The Menendez Brothers Are Much Older Now

On Jan. 5, ABC will revisit one of the most notable murder cases in recent American history. When they were only 21 and 18 years old, respectively, brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty, on Aug. 20, 1989. Seven years later, the two young men were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. As they continue to serve their sentence many may find themselves wondering how old are the Menendez Brothers now? Lyle, the elder of the two, is 48 years old, and his younger brother, Erik is 46 years old. The brothers have now spent more of their life in jail than outside of it, a sentence most believe they more than deserve.

The story of the Menendez brothers' murders has become one of the most well-known crime stories of all the time. The two brothers grew up in a life of privilege since their father was a very successful entertainment executive. On the night Jose and Kitty were murdered, they were simply at home watching a James Bond film, while there sons were supposed to be out seeing a movie. In fact, that's the alibi Lyle and Erik first used when questioned about the murders. The brothers purposely left the scene of the crime and went to the movie theater. Then when they returned home, Lyle infamously called the police to report the crime (though leaving out the fact that they were the ones who had committed it).

Lyle and Erik almost got away with the murders for a multitude of reasons, the main one being the police neglected to test their hands and clothing for gunshot residue, believing the brothers' grief to be genuine. However, once the brothers started spending money ostentatiously shortly after their parents death, the police became suspicious once again. Still, it wasn't until Erik confessed the crime to his therapist and the therapist's mistress gave the tapes to the police that they were finally able to arrest the brothers.

During the trial, the brothers' defense attorney claimed Lyle and Erik had killed their parents as an act of self defense because their parents were abusive. And while the claims were never able to be proven, this defense led to a deadlocked jury and a retrial. However, the brothers were ultimately convicted.

It's been 27 years since the murders and in ABC's new documentary, Truth and Lies: The Menendez Brothers, viewers will get to hear Lyle speak about what he thinks of the murders now. Do they regret it at all? Are the brothers still close? All will be revealed when the documentary airs on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.