:55Because she let him rape us.
14:57Yes!
15:01Because
15:03she
15:05let
15:07him rape you.
15:09I need to feel the pain
15:11of that, Lyle.
15:13The jury needs to feel that.
15:15This woman,
15:17your mother,
15:19let him rape you.
15:21You were up
15:23for the death penalty.
15:25Show me
15:27what that felt like.
15:31So, like the
15:33emotions?
15:35Yes.
15:39So, do you want me to cry?
15:43Because I can do that.
15:47Yes.
15:59I just wanted to help her.
16:05I loved her so much.
16:09And I felt so bad for her.
16:15I was the one who found her suicide note.
16:21So I was the only one who really knew what she was
16:25planning on doing to herself.
16:31And I told her that she should leave him.
16:35And that I would sign with her in the divorce.
16:37And that I just...
16:39I wanted to help.
16:41So if she needed to move back to Princeton
16:43and live with me, that was okay.
16:47And I told her that I would help her
16:49stop taking so many fucking pills.
16:53And I told her that things would be okay.
16:55And I wanted everything to be okay.
16:57And I wasn't. I was a fucking liar.
16:59Because not everything was okay.
17:01But I loved her.
17:03And I still do.
17:05I love my mom.
17:07I love my mommy.
17:13Very good, Lyle.
17:17Now we're talking.
17:33I love you.
18:03Shit.
18:05Shit.
18:15Home.
18:23Home.
18:27Home.
18:33Home.
18:37Home.
19:03Home.
19:21Good.
19:23Ms. Abramson.
19:29Don't worry.
19:31I have a large print so I can read it.
19:33I won't be going as long as the prosecution did.
19:39This trial...
19:43This trial isn't going to be about
19:45who.
19:47It's not going to be about what,
19:49when, or where.
19:51This trial is going to be
19:53about why.
19:55Why did
19:57Eric and Lyle Menendez
19:59kill their parents?
20:01It's a simple question.
20:03But the answer you are about to hear
20:05over the next few weeks
20:07and months from over
20:0950 witnesses and experts,
20:11the answer is far
20:13from simple.
20:15You will learn in gruesome,
20:17shocking
20:19detail how Jose
20:21Menendez was a
20:23sexually perverted
20:25sadist who molested
20:27his sons. How,
20:29in fact, Kitty Menendez
20:31enjoyed sexually molesting her
20:33children, too. What did these
20:35boys, these children,
20:37do to deserve
20:39abuse like that? What did
20:41they ever do?
20:43Well, I will tell you what Eric and Lyle
20:45are guilty of. The only thing
20:47they are guilty of is
20:49loving the mother and father who
20:51tortured them.
20:53So when Eric and Lyle endured
20:55the horrific
20:57ordeal of shooting their parents,
20:59it was not out of
21:01malice or
21:03revenge.
21:05It wasn't about fancy cars
21:07or brand new clothes.
21:09It wasn't about
21:11money.
21:13They fired those
21:15guns in self-defense.
21:19They shot
21:21the mother and father they loved
21:23so that Jose and Kitty
21:25Menendez wouldn't kill them
21:27first.
21:35It's such an interesting
21:37angle. What a coincidence
21:39it's exactly
21:41the same defense you used
21:43in the Arnel
21:45Salvatierra case.
21:47And he walked on a manslaughter
21:49charge.
21:51I guess that's why they hired you.
21:53Oh!
21:55Wait a minute. That wasn't
21:57their defense to start with.
21:59They pled not
22:01guilty.
22:03You didn't make up the sexual
22:05abuse, did you?
22:07Because it sure worked last time.
22:15You know what, Dominic?
22:17I am very sorry about what happened
22:19to your daughter. That man should not
22:21have walked free and he wouldn't have if I
22:23had anything to do with it.
22:25But you should realize he gave you something.
22:27He gave you a career
22:29and a fucking point of view.
22:33For that,
22:35you should thank him.
22:37But still,
22:39what if they did think their lives were in
22:41danger that night, that their parents
22:43were going to kill them?
22:45Ah, the old
22:47perfect self-defense
22:49theory. Well, darling,
22:51I've got some real estate near the
22:53San Andreas Fault I'd like
22:55to sell you.
22:57And what a story.
22:59It's a Greek tragedy. Brothers
23:01tormented and abused
23:03for years and fearful
23:05for their lives kill their
23:07parents in a desperate act
23:09of self-defense.
23:11It's also
23:13utterly preposterous
23:15and riddled with plot holes.
