The image of Jose Menendez remains frozen in 1980s corporate gloss. He was the quintessential American success story—or so it looked from the outside. A Cuban immigrant who arrived with nothing and clawed his way to the top of the entertainment world. He lived in a $4 million Beverly Hills mansion. He drove the right cars. His sons were tennis prodigies. But then came the night of August 20, 1989.
The world knows the end of the story: the shotguns, the 911 call, and the decade-defining trials. However, the question that still haunts the case is simpler. What did the Menendez brothers dad do to lead to such a violent conclusion? To understand the murders, you have to understand the man who was both a titan of industry and, according to his sons, a monster behind closed doors.
The Corporate Machine: How Jose Menendez Built an Empire
Jose didn't just work in entertainment. He dominated it. He was a high-octane executive who lived for the "win." After moving from New York to California, he took over LIVE Entertainment, a struggling home video company. Under his watch, the company didn't just survive; it thrived. He signed massive deals for the home video rights to Rambo and worked with legends like Sylvester Stallone.
Before that, he was a big deal at RCA Records. He’s the guy who helped sign Menudo, the Puerto Rican boy band that became a global phenomenon.
He was known for being ruthless. Honestly, "ruthless" might be an understatement. He’d fire hundreds of people without blinking if it meant the bottom line looked better. Friends and colleagues described him as a "winner" who demanded perfection from everyone. If a waiter was too slow, Jose would berate them. If an employee wasn't hitting their marks, they were gone. He was a man who believed power was meant to be wielded, not just held.
A Resume of Power
- Executive VP at Hertz: He ran U.S. operations for the car rental giant at just 35 years old.
- COO of RCA Records: He was the architect of the label's Latin music expansion.
- CEO of LIVE Entertainment: He turned a $20 million debt into a $16 million net profit in just two years.
The "Perfect" Father and the Hidden Nightmare
In public, Jose was the ultimate "helicopter parent" before that was even a term. He pushed Lyle and Erik to be the best at everything. We aren't just talking about good grades. We’re talking about world-class tennis rankings and Ivy League acceptance letters.
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He’d spend hours on the court behind their house, screaming instructions at them. If they lost a match, the car ride home was a gauntlet of verbal abuse. He even allegedly wrote Lyle’s papers to get him into Princeton. He wanted trophies. He wanted his sons to be extensions of his own success.
But the brothers told a far darker story during their 1993 trial. They didn't just talk about a hard-driving dad. They spoke about a predator.
Lyle and Erik testified that the abuse started when they were toddlers. They described a household where Jose used "discipline" as a cover for sexual, physical, and emotional torture. According to their testimony, Jose would take them into bedrooms or bathrooms, and the house had a strict rule: if Dad was in a room with one of the boys, no one—not even their mother, Kitty—was allowed to walk down that hallway.
What Did the Menendez Brothers Dad Do? The Evidence of Abuse
For years, many people thought the brothers made up the abuse to escape the death penalty. They were rich, handsome kids who spent money like water after their parents died. The prosecution argued they were just greedy. But as time goes on, more evidence has bubbled to the surface that makes people second-guess that "greed" narrative.
The Roy Rosselló Allegation
In 2023, the case exploded back into the news because of Roy Rosselló. Roy was a member of Menudo, the band Jose signed at RCA. In a documentary called Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, Rosselló claimed that Jose Menendez drugged and raped him when he was a teenager in the 1980s.
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This was huge. It wasn't just the sons talking anymore. It was an outside source with no financial stake in the Menendez estate describing the exact same predatory behavior.
The Letter to Andy Cano
There’s also the matter of the "missing" letter. Eight months before the murders, Erik wrote a letter to his cousin, Andy Cano. In it, he hinted at the ongoing torment he was facing at home. He wrote about "trying to avoid" his father and the "shame" he felt. This letter didn't make it into the second trial, which many legal experts now say was a massive oversight. It's hard to argue that the brothers "invented" the abuse for a trial when Erik was writing about it to a family member long before the trigger was ever pulled.
The Double Life of Kitty Menendez
You can't talk about what Jose did without mentioning Kitty. The brothers claimed she knew. They said she was a broken woman, a beauty queen turned housewife who struggled with alcoholism and depression. According to the defense, she was complicit.
Lyle testified that when he tried to tell her what his father was doing, she told him he was "exaggerating." She told him his father loved him. She reportedly helped facilitate the environment where the abuse could happen, sometimes even bathing the boys well into their teens or making them share a bed with her. It was a cycle of neglect and control that left the brothers feeling like there was no way out.
Why This Case Is Still Being Debated in 2026
The reason we are still talking about what Jose Menendez did is because the legal system has changed. In the early '90s, the idea of male-on-male sexual abuse wasn't something people wanted to hear. The culture wasn't ready.
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Today, we have a much deeper understanding of PTSD and the "freeze" response. In 2025, a judge actually resentenced the brothers, making them eligible for parole. While their initial parole request was denied in August 2025 due to some prison rule violations, the fact that the legal system is even reconsidering their case shows how much the perception of Jose Menendez has shifted.
He wasn't just a successful businessman. To the people inside that Beverly Hills mansion, he was a source of terror.
Actionable Insights: Understanding the Case Today
If you're following the Menendez case, here is what you need to keep in mind to stay informed:
- Look Beyond the "Monster" Series: While Netflix shows are great for entertainment, they often take creative liberties. Stick to trial transcripts or books like Robert Rand’s The Menendez Murders for the most factual account of Jose's business life and the alleged abuse.
- Follow the New Evidence: The Roy Rosselló declaration and the Andy Cano letter are the two most important pieces of evidence that weren't fully utilized in the original trials. They provide the "corroboration" that the 1996 jury felt was missing.
- Understand the Resentencing Process: Even if the brothers are eligible for parole, it's not a guarantee. The legal system looks at their behavior over the last 30+ years, not just the original crime.
- Differentiate the "Two Joses": There is Jose the Executive and Jose the Father. You can acknowledge his incredible business success while also recognizing the evidence of his personal failures. One doesn't cancel out the other; they existed simultaneously in a very complex, very dark reality.
The Menendez story is a tragedy with no winners. It’s a case study in how wealth and power can mask a rotting core. Whether you believe the brothers or the prosecution, one thing is certain: the legacy of Jose Menendez is no longer just about his success at RCA or LIVE Entertainment. It’s forever tied to the secrets he kept behind the doors of 722 North Elm Drive.