@@okkelly6207 Lyle's first wife divorced him because she found out he was writing and communicating with other women. His second wife is one of the women that was writing him
It took me 30 YEARS to finally tell my parents or anyone that I was sexually molested when I was a child. Barbara asking, “Why you didn’t tell anyone…?” Is a stupid question. SMH 🤦♂️
It’s not really a stupid question bc ppl have their own reasons on WHY they didn’t tell anyone.when you grow into an ADULT that becomes a GREAT question 👏🏽👏🏽
Look how much she got out of them. She was asking them question that people wanted to know. She wasn't rude she was no nonsense and direct. She was a reporter. She wasn't a chat show host.
Yup it’s very sad and this is Hollywood. They want to make everyone that claims abuse a liar so they continue with their pedophilia and sex trafficking. Disgusting
@@quatiec9987Because that’s what the case was about. She didn’t invent the details. What on earth would you expect the focus to be on when she’s interviewing them in jail after they’ve been convicted and sentenced? She’s interviewing THEM. Of course they’re going to be focused on the abuse and trying to explain what happened and why. She asked them hard questions. She also cut them off mid sentence a couple of times and called bs on what they were saying. It seems to me (and I don’t mean this is a condescending way, it’s just an honest observation) that’s it’s actually your bias that’s accusing her of being biased. Being an unbiased reporter doesn’t mean you can’t show empathy to the person you’re speaking to. It means that you cover a story from both angles and she did that by challenging them throughout the interview and confronting them with the issues people have with believing their story.
The fact that they learned they were gonna be separated ( with the possibility to not see each other any more ) the moment they went in two different cars is worst ❤️🩹
@@DanG-w7y okay go find smth that supports jose the sexual and physical abuser who molested his children and kitty the abuser and not something that supports the victims who feared for their lives and did what they felt they had to do to in order to survive really put into perspective what kinda person you are
@@AbigailOwens5935 the victims are dead and not able to defend themselves from completely unfounded allegations you psycho. It takes some feeble mind to buy into a dramatisation and feel sorry them.
RIGHT? Like many people are terrified of leaving horrible situations, it's a very normal thing hence why many domestic abuse victims spend a good 7-10 years or more before they leave...and people still don't believe it
Barbara wouldn’t get away with this interview in 2024 ‼️ The way she talked to them with no empathy who gives her the right to talk to them like that .
Wanna know what intrigues me…… One juror, just one, hypothesised that the brothers were having a sexual relationship together as men, and that theory made its way into a whole true to life biopic of the boys life’s, it was presented AS FACT, this netfilx series released many many years later! But In the case of little jon benet Ramsey, an ENTIRE jury indicted both her rich parents, which means they were found guilty! Neither went to jail! The Hypocrisy of parents killing their kids is perfectly ok but the other way round … nope !
@@keystones88 Exactly! If she hadn't asked that, as that was (unbelievably) a factor in their trial...people would have said "Why didn't you ask that?". I don't think asking that meant that would have anything to do with them being molested...it was just an honest question that people were wondering about. Might as well ask and get it over with. Like you accurately said, Barbara's job included asking the uncomfortable questions also.
They’re not lying. That testimony was 100% truth about what his dad did. That’s 100% trauma body language while telling what he did. This case needs to be reevaluated. And the spending sprees- that’s a trauma response as well. Held responsible for their actions- yes. But the sentencing needs to be reevaluated.
the way Erik feels responsible for everything because he got the courage to open up and speak to his brother about what was happening is really so sad, this world has let them down so much
It’s also sad that he said he would completely forgive his parents after all he went through. All I could think is that they should be forgiving him for what was done to him.
I agree, I was abused and ra*** many times as a child and a young adult, but I will say... I would not kill them nor could I justify it. Killing my abusers won't make things better, but I did get therapy and I did move to a different town and away from them. Did they go unpunished...yes and I was angry for a long time...sometimes it still makes me angry, but I just wouldn't kill them. Even though I was also in immediate threat. And also, I was almost killed. I do feel bad for them if they were abused...but I don't think they should be released. There's something very eerie and unsettling about them. Then again this happened a long time ago. I hope they've made peace with themselves and God.
This has really upset me. What right did she have to talk to them like this? They're not sitting there saying they're proud of their actions. They're victims, and she's trying to hurt them and make them feel shame. I can't imagine being able to sit there in their place. It shows true strength, and thank God they have each other, even if they can't be together.
I honestly think that in the 90s, the psychological impact wasn't as valid. Now in 2024, we know more, we value traumas, we acknowledge how our childhood experiences and in general affect us so adversely sometimes. Barbara had one job and she delivered = both validating for some and frustrating viewers. It was a very ignorant approach but as a member of the public, she asked all the disgusting questions the public wanted to ask those abused men. 😢 I hope that these brothers get justice and spend the rest of their lives living together and enjoying the rest of their lives in FREEDOM! 🤍🙏🏽 #freeTHEbrothers
Lyle is so protective over Eric, especially at the end when she’s saying so it’s your fault etc. Lyle moves his body so he can see Eric, comfort him & make sure he don’t leave that table feeling it’s all his fault🙌this is a real brotherhood👏
the fact that erik blames himself for finding courage in telling lyle about what was happening to him is so incredibly heartbreaking. Not to mention that he wishes he could trade places with them.
This interview is so dehumanizing, and I realize not everyone will agree. But, I can say with certainty, I would not have been nearly as patient or understanding as either of them were with her.
I thought the same. It's obvious that Barbara was biased in the interview. And, the way they responded to some of her questions spoke volumes about them. I thought she was rather rude for someone getting an exclusive interview. Not many people would have stayed so calm during that questioning.
barbara walters have ALWAYS been problematic. but people back then looked the other way because she was heralded as this iconic female journalist who could do no wrong. she had so many missteps in her interview
It's sad that it's one of the questions that is constantly asked when a boy is abused. Even today it's still asked when they both have said they were not gay and both married to women
She became very close to these boys, I think about 15 years after the murder her network would not let her continue with them. She asked that because the media and the population at that time (I remember) didn't understand sexual abuse at all and really thought he must be gay. She asked the question to help his reputation and to help us understand that a boy can be molested for that length of time and up to age 17 without being gay. We really didn't understand then, it was a different world.
Eric shows the signs of an abused child. He blames himself not only for the murders but for his brother being involved and for being molested. It's not his fault his father was a monster. If they had told the authorities back then, no one would have believed them. They would have been returned to the same awful parents. They were trapped. They didn't deserve the sentence they got.
Exactly. No one would have believed them, and then when their parents found out that they tried telling authorities about the situation, they probably would have been even more punished.
It's crazy to me that he's able to forgive them for the abuse but not forgive himself for killing them. And that he loves them....that is both emotional maturity and pain all in one .
Is it just me or does it feel like the way the brothers speak was ahead of their times? This was the 90s and they were talking about gender bias and were aware of how trauma makes you act differently, they also didn't show any type of homophobia when answering about the gay allegations. It was weird bc Barbara Walters way of talking was very 90s but the brothers seemed really...well, ahead of their times. I feel so bad for them, especially the fact that they put them in seperate prisons was just so evil.
i was very impressed by this too, they use a lot of language that nowadays are used almost as buzzwords, just makes me feel extra terrible for them because they were so aware.
