Tourists, Crime Fans Flock To LA's Menendez Mansion Amid New Interest

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Renewed interest in and a potential chance at freedom for Lyle and Erik Menendez has drawn droves of tourists to visit a Beverly Hills home where the brothers killed their parents in 1989.

Residents told the Los Angeles Times this week that the mansion on their once-quiet block has become a nuisance, attracting people filming TikTok videos, taking selfies, blocking driveways and even trespassing.

The case received attention following last year's Menendez brothers TikTok movement, which brought awareness to the sexual abuse the brothers said they endured from their parents. Since the movement, a growing number of people have called for their release.

In September, Ryan Murphy's dramatized "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" dropped on Netflix starring Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch as Lyle and Erik; and Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny as José and Kitty. Just a few weeks later, a documentary was released on the streaming platform titled, "The Menendez Brothers," which featured recent interviews from Lyle and Erik.

A combination of the recent media hype and new pieces of evidence that surfaced prompted Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón to announce that Lyle and Erik's case would be reviewed after 35 years.

The pair, who are serving life terms, could be eligible for parole "immediately" and could soon walk free, Gascón said.

All of this happening over the last two months has made the Menendez mansion on Elm Drive quite the spectacle once again and residents are not happy.

“There’s people all hours of the night,” said neighbor Mindy R., who did not provide her full name to the Los Angeles Times. "People are getting out of their cars, blocking our driveway."

In October, the Beverly Hills Police Department said officers responded to 18 calls for noise complaints and trespassing at the home on Elm Drive, the LA Times reported.

One TikTok user, "momonii_", filmed through the mansion's windows and beyond a construction fence that was erected to keep people away.

Another posted by "Miss Ghana" showed footage of the inside of the house. It's unclear how the user got in.

Before a slew of new shows and now, a potential resentencing for the brothers, Mindy R. says it was nothing but an occasional tour bus that neighbors would see on the street.

"It's been pretty quiet until the Netflix show came out," she said.

The home last sold on March 20 for $17 million, according to Redfin. It boasts 7 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms over a sprawling 9,063-foot floor plan.

The Mediterranean-style home is nestled in the Beverly Hills flats, with its recognizable red roof and its iconic wraparound driveway.

But was the Menendez mansion actually used in the new Netflix drama? According to Realtor.com, a look-a-like property was used across town.

Lyle and Erik have been behind bars ever since they were convicted for the 1989 killing of their parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez, while they were watching television in the Elm Drive home. The brothers were convicted in a second trial after the first ended with two deadlocked juries.

Back then, prosecutors alleged that the brothers murdered their parents so that they could assume control of the Menendez mansion and their parents' wealthy estate. Lyle and Erik denied this assertion and shared that they had been sexually assaulted repeatedly by their father. The brothers spoke of their abuse through tears in one of the first high-profile cases to be televised, captivating and polarizing viewers everywhere.

While the brothers dispute the prosecution's original allegations that the murders were financially motivated, they openly admit to opening fire on their parents.

READ MORE: Netflix's 'The Menendez Brothers' Drops As Their Case Gets Second Look