23:17If Jose and Kitty
23:19were planning on murdering their sons
23:21that Sunday, why was Kitty inviting
23:23her friend Karen Weir
23:25over to the house to play bridge
23:27that very same night?
23:29Well, even if you and Peter
23:31get back from Santa Barbara late, give us a ring.
23:33Maybe you can still come over.
23:35And were Lyle
23:37and Eric really
23:39scared that their parents were
23:41going to murder them during that boat
23:43ride? You guys ready to
23:45catch some sharks? When there were
23:47three other people on that boat
23:49as well. I thought this was
23:51going to be private.
23:53Also, did you
23:55know Kitty and Jose were flying
23:57to Princeton the week they were
23:59killed to help Lyle
24:01furnish the new condo
24:03they just bought him?
24:05Which suggests
24:07they maybe weren't planning
24:09to kill him. Kitty Menendez
24:11was filling out
24:13Eric's college registration
24:15the night they were murdered.
24:17Now, for sake of argument,
24:19let's say Lyle and Eric did murder
24:21their parents in self-defense
24:23because they were afraid for their lives.
24:25Wouldn't they
24:27then call the police
24:29and tell them the truth?
24:31Wouldn't they confess
24:33and come forward with all the terrible
24:35family secrets they've been
24:37hiding for years?
24:39Wouldn't they behave
24:41as if they had one
24:43shred of guilt
24:45over what they'd done?
24:47But no,
24:49that's not what happened.
24:51What did they do instead?
24:53They lied
24:55right from the
24:57very beginning.
24:59Okay, you're gonna...
25:01Are you sure you can do it?
25:03Because they're going to know. No, they're not going to fucking know,
25:05Eric!
25:07Hey.
25:09We fucking got this. We fucking got this.
25:11We're gonna fucking do this. We fucking got this.
25:13Yeah, we're gonna fucking do this!
25:15I love you so much, Lyle. I love you too.
25:17So much, Ian.
25:19Please don't screw it up, okay?
25:31Somebody killed our parents!
25:33They lied
25:35and lied and lied
25:37and kept on lying
25:39at least 50
25:41times by my count.
25:43They lied to the public,
25:45their friends and relatives, to the
25:47press, and then they lied to make sure
25:49they got their share of the
25:51inheritance money. But what about
25:53the relatives? They testified
25:55that Jose was abusive,
25:57that living in that household was a nightmare.
25:59My brother could be
26:01very possessive.
26:03Lyle was not allowed to
26:05express his opinions.
26:07What about Eric?
26:09He thought he was weak, too tender.
26:11He'd tell him he wasn't
26:13worthy of the
26:15name Menendez.
26:17Sometimes he would do things to hurt
26:19him, make him cry, then
26:21taunt him and call him sissy.
26:25He wanted to toughen him up.
26:27How many summers
26:29would you estimate you spent with your
26:31cousins? I spent eight summers with them.
26:33And when you stayed with your cousins
26:35over those summers, did you
26:37ever see any evidence of sexual
26:39abuse? No.
26:41Not directly, but
26:43I did know that Lyle
26:45and Eric took showers
26:47with their dad after tennis lessons.
26:49And as soon as Jose
26:51took either one of the boys into their room,
26:53he'd lock the door.
26:55And Kitty made it clear you did not
26:57go down that hallway. Ever.
26:59Look, I'll concede
27:01the point. Growing up,
27:03Menendez was no
27:05picnic. But who at
27:07this table didn't experience
27:09some form of abuse when
27:11they were growing up? By today's
27:13standards, I certainly was a
27:15victim of child abuse. My
27:17father beat me mercilessly
27:19with straps,
27:21hangers, a riding belt.
27:23I'm partially deaf
27:25because of one of his
27:27beatings.
27:29He thought I was a sissy, too.
27:33But I didn't murder him.
27:35I escaped the old-fashioned
27:37way. I moved out.
27:39Started my life. But Nick,
27:41you weren't sexually abused.
27:43Neither
27:45were the Menendez brothers.
27:47Neither Lyle or Eric
27:49ever mentioned that they were
27:51sexually abused to Jerome
27:53Oziel. That's a fairly
27:55sizable omission.
27:57If you're already confessing
27:59to murdering your parents,
28:01why not come clean about
28:03all of it? So you think it's
28:05bullshit, making it all up?
28:07According to a Menendez
28:09relative I've been talking
28:11to... Which relative?
28:13Sorry, Linda, I have to protect my sources.
