Bad Blood: The Shocking True Story Behind the Menendez Killings

by Don Davis

They were golden boys who killed with sudden savagery. The trial revealed a dark drama too evil to believe.

Handsome, rich, bronzed champion athletes, Erik and Lyle Menendez were the stunning symbols of the California dream. The sons of a high-powered Hollywood executive and his beautiful wife, they lived in a pampered world of Beverly Hills mansions, swimming pools, and private tennis coaches.

But the dream became a nightmare when police found the butchered bodies of the boys’ parents, Jose and Kitty, in the family room of their five-million dollar mansion. Only days after the couple was laid to rest, the brothers began an appalling spending spree, buying Rolex watches, designer clothes and a new Porsche. Seven months later, all of Hollywood was stunned when the 18- and 21-year-old brothers were arrested for the horrendous killings.

In wrenching testimony, Lyle & Erik accused their father of sexually brutalizing then since they were children—claiming his sadistic acts of perversion and cruel violence drove them to their unspeakable crime. 

Bestselling author Don Davis takes you inside one of the most riveting cases in California’s history, laying to bare the shattering secrets of a tormented family.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Crime

284 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1994

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - this books concludes at the end of their first trail - it was interesting but would have like at least a summary of the second & third juries and why it took so long to finally convict them

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book on Audbile and it was entertaining for my trips to and from work. The book ended with the first trials (like the recent LAW AND ORDER mini series) but I thought it was annoying that the book never talked about the second trials or what happened as a result of those second round of trials (thank goodness for Wikipedia!). The book does raise an interesting question: If the parents did mentally and sexually abuse their children (though I am not convinced), does this give those children the right to "defend" themselves in terms of killing their parents?

[DAISY READS HORROR · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Menendez case was one that captivated thousands of people here in Los Angeles and the rest of the country in the early 90's when it occured. Today more than 20 years after the brual killings of Kitty and Jose Menendez this case still has a fascination in Hollywood. There were numerous movies and documentaries made on the Menendez family. What was it that caused 2 handsome, rich young men to brutally murder their parents? From the outside looking in it seemed like Erik & Lyle had it all: looks, money, cars, friends & bright futures. However, this was all a facade. They were handsome, were rich and had the nice cars. But the one thing they did not have according to them that they craved the most above all was the love of a father.

During the trial the Menendez brothers talked about sick perverse child molestation they endured at the hands of their father, while their mother seemed to never notice or would turn the other cheek. One reading this book can easily sympathize with Lyle & Erik as they describe the twisted things their father would do to them. At the same time, one can also wonder if they are telling the truth at all. Yes, their father Jose was known to be hard on his sons and would "buy" out their problems at school and with the law. But was it really true that behind this strict, father was a child molester? We will never know.

I personally do not know if what Erik and Lyle said about their parents, their father in particular is true. I have looked at numerous videos during the trial when they both break down and cry describing the molestation. I do sympathize greatly with them if this was the case. However at the same time the killings of their parents are not justified.

This will be a case many will continue to read up on. I know that I will continue to read more follow up books on this case. I find it very interesting how the minds of these 2 young men worked when they commited these crimes. I read that Erik got married to a woman while in prison and she till this day will vouch for him as being a warm hearted man..... I am not sure if that is really true, after all would you consider a man who killed his parents warm hearted?.....Probably not!

[Erick Njenga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that unfortunately ends before the second trial :-(

[Shantal Nicolas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book and the true story were very interesting and had an unexpected plot twist. The plot twist was that Lyle and Erik Menendez killed their parents on a random night. They came out of nowhere with shotguns and started shooting their parents. Joseph Lyle Menendez was the oldest of both of them. He grew up to be his dad's favorite which meant his father had more expectations coming from Lyle. That made Lyle very stressed because his father was a very important person back then. His father always had a very serious attitude and was just a very angry person most of the time. Erik Galen Menendez was the youngest out of the two. He had a very hard time while growing up because neither his mom nor dad gave him the love he wanted as a kid. Although he wasn't his father's favorite, Jose Menendez would support his passion for tennis. Erik was talented at tennis which made him play at contests. Jose Menendez would get mad at his sons if they didn't meet up to his standards which put a lot of pressure on them. While growing up Jose Menendez wasn't just verbally abusive but he was also sexually abusive towards his sons. Lyle Menendez was 6 years old when all the abuse started. Erik Menendez said that it felt like the abuse was going on for decades. Their father would force them to do a lot of adult things the boys weren't comfortable with. Jose Menendez would force Erik to do many more things as a punishment when he wouldn't do things right. Lyle also suffered a lot but Erik would take most of it. One day Lyle Menendez took Erik Menendez to a forest and did the same things he and his dad would do, to Erik. On august 1989 the Menendez brothers had enough of the abuse and decided to kill their parents with shotguns. After doing it, Erik Menendez was really scared and called the police reporting the killings of their parents. The police came and investigated but the brothers weren't charged at the moment until March 8th of 1990. And till then they have been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. I feel like this book doesn't really connect much with my life because the Menendez brothers went through abuse. What I do connect with tho is pressure from my parents and having hard times. Although the stuff i went through isn't as bad or traumatic as the Menendez brothers. I honestly really liked this book, it probably has to be one of my favorites. To me this book was interesting because, I enjoy reading true crime drama since it's the only thing that catches my attention. I've known about the Menendez brothers case for the past year or two and i am really glad I got to read this book because it gave me so much more information than any movie made. In my opinion the book is a five out of five stars because I enjoy reading true crime dramas and because this case has caught my attention since two years ago. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about true crime dramas or just anyone in general who doesn't know what kind of book to read.