@@lovlttrs exactly, i was really surprised to hear them say "gender bias" because that almost seems like a "2020s word". I don't recall people using it even in the early 2000s. They must've learned quite a lot through their case and all the different experts that were part of the trial
@@florencepi yes, I saw in another video that Erik had a psychiatrist while he was in LA County Jail. Also the trauma and abuse experts from the trial. But yeah, they were very brave to talk about it all so openly with Walters, knowing how much prejudice people might have :(
Abuse excuse? How the hell this lady was even allowed to be a journalist. She has no empathy, no sympathy. I’m getting angry just watching this interview.
I saw loke 2 minutes and it passed me off how they were treated by her. Makes me sick. I literally can't watch it..I wanted to see of others felt the same and you do. I read they did the interview so they could stress how staying together was so important. So sad it didn't work. Alot of the reason is probably because of her. I never liked her..and this just made me remember how much dislike I had for her.
She's a journalist. Abuse excuse was a term that was used. I've never heard it before. But you learn so much from this interview. She's tough. Good on her.
43 years old and I’m still embarrassed to admit that I was s3xuly abused when I was a kid. Just watching how my dad would talk about other men who came forward, calling them “S!SS!ES”, “Future gays”, and I was terrified of being treated that way. I don’t blame them for what they did. I can’t say I wouldn’t have done that if my father had been the one doing that to me for years…
Barbra Walters is a completely disrespectful person. It angers me to hear her talk this way to them and yet, they treat her so patiently and respectfully. Regardless of her views on the brothers, they deserved to be treated with kindness, understanding and respect. I have no respect for her. This is unacceptable. She just victimised them again. It's so painful for them to recount their relationship with their parents and Barbra is so cruel in her attitude and language. Disgusting of her.
her job is to deliver "tough" questions from the public and giving them opportunity to defend themselves, they were aware of this and that's why they didn't take it personally, no matter how she feels about the boys her job is to represent the public, she did a great job
Just LISTEN to these brothers!!! They are well mannered! Well spoken!! Innocent boys that really felt they had no choice. Watching their interview made me cry ❤❤
@@bluejayricoit wasn’t wrongfully portrayed. They were sick and traumatized. Abused for years but still decided to do something horrible and it doesn’t justify their actions. They deserve life in prison.
I think she is perfectly in tune with these men and what they bring to the interview. She is calm, incisive and remains empathetic. A far more compelling interviewer than many others.
Erik: "Not a day goes by that I don't think about what I did, I wish I could change it." Q: "Are you remorseful?" He was literally just explaining how remorseful he was. Her bias is strong in this interview.
@@JordanO8 It wasn't obvious to me at all because the camera just shows Barbara's face and neither of the guys. I think she should've said Lyle, if the question was directed at him. I just think it's a weird question to ask regardless right after Erik was explaining he was remorseful. & Also, that's not the only thing that makes her biased in this interview. Lol. It's obvious what she believes and a good interviewer/journalist should always be unbiased.
All child abuse was disregarded. There was a big debate during the late 80s as to whether emotional abuse even existed at all or was just psychobabble. A reporter wrote openly about his shock that the Lisa Steinbeck case could capture the interest of the nation. Barbara Walters berated a teen girl who had repeated a cuss word that her mother had called her and then had the gall to run away after her mother had slapped her for it. The judge in the case (ordering the teen to return home) told the girl's father that he needed to step up and help keep the teen in her place.
I hate how the judges were talking to them, they were barely letting them get a word out or being patient at all. It’s disgusting they are still in jail for the crimes of his parents
💯 agree with you! Lyle and Erik are both victims and the way they were treated in court and by MSM was unconscionable. Had Lyle and Erik been young women I believe they would have been treated differently. Child killer Eric Smith was recently released from prison. Smith was 13 years old when he laid in wait for 3 year old Derrick Robie. Smith lured little Derrick into the woods before sodomizing the toddler and beating his head in with a rock. That wasn’t enough for Eric Smith. He tore Derrick’s lunchbox apart and poured Koolaid into the victims wounds. God forbid, it’s only a matter of time before child killer Eric Smith hurts another innocent child. I’m NOT being dramatic in saying this; If they were released I wouldn’t hesitate to befriend either Erik or Lyle if given the opportunity. I believe the Menéndez brothers are innocent. They aren’t a “danger” and their incarnation is a travesty of justice.
That lawyer that was questioning him about what happened was their lawyer, and she was fighting for them to get their story out to the jury. She did her job and she loved those boys
How did Barbara Walter’s have such a successful career? Between her speech impediment and her biased attack dog way of interviewing, I find her unbearable!
Someone who hasn't lived incest by their father DONT understand, I was raped by my father between the age of 5 and 7, it was the most scariest, disgusting, confusing, life changing thing that happened to me, now I am 58 years old and it has RUINED my life, I went to many many psychologist, incest survivors, medication, social workers, even electric shocks, I was suicidal, tried 3 times to unalive myself, went to psych ward, nothing WORKS. it will always be there and hurt as much as when i was little, my father committed suicide when I was 15 yrs old...my mother discovered the incest around age 7 and left him....and my mom always said if he was still alive what would you do.or say to him..... I said I would like him to suffer like I did(so just imagine what I was thinking....and at that time he molested my younger sister and used to beat my mom and 2 brothers almost daily and he would go and shoot his guns in the basement while we were upstairs, just think about it you are a CHILD living that hearing that , seeing that, so I kind of understand them if they are telling the truth......UNTIL it happens to YOU, YOU don't know how it FEELS!!!!!!! I AM still suffering everyday, its there everyday in my mind
What they say make complete sense. That when their mother told Erik that she knew all along, that Erik didnt even recognize her anymore and that she and their father became the same person, that makes complete sense. I wish they said this in trial.
The truth comes out easily. Lies are what cause people to struggle. The fact that after 30 something years they have the same story between the both of them just shows they didn’t make this up. Lyle was protecting his brother and like he said would they have looked at this case differently if Erik was a girl? Totally.
😂😂😂 you believe them 😂😂 these boys are sick and twisted!! They were never molested!! Did you watch the drama… the brother was on the phone to a random woman she recorded everything 😂 oh my Caucasians are scary
They are extremely articulate and detailed in their stories. It just flows and they don’t even really have to think before they speak. You can tell, even back then…That they were being honest. I feel so bad that ppl mocked them back then. It’s upsetting and triggering.
"Why didn't you run away." Good lord. I have no idea if they are being honest about what happened but that is some typical victim blaming crap we saw so long ago. I'd forgotten how gross the 90's could be.
They were scared for their lives. They were in fight or flight and the body decides in a moment. With them dead they would not be abused if they ran away they could be forced back home dad was rich.