28:15But,
28:17according to him,
28:19the brothers came up
28:21with the sexual abuse angle
28:23after reading several
28:25books about
28:27parasite and incest.
28:29Those books would give them
28:31all the details they'd need to
28:33convince a jury it had happened to
28:35them. And, from
28:37Leslie's perspective,
28:39the sexual abuse angle
28:41could also
28:43serve to deflect attention away
28:45from...
28:47Eric's
28:49sexuality.
28:51You
28:53mean to say
28:55Eric is, uh...
28:57Well, I was chatting the
28:59other day with my new favorite lunch
29:01buddy, Pam Bosinich,
29:03and she said... Everybody knows
29:05Eric's gay. It's like a
29:07big open secret. Nobody wants
29:09to talk about it. My team knows it. The defense
29:11knows it. But any time it's even
29:13hinted at in court, Leslie
29:15goes fucking ballistic.
29:17What makes you think
29:19he is? Well,
29:21we've heard he's been receiving blowjobs from some of the other
29:23inmates.
29:25Well, that doesn't
29:27make you gay. That just makes you popular.
29:29Also,
29:31he did pose for some rather
29:33homoerotic photos with a gay
29:35photographer.
29:37Okay, so maybe Eric is
29:39gay, but being in the closet doesn't make you
29:41a murderer, Nick. It doesn't even make you
29:43a bad person.
29:45No,
29:47it doesn't.
29:51But just maybe
29:53the brothers were hiding
29:55an even deeper, darker
29:57secret.
29:59A secret
30:01that had
30:03nothing to do with
30:05Jose.
30:07And maybe that's what
30:09Kitty knew about.
30:13Eric!
30:15How many times have I told you? Do not leave
30:17your sweaty tennis shorts on the floor!
30:19You're gonna stink up the whole house!
30:35Nick,
30:37are you saying that Lyle
30:39and Eric were
30:41together
30:43with each other?
30:45It's the idea of
30:47transference.
30:49It's easier to accuse Jose
30:51of sexual abuse than to
30:53acknowledge the real incestuous
30:55relationship, the consensual
30:57one.
30:59Imagine the guilt and
31:01shame the brothers would feel
31:03if their secret ever came
31:05out.
31:07And perhaps
31:09they killed their parents so that
31:11they never would.
31:13Look, my main
31:15point here is that regardless
31:17of what happened to them,
31:19Lyle and Eric aren't entitled
31:21to forgiveness.
31:23Leslie and her team think that if they can distract
31:25us from the facts, keep
31:27certain evidence out of the
31:29courtroom, confuse us
31:31with outlandish
31:33legal theories, drum up enough
31:35sympathy and portray the brothers
31:37as hapless lads straight out of a
31:39Charles Dickens novel, we'll all
31:41fall for it and they'll get the
31:43Hollywood ending she thinks
31:45they deserve.
31:47But when you savagely
31:49snuff out
31:51another person's life,
31:57it shouldn't matter
31:59how crummy your childhood
32:01was. You should
32:03be punished to the fullest extent
32:05of the law. That's the
32:07Menendez brothers deserve.
32:09And I pray
32:11for the sake
32:13of justice.
32:15It's
32:17the ending they get.
32:27Mr. Dunn, we're about to head out.
32:29Anything else you need?
32:33What's your name?
32:35Paul. Paul D'Amelio.
32:37Well, Paul,
32:39there's a slice of completely
32:41untouched tiramisu
32:43here. I'd hate for it to go
32:45to waste. I wish I could,
32:47but I've got a photo shoot tomorrow
32:49and I think I have to go shirtless.
32:53The sacrifices we
32:55make for our vocation.
33:01Mr. Dunn,
33:03I just
33:05wanted to say I'm
33:07so sorry about what happened
33:09to your daughter.
33:11I loved her in Poltergeist.
33:13It was like
33:15one of my favorite movies as a kid.
33:17Haven't seen it in years.
33:21Can't bring myself to watch it.
33:27What the hell?
33:29A bite or two of tiramisu won't kill me.
33:31I can work it off
33:33at the gym in the morning before the shoot.
33:35May I?
33:37By all means.
33:43I'm assuming
33:45you don't have kids.
33:47Not yet. One day maybe.
33:49My ex-wife and I
33:51had two daughters
33:53before Dominique,
33:55but they both died
33:57in infancy,
33:59which made
34:01Dominique
34:03our miracle daughter,
34:05our angel,
34:09who we always assumed would bury us.
