“AND SO DEPRESSION STRIKES ONE MORE TIME. I AM ALONE WITH SO MANY FRIENDS”: ERIC MENENDEZ’S BEVERLY HILLS DIARY AND ARCHIVE OF RELATED MATERIALS

MENENDEZ, Eric. Diary and archive of materials. Los Angeles, 1988-89. One 9-3/4 x 7-1/2-inch composition notebook, with notes, letters, and related papers.

Diary and archive of letters and related materials once belonging to Eric Menendez, who, along with his brother, was convicted of the 1989 murders of their parents.

On August 20, 1989, 21-year-old Lyle Menendez called 911 and told the operator that he and his 18-year-old brother Erik, both of whom were aspiring professional tennis players, had returned home to find that their parents had been shot and killed. Jose and Kitty Menendez had been shot multiple times at point-blank range. In 1992, the brothers were indicted for the murders; their 1993 trial, which was broadcast by the new Court TV network, ended with separate juries for each brother deadlocked between finding them guilty of murder or of manslaughter. Lyle and Erik were found guilty of murder in a second trial, spanning the fall of 1995 and winter of 1996, and are now serving life sentences in prison.

The Menendez family had previously lived in Calabasas, California; they moved to Beverly Hills in 1988 after Erik plead guilty to burglarizing the homes of parents of his schoolmates, stealing an estimated $100,000 in cash and jewelry. Lyle was also implicated in the burglaries, but Erik’s guilty plea as a juvenile shielded Lyle from legal action.

A $1.69 composition notebook signed by Menendez in pencil on the front cover contains his journal, which was started one day before the Menendez family moved to 722 Elm Drive in Beverly Hills, the house in which the murders of his parents took place. In it Menendez discusses losing his virginity, renewing his tanning salon membership, modeling, playing tennis, and the possibilities of having sex with the two girls he is dating. Notably missing, with some brief exceptions, are references to his brother Lyle (“An hour late because Lyle has changed my car clock to right time.”) and his parents (“Steve and Cig showed up at 1:00 AM and my dad told Cig that if Cig ever shows up at this house again he is going to beat the shit out of him.”). The last entry is on June 18, 1989, two months before the murders.

Five letters sent to Menendez in prison from schoolmates and friends from the tennis circuit express support for the jailed teenager:

Ed: “I hope you win your case. Soon. This 8 months w/o bail is a joke.”

Dave: “Never think that I’m not on your side. In fact sometimes I think that the power of my conviction alone is strong enough to pull you out of the arms of those who would hurt you… I believe with all my heart that you & Lyle will be absolved of this insane affair.”

Casey: “It’s so funny how so many reporters blow everything out of proportion, don’t sweat it.”

Andy: “I want you out of jail whether or not you did it. I don’t care if you did it and I don’t care if you were to do it again to me… Call me. My parents are on your side. They love you, always have.”

Also included are two sets of dental x-rays; one Polaroid photo; one booking sheet for modeling with a California talent agency; a program from a senior show at Beverly Hills High School in which Menendez appeared as a model; a letter, cards and a note from female school friends; the receipt stub for his senior yearbook photo; a fragment of a note written by Menendez to a friend about AIDS; a photocopy of a letter he sent to a former girlfriend explaining why he had to break up with her.

An unusual and unique collection.