@@kiradavis9156it hurt her ego that she was hearing the horrible experience... Come on walters have a heart.... Can you atleast get off that newscaster role.... Have a little heart.. Just a little heart.
I am 30years old and it took me so long to tell my mom that I was abused not once but for years and it was so hard for me to tell her. My dad didn’t care at all when I told him. I totally understand them!!!
The pain in Erik’s face and voice when he was talking about being separated from Lyle and possibly never seeing him again. And to think that they actually spent more than 20 years apart is heartbreaking. As if they hadn’t suffered enough 💔
I was a pre-teen when this happened. And I believed then as I believe now that if this was sisters, they would have never been jailed. Society has changed. I've lost both my parents in 3 years, did I shop to cope with the loss? Yes, I just did not have the means they did. I support them! I think it's time for justice! I respect the beliefs of others, but I wanted to voice mine.
That was a totally different time. No one wanted to even think sexual abuse could happen to boys. This abuse is so unbearable people have to look the other way. The lawyers during trial were so insensitive and did not approach it like they were vicitm 17:45 This is absolutely crazy the prosecutor said Eric must have enjoyed it?? 18:49 Barbara Walter's you are horrible. "ABUSE EXCUSE".
Many women were also not believed in history, each gender was disbelieved for different reasons. The reason for the disbelief is different. But yes the disbelief towards these boys is totally crazy
My little sister didn’t learn that I was m0lested & r@ped for years until we were in our 30’s because it was my way of protecting her. It’s soo hard to tell people, be taken seriously, and actually receive help. People knew but didn’t help me.
The brothers agreeing to this interview is a continuation of abuse. My opinion of Barbara Walters has changed. She is a judgemental, opinionated, biased, non reporter non interviewer. They deserve time served already.
Absolutely agree. Reminds me of how closed minded people were in the 90s like even if Erik was gay, did that mean the rape he endured was acceptable? Makes me sick. Barbara Walters is awful for the way she led this interview. These boys were abused from the time they were small children and it’s their fault because they didn’t run away? Like wow. They were abused from a very young age. Conditioned to believe their parents and submit to them. But yeah Barbara, they should have just ran away.
She’s the worst reporter, i don’t know why she gained fame…she’s there to judge them not to listen to their side of story, then why interviewed them, terrible journalism
the fact that 7 years after the crime was committed, the two of them already showed so many signs of growth and forgiveness and maturity, just shows how that what happened to them was true and that they were healing by leaps and bounds. yet, here they’ve sat in prison for the rest of their lives, wasting away. no one should get away with unaliving another person. but i do believe they were acting in self defense. that should be accounted to anyone who is living in their shoes, with familial sexual abuse.. it is a DEEPLY damaging and ugly way to grow up and then try to continue to live a normal existence with that sort of dark, dirty secret following you your whole life. especially with that violent side of it they experienced. their father was deeply disturbed. nobody should ever have to sit in prison for two life sentences for defending themselves against their own flesh and blood harming them in such a vile manner.
Self defense? Their parents were sitting down watching TV. 👀 They had keys to vehicles, why not drive to the nearest police station and turn them in for said abuse? They knew right from wrong that's why they lied about what happened to their parents.
@@weirdmatterAbused person's may not think straight. It happens. Erik claims to have had his life threatened by his father if he told. You can't know what that was like for him not being in his shoes, when he was, what, no less a child. It wasn't self defence in the immediate sense..but..wait..wasn't he still being abused as an adult? Is fighting back some kind of trauma response? There's third party evidence of how cruel the father was.
She sound stupid asking Erik why he didn’t run away. Let’s keep in mind that Erik was just turning 18. They don’t have the right capacity to make the right decisions that young. Not to excuse the murder but she acting like he would think to run away when he was being sexually abused at 18.
As if running away was so easy, parents wouldn't have come after him and then abuse would be worse. Where would he have gone and sustained himself. There is no run away hotel or park
There are grown ass adults in their 40’s who don’t leave relationships that are abusive, so I don’t get why they expect an 18 year old to figure that out. Probably because they’re men. My mom has said many a time “if it were Lyla and Erika Menendez the verdict would’ve been different.”
@@Kay-uj9lwFor a a reason tho? They were abusive and evil parents to those boys! And unfortunately turned into the path that ruined their lives forever.
How can you justify killing your own parents as victims of abuse? You don't go around killing people who abuse you. So should everyone just be a vigilante?
@@hanjoocho8641 But the abuse is okay??? You are not allowed to abuse anyone and yet they did it!! What is this double standard? Those who treat people like that deserve nothing else
@@hanjoocho8641 Ok so by your logic, would you also blame serial killer victims who kill their abuser after being raped and tortured and threatened with death, cause you can't be sure they were just about to be killed for real? Does abuse really never has anything to do with how wrong it is to kill someone? It is best to have police deal with it, but the truth is police is very powerless in families where incest and death threats happen,.
@@juliakleinert9685 who ever said the abuse was ok? The abusers were found with many bullet wounds, dead. Remember? If you wanted your parents to be known as the horrible abusers they are, you don't fucking PREMEDITATEDLY MURDER THEM. There is no double standard here, you're comparing abuse to murder. The Menendez brothers committed 2 murders, and were sentenced accordingly. This is exactly how the justice system is supposed to handle murder.
@@laza8675 no, abuse doesn't have anything to do with killing somebody, unless it's self defense WHILE you're ACTIVELY being abused. If you think someone abusing you means you should be able to plan out their murder and then commit it, you have a lot to learn about the justice system
Forgiving their malignant abusers for everything they did to them; the on going trauma they subject them to. They're far better human beings than what I'll ever be.
Me and my 4 children still talk about how 20 years ago we believed my husband would kill all of us . He told my 2 sons 3 years later he thought of killing the entire family . Until you have known a psychopath murderer you can not understand the torture these boys endured .
Honestly, me and my family went through less, and I remember always thinking my dad was going to kill my mom and me, and my siblings would talk about what we should do about him and how we would protect eachother. If anyone has ever been through real family trauma, then they'd know it's not abnormal the Menendez brothers thought their father would kill them.
@@wb6266 I say now … if you have a feeling your dad is going to kill you… it’s because he is thinking of killing you . ….. I thought my husband was but he didn’t say it …. I was shocked 7 years ago my son told me their dad confessed he thought of killing us . My son said to me “” dads don’t say that “.
Being a teen or young adult in the 80s, we didn't have much of a voice. I really get how they were forced into taking the action they did. I do not condone it just totally get how they got to that point They had no other choices like people do today
I cannot even begin to comprehend how an adult can molest a child. I can’t even begin to imagine the immense pain and emotional trauma that they had gone through by their father or any child for that matter.
@@shirleysullivan586 How do I know that they are telling the truth? Because I believe that they are. I am also 💯 certain that they have remorse for what they did. They are paying the price for it. I have done some research about this case as well. I also have compassion. That’s why.
@@shirleysullivan586 There's a Menudo documentary that recently came out and their father was investigated for molesting a boy from the boy band, Menudo.