34:13That's the way it's supposed to be,
34:15right?
34:29I was
34:31convinced that would
34:33be the most difficult
34:35moment of the
34:37entire ordeal
34:39of our entire
34:41lives.
34:43But I was wrong.
34:45Far worse
34:47was watching
34:49the trial of John Sweeney
34:51and how the defense
34:53tried to make him out to be
34:55the victim. How old were you?
34:57I was about
34:59five.
35:01I remember my dad
35:03flying into a drunken rage
35:05and squeezing
35:07my mother's neck.
35:09I was terrified he was gonna
35:11kill her.
35:13Was he ever violent toward you?
35:15Yes.
35:17Multiple times.
35:19The abuse
35:21was endless.
35:23Well, let me tell you about abuse.
35:27He strangled
35:29Dominique
35:31for five
35:33minutes.
35:35My
35:37girl
35:39fought
35:41for
35:43five minutes.
35:45The bastard
35:47even admitted it
35:49right there on the lawn.
35:51I killed her.
35:53I tried to kill myself.
35:57He
36:03spent three and a half years
36:05in prison.
36:07Got a job as a
36:09chef in Santa Monica.
36:11That's
36:13not justice.
36:15No, it's not.
36:17That's
36:19why I never believe
36:21a word that comes out of a defense
36:23attorney's mouth.
36:25They'll lie, cheat,
36:27steal, anything to win.
36:29Even if
36:31it means desecrating the memory
36:33of the real
36:35victims.
36:37Which
36:39is like murdering them
36:41a second time.
36:49How was the tiramisu?
36:51Clearly, it was
36:53very good.
36:55Clearly.
37:05I could stay longer
37:07if you want.
37:17It's getting late, Paul.
37:19And
37:21Lyle Menendez
37:23takes the stand tomorrow.
37:27But thank you
37:29for listening.
37:31And good luck with your
37:33shoot.
37:51No.
38:15The defense calls Joseph Lyle
38:17Menendez. Raise your right
38:19hand. Do you solemnly
38:21state that the testimony you
38:23shall give in this matter is the truth,
38:25the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,
38:27so help you God?
38:29I do. Please be seated.
38:39Were your parents Mary Louise Menendez and
38:41Jose Menendez? Yes.
38:43Did you love your mom and dad?
38:45Yes.
38:47And on August 20th,
38:491989, did you and your brother
38:51kill your mother and father?
38:55Yes.
38:57Why did you kill your parents?
38:59Because we were afraid.
39:01Do you
39:03remember firing a very close
39:05shot at your father?
39:07I believe so. I don't remember.
39:09I remember the picture.
39:11The picture you saw here?
39:13You talking about your dad's head wound?
39:17And at some point
39:19was your gun empty?
39:23Yes.
39:25And was there something about your mother that you learned
39:27then? Where you saw something?
39:29Where you heard something?
39:31You could sort of see
39:33behind my dad moving.
39:35Seemed like moving.
39:39And
39:41I
39:43reloaded.
39:45You reloaded?
39:49Is that a yes? Yes.
39:51And what did you do
39:53after you reloaded?
40:01I
40:05reached over and I
40:07shot her close.
40:15Lyle, taking your attention
40:17to when you were six,
40:19did your father ever take
40:21photographs of you and your brother?
40:23Yes.
40:25Your Honor,
40:27can you please ask
40:29the witness to speak up?
40:31Yes. Mr. Menendez, if you wouldn't mind
40:33speaking a bit closer to the mic.
40:35I'm sorry, Your Honor.
40:41Mr. Menendez,
40:43this envelope says
40:45Eric Sick's birthday on it.
40:51Do you recognize this photograph? That's me.
40:53And this one?
40:57That is my brother.
40:59Do you recognize some mark on your brother?
41:01The birthmark.
41:03The brown birthmark.
41:05And when your father would take photos
41:07of this nature,
41:09did he seem
41:11to take photos
41:13of your faces?
41:15Uh, no.
41:17He would take photos of our
41:19genital area.
41:21Um, of like your lower
41:23half of your body.
41:27Or of your bending over.
41:29And between the ages
41:31of six
41:33and eight,
41:37did your father
41:39ever have
41:41sexual contact with you?
41:47Yes.
41:49How did it start?
41:55Just, um...
42:03Just started with, uh...
42:05After sports
42:07practices,
42:09he would, uh, massage
42:11me.
42:13Um...
42:17And he, uh,
42:19would show me and
42:21fondle me and
42:23ask me to do the same with him.
