Mary Louise Kitty Menendez, 48, was murdered on August 20, 1989, in her Beverly Hills home. She and her husband, Jose Menendez, were found shot to death in their living room; Kitty suffered multiple shotgun wounds to the leg, arm, chest, and face.

Initial investigators considered a burglary gone wrong, but that theory was abandoned as evidence developed. Their sons, Lyle and Erik Menendez, then aged 21 and 18, were arrested and charged with the killings. The brothers said they had endured years of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, which they said led them to kill out of fear and desperation. Prosecutors argued the motive was financial, alleging the brothers sought to inherit the family’s multimillion-dollar estate.

The case drew intense national attention and was one of the first trials televised. A first trial ended in a mistrial; in a later retrial both brothers were convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to life without parole. The brothers remain incarcerated. Did anyone who knew Kitty or the Menendez family in Beverly Hills have observations about their home life before August 20, 1989?