@@shirleysullivan586there is a lot of evidence about it. Even a medical file where it shows that Erik had a wound throat which is provoked by oral abuse. And there was a letter found by Erik’s aunt after her son died where Erik was telling him all of the abuse even before the murders. So yes, they are telling the truth
Yeah I'm shocked that it's not being brought up more... Lyle seems way more in touch with his emotions and authentic than they portrayed.. they made him seem like a narcissistic sociopath.
And you say it based on half an hour of interview with him? You should have seen an interview with Ted Bundy, I suspect you would like him, too. Really chill dude and just a decent guy.
Tama ang sinabi ni eric kung bakit kailangan nilang pgtakpan ang kademonyohan ng kanilang ama as to why they killed them... Becoz it will only exposed to the world how evil their parents are.. But they needed to defend themselves.
I think she talks to them so harshly and so impatiently, it really makes me sad. They seem like such kind souls who really just didn't know what to do anymore and felt that they had no choice/that it was their only way out. the fact that they are painted out to be monsters breaks my heart.
@@elinicole14Fuck up. They did it out of fear. They parents were definitely capable of killing them. The mom had literally threatened to poison them all because the dad poisoned them. The dad literally said he WOULD kill them. The dad literally cut their dog head off and put it in a freezer. Who wouldn’t be terrified? They thought that was their only escape
I REALLY do not like her style of interviewing people, she makes them look and feel so incompetent and uncomfortable. She has always came off ignorant about cases and the person alone. TBH, glad she's gone but also at the same time I appreciate that people like the Menendez brother were given the chance to be interviewed.
They killed. They must have been punished. But… The time has been too long now. They already paid what they did to their terrible parents. They should be free.
Exactly, they were on the stand for 10 days straight I believe,. And I don’t know a single actor who has ever lived that would be able to get through the morning without forgetting a line or 2: let alone that many days! They were telling the truth 100% about all of it..
Yeah I tend to spend when I’m upset too. You’re trying to fill a pain/void and it never really works so you keep going. With these guys, I feel like the murder really happened from Erik and Lyle just protected his brother and went in on it after the fact. I wish they could openly talk about what really happened and what they were feeling as I think they are holding some stuff back due it possibly being portrayed negatively. I don’t think Lyle was hurting as much as Erik because he was already out of the home and had little regard for his parents. You can see it in his rebellious nature in many things he did growing up. But the sexual abuse that Erik was continuing to deal with is what set everything off. Lyle had enough of it and Erik really needed to get out of the house and get therapy. Buying those guns was only going to lead to death as he wasn’t going to be able to control his emotions.
I remember when this happened and my first thought was “what did their parents do to them” I innately knew they were abused. Travesty of justice this case
One child killing their parents is a bad child. Two children killing their parents…. Is a bad family. The parents obviously did something to make their children so miserable and angry, they felt the need to do this. I believe they were abused badly.
@@pommiebears this statement can't be any more false. Two bad children can exist, there's literally 0 evidence to show that 1 kid doing something vs 2 means anything. Interesting speculation though, unfortunately courts operate off evidence and not guesses though.
Barbara, if you got raped all your life as a child would you buy a gun early or later in that scenario? Serious question this case was more about her getting her spotlight rather than understanding molested children are going to have trauma and rage from the pain of not having a loving home which I feel alot of people are forgetting. Now they spend the rest of their lives further traumatised. Those poor boys. Lawyers and jury did not listen to them. Only 18 years old yet their fragile personality’s ripped apart.
Except that they lied about everything. I don't believe that they were sexually abused; I believe that they lied to try to get off and avoid the death penalty.
Empty souls are judging these boys who were abused from the time they were children. They never had a chance to be normal. They were psychologically destroyed by their abusive father, and not protected by their mother. Their life was ruined.
I was abused until I was 15, and i told several people, and they always sent me back to my mom, and who would get mad at me when I would say something. My mother. She had four kids, it's funny how two kids think their mother is a saint but the other two think she is a monster. Because she was 💯. They should be released.
Sorry this happened to you. Hopefully you are doing well now. This doesn't justify though they should be released. Abuse doesn't equate to killing someone.
It is so infuriating that they keep talking about what they did but not WHY they did it. What was the cause. What made them do it. Years of extreme abuse and S/A
Fire this lady? 😅 Barbara Walters was on 20/20 for 25 years, no one was ever going to fire her. She's one of the most prolific interviewers. That doesn't make her good, but it was what it was (I never liked her...grew up with my parents watching her)
wtf is wrong with that lady? Lyle and Erik deserve to be freed. they have served enough time. barbara walters is the worst, she didn't have to be rude to them tf.
@@ishp2 a lot of people were asking that question, her job is to deliver those tough questions to them, so they have a chance to defend themselves, it's not her personal questions, it's the public opinions, she did a great job in representing them
You can see the conflict with Erik bc he feels guilty for all of this, he knows why he did it. But he’s forced to feel for his abusers and no one even cares to empathize with the kid that he can’t get away from due to trauma. This sucks so bad. Lyle too. I mentioned Erik bc he had more SA w/ his dad and he admits to feeling guilty for everything. Praying for them both
I was SA from age 4 to 15, and I can attest that even a prison cell would have felt like a haven and a first taste of true freedom. When you're subjected to SA during childhood and adolescence, it's a whirlwind of confusion and anger, making it hard to process emotions normally because you're conditioned to suppress them. I once told a teacher at school what was happening at home and she went straight to my parents and I was severely beaten. For Lyle and Erik, what they did was a means to survive and possibly the first instance of experiencing control or ownership in their lives. I'm not justifying their actions, as they were undoubtedly wrong, but for those abused children, it was their escape route to safety. Unless you've endured similar circumstances, it's impossible to fully grasp their decisions and motivations. Therefore, I urge you to approach this topic with sensitivity, recognizing that the essence of that abused child remains and cannot be liberated. Let me tell you that Jose and Kitty killed these two boys before they were and that is a fact.
I'm sorry that happened to you. I wish you healing and happiness. Your input is very important, as it takes into account the actual mental mechanisms of an abused person is. I will never fully grasp the pain but reading this made me somehow see how valid it is.
![PASULOL รามเกียรติ์ ตอนที่ 4 นนทกพบรัก [Ramakien Ep.4: Nonthok in love]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tMUQgmZzf_A/mqdefault.jpg)
I think the only thing why Lyle and Erik agreed to this interview was because this was their only chance to see one another.
One of the brothers was married in Prison, but she divorced him she said "He never took her anywhere"....
@@user-sp8eb6iz7f love 💗 it’s all in the mind & something in the mid-section!
@user-sp8eb6iz7
did they really get divorced? how do u know?
