2020 Paley Archive Elements 3840x1536 Banner2

ABC NEWS SPECIAL: MURDER IN BEVERLY HILLS: THE MENENDEZ TRIAL (TV)

Summary

A news special concerning the high-profile murder case surrounding Erik and Lyle Menendez.

Footage is shown of the Menendez brothers recounting on the stand how they shot their wealthy parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion. The trial progresses, with Pamela Bozanich heading the prosecution and Leslie Abramson in charge of the defense. Witnesses called by the prosecution are meant to convey the brothers as being remorseless killers who engaged in premeditated murder, motivated by greed and hatred. According to the prosecution, the brothers travel to San Diego two days before the killing in order to purchase firearms for that purpose. They also bring up a 911 call placed by Lyle immediately after the murders in which he claims that “somebody killed my parents.” Bozanich exposes Lyle’s lie and exposes what she believes is a “performance” on his part. Other evidence includes the presence of computer programmers to check Jose’s will and a spending spree by both brothers shortly after the killings. She also brings up the brothers’ behavior at their father’s memorial service.

The “star witness” of the trial proves to be Dr. Jerome Oziel, a psychologist who the brothers’ consulted and who taped a confession by Lyle. Dr. Oziel ends up passing along information about his sessions with the brothers to his ex-girlfriend, Judalon Smyth. Smyth talks to the police and informs them of the existence of the tape. He testifies that the brothers killed their father because he was controlling and abusive, and killed their mother to prevent her from going to the police about it. He also states that the brothers described themselves as “sociopaths,” although the brothers deny such a claim. Abramson aggressively objects to Dr. Oziel’s testimony on numerous occasions. Observations are made about the demeanor and appearance of both brothers during both their original arraignment and the trial, and how they differ substantially. Abramson’s “nursemaid”-like behavior towards her clients is criticized by the judge, and she makes her distaste for the court’s apparent “bias” quite clear. The defense tries to portray the brothers as representing youth and innocence, discussing their childhood at length. Expert witnesses called by the defense claim that their father Jose Menendez was abusive to his sons and invited a great deal of animosity within the family. They do this in order to raise the question of whether the brothers’ emotionally and physically abusive background alters them in such a way that mitigates their responsibility for committing murder.

The details of the sexual abuse supposedly committed against the brothers by their father becomes an important factor in the trial; Erik testifies that his informing Lyle about his own experiences with their father was the catalyst for their plan to kill their parents. Lyle makes similar claims about being molested by his father, and numerous incidents of sexual molestation between the family members. Other testimonies corroborate their claims from both associates and expert witnesses. The judge rules that sexual abuse is not in itself a pretext for murder, and so the defense argues that the long history of such abuse was the precursor to a multi-day family confrontation which culminated in the brothers being fearful for their lives, thus motivating them to murder their parents in self-defense. In their testimony they recount the details of this confrontation and the particulars of the arguments therein. They describe the formulation of their plan and the process by which they purchased the guns they used, and go on to describe the killings themselves.

Harvard law professor Arthur Miller is interviewed about the Menendez case. He discusses the tactics used by the defense and the relevance of sexual abuse as a means of justifying criminal behavior in trials such as these. The prosecution cross-examines the brothers and casts aspersions about several elements of the defense’s story, claiming that the imminent fear felt by the brothers is either an exaggeration or a fabrication. They also dispute the factual evidence about the purchasing of the firearms used in the murders. Bozanich does her best to make the brothers seem merciless and emotionless in enacting the murders, contradicting their earlier testimonies. Dr. Oziel’s tape is finally admitted into the trial as evidence, and on it Lyle indicates that he is proud of what he and Erik did, not mentioning anything about the sexual abuse element. Abramson claims that they were too ashamed to mention this to Dr. Oziel and suggests that Dr. Oziel was goading the brothers into making a confession. Numerous witnesses paint Dr. Oziel as being unethical and dishonest in an attempt to lend credence to this assertion. She claims that she was “brainwashed” by Dr. Oziel and believes he may have done the same to the Menendez brothers.

In its fourth month the trial enters the rebuttal phase as each side is given one last chance to introduce facts and witnesses. Once further witnesses are heard, each side is given a chance to make closing arguments. Both juries are left to decide the degree to which the brothers are guilty; the possibility of innocence is precluded. The juries are left to deliberate. Miller discusses the best result that the defense could hope for and his feelings about the performances of each attorney involved with the case. Includes commercials.

Details

  • NETWORK: ABC
  • DATE: December 15, 1993
  • RUNNING TIME: 0:57:45
  • COLOR/B&W: Color
  • CATALOG ID: B:31037
  • GENRE: News
  • SUBJECT HEADING: TV - News
  • SERIES RUN: ABC - TV, 1993
  • COMMERCIALS:
    • TV – Commercials – Advil pain relief
    • TV – Commercials – Discover credit cards
    • TV – Commercials – Fixodent denture adhesive
    • TV – Commercials – Golden Sauté pasta
    • TV – Commercials – Lexus automobiles
    • TV – Commercials – Mentadent toothpaste
    • TV – Commercials – NyQuil cold medicine
    • TV – Commercials – Pond’s skin cream
    • TV – Commercials – Red Lobster restaurants
    • TV – Commercials – Sudafed cold medicine
    • TV – Commercials – Tavist-D decongestant
    • TV – Commercials – TheraFlu cold medicine
    • TV – Commercials – Toyota automobiles
    • TV – Commercials – V8 vegetable juice
    • TV – Commercials – “Grumpy Old Men” motion picture
    • TV – Promos – “20/20”
    • TV – Promos – “ABC Primetime”
    • TV – Promos – “Birdland”
    • TV – Promos – “Good Morning America”
    • TV – Promos – “Lois & Clark: the New Adventures of Superman”
    • TV – Promos – “Matlock”
    • TV – Promos – “Missing Persons”
    • TV – Promos – “Nightline”
    • TV – Promos – “The Commish”
    • TV – Promos – “The Only Way Out”

CREDITS

  • Shelley Ross … Executive Producer
  • Wendy S. Roth … Coordinating Producer
  • Jonathan Talmadge … Senior Producer
  • Alison Craiglow … Producer
  • Anthony Radziwill … Producer
  • Julie Sertel … Producer
  • Marilyn Heck … Associate Producer
  • Andrea Amiel … Associate Producer
  • Marilyn Fletcher … Associate Producer
  • Peter Coleman … Associate Producer
  • Barbara Lynch … Associate Producer
  • Susan Mitchell … Associate Producer
  • Bernie Hoffman … Director
  • Diane Sawyer … Anchor
  • Dan Foley … Announcer
  • Arthur Miller … Guest
  • Leslie Abramson
  • Teresita Baral
  • Pamela Bozanich
  • Marta Cano
  • Lester Kuriyama
  • Jill Lansing
  • Erik Menendez
  • Jose Menendez
  • Lyle Menendez
  • Jerome Oziel
  • Judalon Smyth