What Became of the Menendez Brothers' Beverly Hills Mansion?
What Became of the Menendez Brothers' Beverly Hills Mansion?
The House's Recent Sale
Earlier this year, the mansion was sold for $17 million. With the release of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix, interest in the brothers and the Beverly Hills home where they tragically killed their parents, Kitty and Jose, in August 1989 has surged. Despite its dark past, the house is still inhabited today. Here’s what you should know about the Menendez brothers' residence:
Who Occupied the House Before the Menendez Family?
Constructed in 1927 and renovated in the 70s and 80s, the home had quite the pedigree, as noted by Dominick Dunne, with notable previous residents including Prince, Elton John, Hal Prince, and a Saudi prince. At the time of their deaths, Jose and Kitty Menendez were renting the property.
"The family initially lived in Calabasas, a suburban area of Los Angeles, where they occupied one home while constructing a more impressive one on thirteen acres with stunning mountain views," Dunne wrote in his renowned Vanity Fair piece, "Nightmare on Elm Drive." "Then, unexpectedly, they left Calabasas and relocated to Beverly Hills, where Jose purchased the house on Elm Drive, a six-bedroom Mediterranean-style residence featuring a red tile roof, a courtyard, a swimming pool, a tennis court, and a guesthouse."
Related: New LA DA Nathan Hochman Comments on the Menendez Brothers' Quest for Freedom
The property was previously owned by real estate mogul Mark Slotkin. As noted by Realtor.com, "During Lyle and Erik’s trial, Slotkin—who remained a friend of the Menendez family and a confidant to the brothers—testified for the defense, arguing that soundproofing he had installed in the home cast doubt on a maid’s claims of overhearing the family’s heated arguments."
The Co-Creator of Murder, She Wrote Acquired the Property in 1993
The mansion was sold in 1991 to an undisclosed buyer, and in 1993, William Link, co-creator of the popular murder mystery series Murder, She Wrote, bought it. In 2001, he sold it to telecommunications executive Samuel Delug for $3.7 million.
The Property's Sale in 2024 for $17 Million
Delug had owned the residence for 23 years before selling it earlier this year to an affluent Iranian family. According to the Robb Report, "Despite its dark past, the home attracted plenty of interested buyers. After listing it for sale at the end of the previous year, longtime owner Samuel Delug successfully sold the property for $17 million—less than the nearly $20 million asking price, but still over four times what he originally paid for it in 2001. The new owners, as per records, are the Lahijanis, a wealthy Iranian family residing in Beverly Hills."