@@okkelly6207 Lyle has been married twice in prison- so yes, he did get a divorce
@@okkelly6207 Lyle's first wife divorced him because she found out he was writing and communicating with other women. His second wife is one of the women that was writing him
It took me 30 YEARS to finally tell my parents or anyone that I was sexually molested when I was a child. Barbara asking, “Why you didn’t tell anyone…?” Is a stupid question. SMH 🤦♂️
i’m very sorry that happened to you
As kids we feel shameful and embarrassed and we want to hide it because it feels strange and wrong
She has to be really stupid or evil to ask that question. She clearly wanted the juiciest interview possible
It’s not really a stupid question bc ppl have their own reasons on WHY they didn’t tell anyone.when you grow into an ADULT that becomes a GREAT question 👏🏽👏🏽
Exactly 😢in my case 35 years 😢
they’re so polite even though she’s being rude
yeah. so insensitive
She’s an old witch
That was her style it wasn't considered rude. Journalist held nothing back in those days.
Barbara's a Freak
Do you know why Walter’s lack empathy? Because she is a Kazarian. Kazarians are satanic and enjoy this sort of thing to children.
She was extremely rude to them. No wonder people who have been abused don’t come forward. We need to free these guys.
Look how much she got out of them. She was asking them question that people wanted to know. She wasn't rude she was no nonsense and direct. She was a reporter. She wasn't a chat show host.
@anna-mariageorgiades3628 ?
@@anna-mariageorgiades3628she still a B
This is why people don’t come forward about abuse and trauma
Nooo they just kill their abuser and come out later and expect to go free. 🤡
Yup it’s very sad and this is Hollywood. They want to make everyone that claims abuse a liar so they continue with their pedophilia and sex trafficking. Disgusting
BS. I believe many abuse stories. These 2 are demons.
Exactly!! Especially MEN b/c they get made a mockery effing HORRIBLE 😤 and
@@jazzyrosita 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I don't think I've ever disliked Barbara Walter's so much.
You should see the Dolly Parton interview, where Barbara keeps trying to humiliate her! But Dolly takes it in stride, with classy wit.
She is the worst horrific reporter, disrespectful, judgmental
@@LuxStrangeloveALL of her interviews are horrible. She was the worse interviewer.
@LuxStrangelove yes. And Ricky Martin interview too.
She sucks
Is it just me or are reporters like Barbara supposed to be unbiased? You can clearly see how she feels about the case
she was a witch.
and doesn’t that show her unbias? tue boys loved her and she felt sympathy for their situation
@@danabundy9541 she loved em but was sure focused on the abuse excuse
She’s just the worst “journalist” of all time. What a witch from hell.
@@quatiec9987Because that’s what the case was about. She didn’t invent the details. What on earth would you expect the focus to be on when she’s interviewing them in jail after they’ve been convicted and sentenced? She’s interviewing THEM. Of course they’re going to be focused on the abuse and trying to explain what happened and why. She asked them hard questions. She also cut them off mid sentence a couple of times and called bs on what they were saying. It seems to me (and I don’t mean this is a condescending way, it’s just an honest observation) that’s it’s actually your bias that’s accusing her of being biased. Being an unbiased reporter doesn’t mean you can’t show empathy to the person you’re speaking to. It means that you cover a story from both angles and she did that by challenging them throughout the interview and confronting them with the issues people have with believing their story.
The way Lyle looks at Eric 😢 they really only had each other 💔
He’s worried about Eric
@@AlexB-n7l I know, as I said all they had was one another.
A heartbreaking case. I pray the brothers get out.
And the reason they only had each other is because......???
@@jrolle2011even when their parents were alive, they only had eachother
Omg she’s so irritating, they were way too patient with her
Nah they did the right thing. Just made her look more like a dumbass in this interview.
This is true journalism
@blejean5571 this isn't true journalism, it's a rude vulgar woman unable to understand what journalism is.
@@Xiroi87 Yes, she was horrible. You should find her interview with Dolly Parton here on TH-cam. Talk about rude.
They were the ones who keep writing her letters non-stop
The fact that they did indeed get separated for 22 years before seeing each other again really breaks my heart
The fact that they learned they were gonna be separated ( with the possibility to not see each other any more ) the moment they went in two different cars is worst ❤️🩹
The fact they killed two people breaks my heart a bit more if I'm being honest. Stop turning them into victims, they aren't
@@atiblinkoh my god.... are you being serious?! 😂
@@DanG-w7y okay go find smth that supports jose the sexual and physical abuser who molested his children and kitty the abuser and not something that supports the victims who feared for their lives and did what they felt they had to do to in order to survive really put into perspective what kinda person you are
@@AbigailOwens5935 the victims are dead and not able to defend themselves from completely unfounded allegations you psycho. It takes some feeble mind to buy into a dramatisation and feel sorry them.
The "why didnt you run away?" question is giving "why dont you leave him?" energy.
Barbara Walters was actually the worst
RIGHT? Like many people are terrified of leaving horrible situations, it's a very normal thing hence why many domestic abuse victims spend a good 7-10 years or more before they leave...and people still don't believe it
@@lilyn9646If you think that women stay with their abusers Just because of money issues you don't know anything about violence against women
Why don’t you leave?
@@startariot5648 not leaving an abusive situation is ultimately the victim fault
Barbara wouldn’t get away with this interview in 2024 ‼️ The way she talked to them with no empathy who gives her the right to talk to them like that .
couldn't agree more
They shot their parents in the face. How should she talk to them
I couldn't agree more!!
@@helensteen3664yes!!! I replied the same way before seeing your comment!
Exactly @@andreamckinney7500
Like if you knew about the brothers before the Netflix show
Not enough likes xxx
Wanna know what intrigues me……
One juror, just one, hypothesised that the brothers were having a sexual relationship together as men, and that theory made its way into a whole true to life biopic of the boys life’s, it was presented AS FACT, this netfilx series released many many years later!
But In the case of little jon benet Ramsey, an ENTIRE jury indicted both her rich parents, which means they were found guilty!
Neither went to jail!
The Hypocrisy of parents killing their kids is perfectly ok but the other way round … nope !
The majority of people know of them before the netflix show, It’s a massivly famous case
You Want a cookie
@@cuntking2965I agree. Saying they killed their parents for money is so weak and ignorant..
I can’t believe she actually asked him if he is gay. This is the saddest thing I have seen for a while
She has to ask the uncomfortable questions also they get the questions ahead of time to prep answers.
That was interesting. It was asked like it was an accusation or a bad thing. Shows how far we've come
@@keystones88 Exactly! If she hadn't asked that, as that was (unbelievably) a factor in their trial...people would have said "Why didn't you ask that?". I don't think asking that meant that would have anything to do with them being molested...it was just an honest question that people were wondering about. Might as well ask and get it over with. Like you accurately said, Barbara's job included asking the uncomfortable questions also.
Which minute did she ask that?
Why? Its a simple a question
Whos here bc of netflix?
Me 😅
👋
The MONSTERS were the parents!!
Me lol
Me as well!
They’re not lying. That testimony was 100% truth about what his dad did. That’s 100% trauma body language while telling what he did. This case needs to be reevaluated. And the spending sprees- that’s a trauma response as well. Held responsible for their actions- yes. But the sentencing needs to be reevaluated.
100% FACTS!!!
Even smiling at so called inappropriate times is a trauma response, your emotions go bananas.
OH !! GOD 😢😢😢
Better to say YOU BELIEVE it is a 100 percent true.
