Do the Menendez Brothers Still Have Money? Their Inheritance – Hollywood Life

Lyle and Erik Menendez are still serving life sentences for the brutal murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, who were shot and killed in the family’s Beverly Hills mansion on August 20, 1989. At the time, the brothers were just 21 and 18 years old. Now, 35 years later, their case is under renewed scrutiny — and they may soon get the chance at a resentencing.

In 2024, former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón acknowledged that the brothers were “clearly the murderers,” but said prosecutors were reviewing whether new evidence that surfaced in recent years could have led a jury to reach “a different conclusion.” On October 24, 2024, Gascón formally recommended that Lyle and Erik be resentenced and granted eligibility for parole. Their hearing, initially scheduled for December 2024, was postponed following Gascón’s departure and the election of new DA Nathan Hochman.

Hochman, however, has taken a different stance. On March 10, 2025, he publicly stated he does not support the brothers’ release and accused them of spreading “lies” for decades. The DA’s office presented its arguments in court on April 11. Following the hearing, Judge Michael Jesic announced that resentencing proceedings will continue on April 17 and 18, 2025.

If the Menendez brothers are ultimately released, many are wondering — will they inherit anything from their parents’ estate? Find out more below.

Did the Menendez Brothers Inherit Any Money?

In the aftermath of their parents’ deaths in 1989, the brothers temporarily took control of their father’s estate, which was valued at approximately $14.5 million.

Within just six months, Lyle and Erik reportedly spent nearly $1 million on various expenses. However, after being arrested seven months later, most of the money from José’s estate had been consumed by taxes and legal fees. By 1994, it was reported that $10.8 million had been spent from the estate—just two years before the brothers were sentenced to life in prison. About half of that amount went toward the brothers’ legal fees, including those of attorney Leslie Abramson, who argued that José and Kitty had subjected their sons to years of emotional and sexual abuse.

Once they were found guilty of their parents’ murder, the brothers lost access to the estate. Under California’s “Slayer Statute,” when someone is feloniously murdered, the perpetrator cannot profit from the victim’s estate, regardless of any family relationship. Their current net worth has not been publicly disclosed.

What Is the Menendez Brothers’ Net Worth?

With no financial cushion from their inheritance and serving life sentences in prison, Lyle and Erik have not lived a life remotely close to the lavish one they had before their arrest. Their current net worth is unknown, but without any substantial assets and increasing liabilities from legal fees — especially if the case reopens — the brothers’ net worth is most likely zero as of 2024.

Even as the latest subjects of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan‘s Monster anthology series titled Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, the brothers are unlikely to see any funds from such projects.

What Has Ryan Murphy Said About the Brothers’ Case?

The increasingly popular 10-episode season streaming on Netflix aims to explore whether the brothers were cold-blooded killers seeking to inherit their family’s fortune, as the prosecution argued, or victims of a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents, as the defense claimed and Lyle and Erik maintain to this day.

From Murphy’s perspective, the series seems to have succeeded in this exploration. On October 3, he stated during a phone call with The Hollywood Reporter, “We gave them their moment in the court of public opinion. Basically, we did give them a platform. I think they can be out of prison by Christmas. I really believe that.”

If you or anyone you know has been sexually abused, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, judgment-free support as well as local resources to assist in healing, recovering and more.

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