The first decision is in. And it's not looking good for the next... Erik and Lyle Menendez were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989. The Menendez brothers infamously argued the murders were in self-defense because they suffered years of sexual abuse at the hands of their father, which they claimed their mother ignored. But a judge back then deemed the allegations inadmissible.