❤❤
"Unless you've been m*lested, you can't realize how hard it is to tell." This exactly.
the way Erik feels responsible for everything because he got the courage to open up and speak to his brother about what was happening is really so sad, this world has let them down so much
They are cold blooded killers.
100 percent. It's heartbreaking!
It’s also sad that he said he would completely forgive his parents after all he went through. All I could think is that they should be forgiving him for what was done to him.
I agree, I was abused and ra*** many times as a child and a young adult, but I will say... I would not kill them nor could I justify it. Killing my abusers won't make things better, but I did get therapy and I did move to a different town and away from them. Did they go unpunished...yes and I was angry for a long time...sometimes it still makes me angry, but I just wouldn't kill them. Even though I was also in immediate threat. And also, I was almost killed. I do feel bad for them if they were abused...but I don't think they should be released. There's something very eerie and unsettling about them. Then again this happened a long time ago. I hope they've made peace with themselves and God.
Oh my god. They’re a couple of spoilt rich kids who became cold-blooded killers ffs. The world owes them nothing.
This has really upset me. What right did she have to talk to them like this? They're not sitting there saying they're proud of their actions. They're victims, and she's trying to hurt them and make them feel shame. I can't imagine being able to sit there in their place. It shows true strength, and thank God they have each other, even if they can't be together.
@claudiaboleyn I agree with you! She was awful.
I honestly think that in the 90s, the psychological impact wasn't as valid. Now in 2024, we know more, we value traumas, we acknowledge how our childhood experiences and in general affect us so adversely sometimes. Barbara had one job and she delivered = both validating for some and frustrating viewers. It was a very ignorant approach but as a member of the public, she asked all the disgusting questions the public wanted to ask those abused men. 😢 I hope that these brothers get justice and spend the rest of their lives living together and enjoying the rest of their lives in FREEDOM! 🤍🙏🏽 #freeTHEbrothers
She is talking down to them and just completely dismissing what they are saying . She’s so horrible
Lyle is so protective over Eric, especially at the end when she’s saying so it’s your fault etc. Lyle moves his body so he can see Eric, comfort him & make sure he don’t leave that table feeling it’s all his fault🙌this is a real brotherhood👏
Yeah
the fact that erik blames himself for finding courage in telling lyle about what was happening to him is so incredibly heartbreaking. Not to mention that he wishes he could trade places with them.
"
This interview is so dehumanizing, and I realize not everyone will agree. But, I can say with certainty, I would not have been nearly as patient or understanding as either of them were with her.
❤❤
I thought the same. It's obvious that Barbara was biased in the interview. And, the way they responded to some of her questions spoke volumes about them. I thought she was rather rude for someone getting an exclusive interview. Not many people would have stayed so calm during that questioning.
@@SherryGoodwin-zj4oe AMEN❤️❤️🎉
@@SherryGoodwin-zj4oe exactly!! they’re truly kind people… I wish people understand that :(
10:10 you can tell Erik was getting irritated at her here.
The audacity of her asking if he’s gay to downplay what happened to him
barbara walters have ALWAYS been problematic. but people back then looked the other way because she was heralded as this iconic female journalist who could do no wrong. she had so many missteps in her interview
It's sad that it's one of the questions that is constantly asked when a boy is abused. Even today it's still asked when they both have said they were not gay and both married to women
She became very close to these boys, I think about 15 years after the murder her network would not let her continue with them. She asked that because the media and the population at that time (I remember) didn't understand sexual abuse at all and really thought he must be gay. She asked the question to help his reputation and to help us understand that a boy can be molested for that length of time and up to age 17 without being gay. We really didn't understand then, it was a different world.
She’s asking things the audience wanted to know 30 years ago. I remember that. The media was terrible to them.
@@endor8witch. In dealing with men in the industry, I think she lost her morals and just went in to compete. She was a very mean reporter.
they are so polite and kind even after everything they went thru...
Yeah a handsome and polite men
@@HxH_h34szI bet they looked so polite blasting their parents 🧠 out
Eric shows the signs of an abused child. He blames himself not only for the murders but for his brother being involved and for being molested. It's not his fault his father was a monster. If they had told the authorities back then, no one would have believed them. They would have been returned to the same awful parents. They were trapped. They didn't deserve the sentence they got.
Yea I got that to. The whole story is sad
😢😢😢😢
Yes.
Exactly. No one would have believed them, and then when their parents found out that they tried telling authorities about the situation, they probably would have been even more punished.
It's crazy to me that he's able to forgive them for the abuse but not forgive himself for killing them. And that he loves them....that is both emotional maturity and pain all in one .
Barbara Walters ...how Americans thinks she was a great interviewer? How?
Not all Americans alot of us think she is a joke
old school ellen
Because she was politically incorrect which is a real journalist
Its nice to be able to be confrontational, but unfair with these people. But back then sexual abuse was zero understood
I've always hated her!
Is it just me or does it feel like the way the brothers speak was ahead of their times? This was the 90s and they were talking about gender bias and were aware of how trauma makes you act differently, they also didn't show any type of homophobia when answering about the gay allegations. It was weird bc Barbara Walters way of talking was very 90s but the brothers seemed really...well, ahead of their times. I feel so bad for them, especially the fact that they put them in seperate prisons was just so evil.
i noticed that too. they're very aware and socially cautious
Maybe thanks to therapy and being more empathetic due to their trauma.
i was very impressed by this too, they use a lot of language that nowadays are used almost as buzzwords, just makes me feel extra terrible for them because they were so aware.
@@lovlttrs exactly, i was really surprised to hear them say "gender bias" because that almost seems like a "2020s word". I don't recall people using it even in the early 2000s. They must've learned quite a lot through their case and all the different experts that were part of the trial
@@florencepi yes, I saw in another video that Erik had a psychiatrist while he was in LA County Jail. Also the trauma and abuse experts from the trial. But yeah, they were very brave to talk about it all so openly with Walters, knowing how much prejudice people might have :(
Erik is so well educated and so deep, the way he talks and his thoughts
Abuse excuse? How the hell this lady was even allowed to be a journalist. She has no empathy, no sympathy. I’m getting angry just watching this interview.
I saw loke 2 minutes and it passed me off how they were treated by her. Makes me sick. I literally can't watch it..I wanted to see of others felt the same and you do. I read they did the interview so they could stress how staying together was so important. So sad it didn't work. Alot of the reason is probably because of her. I never liked her..and this just made me remember how much dislike I had for her.
It was an excuse that doesn't justify murdering your parents foh weirdo.
She's a journalist. Abuse excuse was a term that was used. I've never heard it before. But you learn so much from this interview. She's tough. Good on her.
43 years old and I’m still embarrassed to admit that I was s3xuly abused when I was a kid. Just watching how my dad would talk about other men who came forward, calling them
“S!SS!ES”, “Future gays”, and I was terrified of being treated that way. I don’t blame them for what they did. I can’t say I wouldn’t have done that if my father had been the one doing that to me for years…
I'm very sorry that happened to you, don't feel ashamed or embarrassed about it it's not your fault
And I hope you're doing better rn❤️
God bless you man. That does not make you any less of a man. I hope you are healing 🙏🏻
Just because it happened to you for real doesn't mean it happened to these 2 demons.