[Karen Bullock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been wanting to read this for some time & was not disappointed by the intensity of this crime case. This story coverage however, raises more questions then it provides answers & that is not the author's fault.
The audacity & cunningness of the crime is mind boggling.
IF the boys were so grossly abused in their youth, why did they not seek help from other family members? Professional help? Why was it never mentioned until after the boys were caught & facing trial? Was it a ploy to receive a lesser sentence? To receive sympathy from the jury?! And why did the boys feel their lives were ever in danger? Nothing stated in the entirety of the story mentions that their father, Jose, had ever tried to kill them?!
A lot of unanswered questions & a lot of "affluent" ill behaved children who treated people terribly, no differently then they were supposedly treated by their own parents.( Break the cycle!)
But most of all, WHY was there the need to excessively "overkill" their parents?
Just left wondering if the REAL truth will ever surface.

[Clare W. · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF because the amount of disinformation and clear bias became well past my tolerance halfway through. The author blatantly lies stating there was no evidence of abuse and the abuse defense was started last minute, neither of these claims are true. He ignores the close-up pictures of the children’s genitals the parents kept, the medical records that experts stated indicated abuse, the overwhelming testimony from family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and leading trauma experts. And he completely ignores the flaws of the prosecution like the fact the financial motive was debunked to the point they dropped it as their argument and half-hazardly threw the most nonsensical, baseless “motives” at the wall from a camcorder or a party.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to in audio format.

I first heard about this case when the brothers were found guilty after a retrial and then watched a film about it.

Bad Blood was a well researched book written by Don Davies.

Eric and Lyle stated they murdered their father after years of sexual abuse. I guess we will never know if the allegation was true.

My only qualm is that Eric claimed he was still being abused right up until his parents murder. Eric was 18 and was physically fit, surely he could of fought his father off.

This was a relatively short book and only detailed the brothers first trial. I would of been interested in hearing about the second trial. I would recommend this book to true life crime fans.l

[Patricia Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

it explains the story of the menendez brothers who killed their parents and the trial with the new monster series on netflix i wondered about this case if they made the story up or not so i decided to read the book it was very well detailed but me like everyone wonder what really happened in the family if it true or not

[Cory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook selection by my husband and myself for our drive to parents weekend to and from Purdue - picked because of all the current news about this - I actually did not know much about the case, but now I do. The book was pretty dry. The characters were well developed. We did discuss it at rest stops. So, better than our last audio selection!

[Taryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! I learned new details not only of the trail itself self, the Mendez’s life before 1989 & about the therapist’s legal troubles. The book only focuses on the first trial & the men. There is little mention of Kitty. There isn’t a chapter or summary of the second trail where they are sentenced.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great insight on the case, just a shame it was published in a rush, before the whole situation actually concluded two years later.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bad Blood" is not the best book on the Menendez case; another, published around the same time, "Blood Brothers: The Inside Story Of The Menenedez Murders" by Ron Soble and John Johnson is the superior out of the two. Still, it does provide something of a inside look at the Menendez family dynamic but the court details are sketchy at best.

We may never know why Lyle and Erik Menendez murdered their parents. I have always believed that the case was far more complex than the prosecution in both murder trials (the first one ended in hung juries) made it out to be. Jose Menendez was a powerful executive in Hollywood who was hated and feared by many but at the same time, had a strange respect (often common in the entertainment industry) due to his wealth and power. Kitty Menendez was a former beauty queen who grew up in home where domestic violence and neglect was part of the norm. As a result, their children grew up in a household of wealth and privilege but lacking the love, nurturing and protection that they desperately needed. Faced with their father's domineering ways and trying to live up to his impossible expectations, the brothers' rage and pain exploded. Kitty, dependent, mentally unstable and unhappy, refused to leave the situation despite the chaos and turned the other way while her sons were mistreated. The sexual abuse allegations may never be proven, but it is possible and while I don't know if it was a direct factor in the killings, and the Menendez family was not normal by any means.

The book ends with the result of the first trial, which ended in deadlocked juries and has no updates.

***Spoilers***Convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole in their second trial, the brothers are serving their sentences in separate prisons. Due to a law that has recently been passed, the brothers can file an appeal based on the fact that during their second murder trial, their defense counsel was not permitted to produce documentation, witnesses and and experts to corroborate the brothers' story of abuse as was done in their first trial.

[Sandy Saunders · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the start of the book was good as it quickly covered the murders and the immediate after affects but I thought it went downhill from there.
I read the book many years ago and I know I enjoyed it then but as I’ve matured quite a bit since then I find the style of writing leaning very much towards sarcasm. There isn’t a lot of family history/interaction preceding the murder and virtually no information on police procedures/forensics or other suspects which was disappointing in a true crime novel. A lot of info on newspaper headlines though.
I wouldn’t bother with this book.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this in audible form.

It was a very interesting book with lots of info. I did not like that it ended after the first trial and left us with no closure. I mean, we know how it ended but I would have loved to hear about the rest of the trials. The audiobook was not a fun read. It felt very dry and monotoned. I do mostly physical reads but like listen books while I workout or clean. And I struggled to stay focused because of the narrators voice.

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was OK, but it didn't change my life. Strictly journalistic, the author reports everythign everyone said in the papers or at trial without doing much to interpret or question any of it.