42:29And he would put me on the ground
42:31and
42:33would, you know,
42:35guide my movements.
42:39And I would have, uh,
42:43oral sex with him.
42:47Did you want to do this?
42:55And at some point, did he do other things
42:57to you?
42:59Yes.
43:01Um...
43:03He...
43:09Yeah, he would
43:11use objects,
43:13a toothbrush,
43:17and a, um,
43:19some sort of
43:21shaving utensil.
43:23What did he do with them?
43:27We would have
43:29object sessions.
43:31He would lay me on the
43:33bed, and
43:35I would be naked, and he had
43:37a tube of
43:39Vaseline, and he just
43:41played with
43:43me.
43:47And at some
43:49point, did your father
43:51try to anally penetrate you
43:53with something else?
43:55Uh,
43:57he did.
43:59He raped me.
44:03Did you cry?
44:07Yes.
44:09Did you bleed?
44:11Yes.
44:13Were you scared?
44:15Very.
44:17Did you ask him not to?
44:19I said that I didn't.
44:21I'm sorry.
44:27I said that I didn't want to do this,
44:29and that it hurt.
44:31And he said that he didn't
44:33mean to hurt me, and that he loved me.
44:35Did you tell your mom?
44:37Yes.
44:39What did you say to your mom?
44:41I told her to tell Dad
44:43to leave me alone,
44:45that he keeps touching me.
44:47That he keeps touching me.
44:49What did your mom say?
44:51She said, stop that,
44:53and that you're exaggerating, and that
44:55your dad has to punish you
44:57when you do things wrong.
44:59And she said that he loved me.
45:05And did you ever tell
45:07anyone else?
45:11No, because I was afraid,
45:13and my dad
45:15didn't want me to.
45:17He said that bad things would happen
45:19if I told anyone, that he would
45:21kill me.
45:23Did you tell your brother?
45:31No.
45:35Did you do something to your brother?
45:45What did you do to your brother?
45:53Sometimes I would,
45:55when I felt, um,
45:57I don't know, um...
46:03I took a toothbrush and
46:07played with Eric in the same way.
46:09Played with Eric in the same way.
46:15I'm sorry.
46:19I'm sorry.
46:21I'm so sorry.
46:39I don't know what happened in there.
46:41That was unbelievable.
46:43Actually unbelievable.
46:45And the room,
46:47you bought it?
46:49I bought it.
46:51I really like the bucket.
46:53I bought all of it.
46:59I'm so sorry, Pam.
47:01You'll have to excuse me.
47:03I'm so sorry, Pam.
47:05You'll have to excuse me.
47:11See, I told you I could move the jury.
47:13Ten to two.
47:15That's how it's gonna go.
47:17Because I think that was the greatest testimony
47:19ever given in the courtroom.
47:21I was like a white knight up there.
47:23Yeah? Oh, I agree.
47:25And I'm not gonna stop at just a book.
47:27No, I'm gonna take this whole fucking thing
47:29and I'm gonna turn it into a screenplay and make a movie.
47:31Richard fucking Grieco, that's who.
47:33I mean, honestly, sky's the limit.
47:35Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the jury wrote the judge a note
47:37and said, we don't need to fucking hear anymore.
47:39Okay, let's just wrap this shit up.
47:41I could probably produce ten thousand letters
47:43from people saying that they would be willing
47:45to let me stay in their homes.
47:47Ten thousand. I mean, even a fucking priest said
47:49that he would take me in.
47:51Yeah, yeah, a fucking priest.
48:02I owe you an apology.
48:07No need to apologize, Dominic.
48:09Just quit stalking me.
48:11I'm sorry.
48:13I had no idea.
48:17I believe him.
48:19Which means one of two things.
48:23Either those two boys endured the most sickening
48:29abuse imaginable and their parents got exactly
48:33what was coming to them,
48:35or you were able to coach that performance
48:38out of a lying, murderous psychopath.
48:44I don't know which one of those possibilities
48:48scares me more.
48:50In either case, congratulations, I guess.
48:56Dominic.
49:05I'm really sorry.
49:08She was a beautiful girl.
49:11And she had her whole life ahead of her.
49:20I'm sorry.
49:23You know what her last words to me were?
49:27I love you, Daddy.
49:34At least I'll have that forever.
49:52I love you, too.
50:22I love you, too.
50:52I love you, too.
51:22I love you, too.
51:52I love you, too.
52:22I love you.
52:52I love you.
53:22I love you.
53:52I love you.