@@Ran-33 Yes, blame the victims instead of the parents who abuses them. Yes, thats quite normal in the south, isn't it?
@@ph4kiew no i dont believe the sexual abuse happened. Big difference. Btw any physical proof it happened? The 2 demons probably abused their parents.
Barbra Walters is a completely disrespectful person. It angers me to hear her talk this way to them and yet, they treat her so patiently and respectfully. Regardless of her views on the brothers, they deserved to be treated with kindness, understanding and respect. I have no respect for her. This is unacceptable. She just victimised them again. It's so painful for them to recount their relationship with their parents and Barbra is so cruel in her attitude and language. Disgusting of her.
her job is to deliver "tough" questions from the public and giving them opportunity to defend themselves, they were aware of this and that's why they didn't take it personally, no matter how she feels about the boys her job is to represent the public, she did a great job
she was like that with everybody. Just snarky and nasty.
Agree she was a real piece of crap
Illuminati
they are respectfully to her cuz that was what they were to their abusive parents.
Just LISTEN to these brothers!!! They are well mannered! Well spoken!! Innocent boys that really felt they had no choice. Watching their interview made me cry ❤❤
It made cry too 😢😢 why can they just let go
I mean let them go
The actors in the Netflix series did AMAZING. Holy crap.
@@bluejayricoit wasn’t wrongfully portrayed. They were sick and traumatized. Abused for years but still decided to do something horrible and it doesn’t justify their actions. They deserve life in prison.
Ryan Murphy should be jailed for turning their tragic story into one of his sick gay fantasies
@@klobeauty3195
well so does That Gypsy girl
but she's free
Agreed 💯
@@klobeauty3195agree 100%
Barbara Walter’s Is the most horrific interviewer ever. Perpetually out of tune
Barbra & Oprah both lack basic empathy & come across emotionally Inept-almost narcissistic. Watching their interviews is draining.
Don't be silly.. it's a good interview... She's playing the part of strict aunty but it leads to interesting answers
Her voice is horrible and grating. She seems to have an impediment.
I think she is perfectly in tune with these men and what they bring to the interview. She is calm, incisive and remains empathetic. A far more compelling interviewer than many others.
@@Ben-jq5ooNope.
Erik: "Not a day goes by that I don't think about what I did, I wish I could change it."
Q: "Are you remorseful?"
He was literally just explaining how remorseful he was. Her bias is strong in this interview.
Yes and she turned to Lyle for a response. Did you really not notice that?
@@JordanO8 It wasn't obvious to me at all because the camera just shows Barbara's face and neither of the guys. I think she should've said Lyle, if the question was directed at him. I just think it's a weird question to ask regardless right after Erik was explaining he was remorseful. & Also, that's not the only thing that makes her biased in this interview. Lol. It's obvious what she believes and a good interviewer/journalist should always be unbiased.
How is that being bias?
Perhaps if you, yourself went in unbiased, you'd pick up on that
@@freebee8221 Did you hear the interview? It's obvious she thinks they're psychos. Lol.
This is honestly scary how much Sexual abuse of Men was disregarded a few decades ago And this interview shows it
It’s really sad
Hasn't really changed much
All child abuse was disregarded. There was a big debate during the late 80s as to whether emotional abuse even existed at all or was just psychobabble. A reporter wrote openly about his shock that the Lisa Steinbeck case could capture the interest of the nation. Barbara Walters berated a teen girl who had repeated a cuss word that her mother had called her and then had the gall to run away after her mother had slapped her for it. The judge in the case (ordering the teen to return home) told the girl's father that he needed to step up and help keep the teen in her place.
I hate how the judges were talking to them, they were barely letting them get a word out or being patient at all. It’s disgusting they are still in jail for the crimes of his parents
💯 agree with you!
Lyle and Erik are both victims and the way they were treated in court and by MSM was unconscionable.
Had Lyle and Erik been young women I believe they would have been treated differently.
Child killer Eric Smith was recently released from prison.
Smith was 13 years old when he laid in wait for 3 year old Derrick Robie.
Smith lured little Derrick into the woods before sodomizing the toddler and beating his head in with a rock.
That wasn’t enough for Eric Smith.
He tore Derrick’s lunchbox apart and poured Koolaid into the victims wounds.
God forbid, it’s only a matter of time before child killer Eric Smith hurts another innocent child.
I’m NOT being dramatic in saying this;
If they were released I wouldn’t hesitate to befriend either Erik or Lyle if given the opportunity.
I believe the Menéndez brothers are innocent.
They aren’t a “danger” and their incarnation is a travesty of justice.
That lawyer that was questioning him about what happened was their lawyer, and she was fighting for them to get their story out to the jury. She did her job and she loved those boys
Oh and did you see the part where the lawyer stated it wasn’t possible for a man to rape another man?!!
My god, I hope none of you end up on a jury.
You're an idiot
How did Barbara Walter’s have such a successful career? Between her speech impediment and her biased attack dog way of interviewing, I find her unbearable!
Let me guess you're not a fan of Judge Judy huh
@@carwalk1280A judge is called judge for a reason.. this excuse of an interviewer is no judge tho yet she's judging ;)
You're right and she'd never make it today. So harsh and judgmental
The way she says “mooder” 😂
She is horrible
Barbara Walter’s was a heartless witch in this interview.
They are so sweet right? Killed the parents, no sign of abuse a book that shows their lies. But Barbara is the evil… amazing line of thought
@@martamegreno sign of abuse? Who do you think you are? An omnipresent entity? Sit DOWN 🪑!!! You're just as bad as her.
She is a witch period.
they literally have photo evidence @@martamegre
@@martamegregirl you're blind
Someone who hasn't lived incest by their father DONT understand, I was raped by my father between the age of 5 and 7, it was the most scariest, disgusting, confusing, life changing thing that happened to me, now I am 58 years old and it has RUINED my life, I went to many many psychologist, incest survivors, medication, social workers, even electric shocks, I was suicidal, tried 3 times to unalive myself, went to psych ward, nothing WORKS. it will always be there and hurt as much as when i was little, my father committed suicide when I was 15 yrs old...my mother discovered the incest around age 7 and left him....and my mom always said if he was still alive what would you do.or say to him..... I said I would like him to suffer like I did(so just imagine what I was thinking....and at that time he molested my younger sister and used to beat my mom and 2 brothers almost daily and he would go and shoot his guns in the basement while we were upstairs, just think about it you are a CHILD living that hearing that , seeing that, so I kind of understand them if they are telling the truth......UNTIL it happens to YOU, YOU don't know how it FEELS!!!!!!! I AM still suffering everyday, its there everyday in my mind
Thank you for sharing your story. I wish you healing.
I do believe the brothers are genuine.sending my love to them. Hope they find peace.
