Menendez brothers’ murder mansion: 35 years later, ‘no remains’ of crime

The Menendez family mansion in Beverly Hills, where a brutal double murder shocked the nation in 1989, remains eerily untouched – its walls hiding the dark history that once captured the nation’s attention.

Lyle and Erik Menendez shot their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez with 14 shots while the couple sat watching television in the living room of their Beverly Hills home.

The brothers shot their father five times, including once at close range with a shotgun aimed at the back of his head. As her mother tried to crawl away, Lyle shot her in the face with a shotgun. In total she was shot nine times.

Lyle, then 21, and Erik, then 18, admitted that they shot their father and mother, who were entertainment executives, but said they feared their parents would kill them, to prevent his father’s long-term sexual abuse from coming to light, Erik.

The Menendez family purchased the 9,063-square-foot Mediterranean-style property in 1988 for $4 million.

Beverly Hills, an iconic and affluent city in Los Angeles County, is known for its luxurious lifestyle, upscale shopping, and celebrity residents. Known for their security and exclusivity, the murders of José and Kitty Menendez shocked the neighborhood.

The infamous house on Elm Drive was not demolished but still stands, a chilling reminder of its past.

Since the murders, the property has changed hands four times. Most recently, in March 2024, it sold for $17,000,000.

Real estate appraiser and CEO of Landmark Research spoke with Newsweek and said there are challenges in selling properties related to tragic events, particularly a high-profile double murder.

Randall Bell said Newsweek Homes like these, no matter how prestigious the location, often stay on the market longer than usual.

Bell, a friend of LAPD Sergeant George Ryan who was involved in the Menendez brothers’ case, learned that the room where the murders took place had been renovated.

“George told me that the room where the murder took place – the TV room – had been completely restored. There were no “Kodak moments” of the crime, no remains. It has been very professionally cleaned and restored.”

According to Realtor.com, the mansion sold in 1991 for $3.6 million, well below the previous estimate of $4.8 million. TV crime writer William Link, co-creator of Murder, she wroteHe reportedly bought the house in 1993 for an undisclosed amount and lived there for eight years.

“It was sold after two and a half years,” Bell said. “It sold for about three and a half million, so there was about a million dollars in depreciation or loss in value. This was due to the stigmatization at the crime scene, plus transportation costs.”

Accounting costs include the costs associated with owning and maintaining a property, which can have a significant impact on its overall value. These costs include property taxes, insurance, utilities, maintenance and repairs, mortgage payments and management fees. As a property remains on the market for an extended period of time, these costs can accumulate and further reduce its value.

According to Bell, a Beverly Hills home typically sells within three to six months, but the circumstances of this property significantly extended the time frame.

In 1997, Link attempted to sell the mansion for $3.9 million, but after failing to attract a buyer, he removed the listing several years later. In 2001, he finally sold the house to telecommunications executive Sam Delug for $3.7 million.

The home came back on the market in December 2023 and sold in March 2024. Originally listed for $19,999,500, it eventually sold for $17,000,000. Because such properties tend to stay on the market longer, sellers often offer economic incentives and financial discounts of 10% to 25%.

Newsweek I reached out to Amy Vertun, the agent who sold the house, but she hasn’t responded yet.

As Bell passed the former Menendez home, a tourist hotspot, he said, “The buyers had put up big plastic sheeting to block the view of the house, which I think was a really stupid mistake because you don’t hide these things.” would.” .”

He continued: “Let people see it, let them get it out of their system and move on. This helps heal things rather than trying to mask and cover it up.”

For Menendez House, demolition is never an option

Bell said there was never any discussion about demolishing the Menendez home, regardless of the gruesome nature of the murders, because the property was in good condition and did not require extensive renovation.

“This house was meticulous,” he said. “It has been carefully built, constructed and maintained. People just won’t let people tear down houses like that.”

In an extreme example, demolishing the apartment building where serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer tortured, dismembered and ate several of his victims in Milwaukee, Minnesota, was the best option.

“The property was razed and they sold it for a premium to a buyer who was desperate to demo the home because it thwarted a community redevelopment plan,” Bell said.

The 49-unit building where Dahmer murdered his victims was razed in 1992, 15 months after human remains were found in apartment 213.

However, Bell said demolishing a home or apartment complex does not erase the memories associated with it.

“My advice is to remember that the stigma affects the site, not the improvements,” he said Newsweek. “You can demo the house all day long, but you haven’t solved the problem. It’s a reminder of the land.”

The current median listing price in this affluent ZIP code is over $9.1 million, down 0.13% from last year.

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