What they say make complete sense. That when their mother told Erik that she knew all along, that Erik didnt even recognize her anymore and that she and their father became the same person, that makes complete sense. I wish they said this in trial.
I love how well spoken they are. What happened to them was so sad😢.
The truth comes out easily. Lies are what cause people to struggle. The fact that after 30 something years they have the same story between the both of them just shows they didn’t make this up. Lyle was protecting his brother and like he said would they have looked at this case differently if Erik was a girl? Totally.
😂😂😂 you believe them 😂😂 these boys are sick and twisted!! They were never molested!! Did you watch the drama… the brother was on the phone to a random woman she recorded everything 😂 oh my Caucasians are scary
are you fukn kidding??...It's all bs honey.....it's theater....for their own lives!! don't be fooled!
@@SeanF-m4byou are ignorant
@@davidwright873you're the one that has been fooled. Need to watch the evidence about the child SA
They are extremely articulate and detailed in their stories. It just flows and they don’t even really have to think before they speak. You can tell, even back then…That they were being honest. I feel so bad that ppl mocked them back then. It’s upsetting and triggering.
Even until today some people just can't believe them. It's like, they don't have the mental capacity to do so. Very upsetting.
"Why didn't you run away." Good lord. I have no idea if they are being honest about what happened but that is some typical victim blaming crap we saw so long ago. I'd forgotten how gross the 90's could be.
the 90s? just yesterday some dude posted a quote about pain being cooperation.
They were scared for their lives. They were in fight or flight and the body decides in a moment. With them dead they would not be abused if they ran away they could be forced back home dad was rich.
Have faith in Jesus alone to be saved @@LovedLamb
@TerryCloth www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/18/kelly-wilkinson-murder-husband-guilty-plea-police-visits-fear-inquest-brian-earl-johnston
@@IloveJesus777j77keep your delusions to yourself.
20:48 Erik’s response to this question is the reason why you never question what someone has been through. There are very strong people in this world
I feel more sympathy for what the parents went through as their kids were killing them
@@jenniferchavez242that says a lot about you….
@@jenniferchavez242u a sicko
@@jenniferchavez242ur weird
let's ALLL hope Jennifer doesn't have kids
Sign the petition to set them free! Justice for Eric and Lyle ❤️🙏😭❤️
I will sign the petition 🙌
Barbara cut him off when he said "I don't know if anyone can be portrayed fairly in the media". He hurt her little feelings lol.
You mean her wittle feelings
@@kiradavis9156it hurt her ego that she was hearing the horrible experience... Come on walters have a heart.... Can you atleast get off that newscaster role.... Have a little heart.. Just a little heart.
@@annalise192she’s dead. She died in ‘22
Their father, and mother completely destroyed their lives. Our system sucks! Set the brothers free!
And they, in turn, destroyed their parents’ lives.
Thankfully you weren't on the jury
@@johnmcclean343 the jury convicted them . I’m with them, the jury.
We need a new interview with them to see their evolution.
they have their own documentary coming out on netflix!!
Oct 7 on Netflix!! Their own Documentary!! Trailer is on TH-cam
I am 30years old and it took me so long to tell my mom that I was abused not once but for years and it was so hard for me to tell her. My dad didn’t care at all when I told him. I totally understand them!!!
The only narcissist sitting in that room is Barbara Walters
😂👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Jaw dropping arrogance!!!
The pain in Erik’s face and voice when he was talking about being separated from Lyle and possibly never seeing him again. And to think that they actually spent more than 20 years apart is heartbreaking. As if they hadn’t suffered enough 💔
I was a pre-teen when this happened. And I believed then as I believe now that if this was sisters, they would have never been jailed. Society has changed. I've lost both my parents in 3 years, did I shop to cope with the loss? Yes, I just did not have the means they did. I support them! I think it's time for justice! I respect the beliefs of others, but I wanted to voice mine.
Well said. I am sorry for your loss. 🙏
That was a totally different time. No one wanted to even think sexual abuse could happen to boys. This abuse is so unbearable people have to look the other way. The lawyers during trial were so insensitive and did not approach it like they were vicitm 17:45 This is absolutely crazy the prosecutor said Eric must have enjoyed it?? 18:49 Barbara Walter's you are horrible. "ABUSE EXCUSE".
This is insane! Why r people acting like they didn't murder their parents! There is NO EXCUSE FOR THAT! they were also Adults
Many women were also not believed in history, each gender was disbelieved for different reasons. The reason for the disbelief is different. But yes the disbelief towards these boys is totally crazy
Women are jailed all the time for murdering abusive partners.
My little sister didn’t learn that I was m0lested & r@ped for years until we were in our 30’s because it was my way of protecting her. It’s soo hard to tell people, be taken seriously, and actually receive help. People knew but didn’t help me.
29:24 the way Lyle looks at Eric, he loves him so much, it breaks my heart…
Lyle is the protective father and friend that Erik needed.
?????@@PolaBeaver
@@blessall8856Yes!! That's right!!
Yes I noticed that
WHAT WOULD IT EVEN MATTER IF HE WAS GAY????!!!! That was a sickening question for her to even ask him!
He wasnt. It was disrespectful of her to assume
snowflake
That's what it was like in those days it's completely different today
@@vikcatlover2 I was going to say this. I was a teen in the 90's and it was a whole different world than today.
@@vikcatlover2 true
The brothers agreeing to this interview is a continuation of abuse. My opinion of Barbara Walters has changed. She is a judgemental, opinionated, biased, non reporter non interviewer. They deserve time served already.
Absolutely agree. Reminds me of how closed minded people were in the 90s like even if Erik was gay, did that mean the rape he endured was acceptable? Makes me sick. Barbara Walters is awful for the way she led this interview. These boys were abused from the time they were small children and it’s their fault because they didn’t run away? Like wow. They were abused from a very young age. Conditioned to believe their parents and submit to them. But yeah Barbara, they should have just ran away.
@@dansmithnodq6854 so was gypsy rose but she’s out
@@hilarytaylor8149Nicholas Godejohn murdered Gypsy's mother. He's in jail serving a life sentence.
She’s the worst reporter, i don’t know why she gained fame…she’s there to judge them not to listen to their side of story, then why interviewed them, terrible journalism
@@hilarytaylor8149 no, she wasn't. She didn't murder anyone, as these two boys did. Gypsy's mothers murder is ALSO serving life in prison
You can tell the guy who Played Erik in Monsters got his facial expressions and mannerisms from this interview. It’s perfect. He deserves an Emmy
the fact that 7 years after the crime was committed, the two of them already showed so many signs of growth and forgiveness and maturity, just shows how that what happened to them was true and that they were healing by leaps and bounds.
yet, here they’ve sat in prison for the rest of their lives, wasting away.
no one should get away with unaliving another person.
but i do believe they were acting in self defense. that should be accounted to anyone who is living in their shoes, with familial sexual abuse..
it is a DEEPLY damaging and ugly way to grow up and then try to continue to live a normal existence with that sort of dark, dirty secret following you your whole life. especially with that violent side of it they experienced. their father was deeply disturbed.
nobody should ever have to sit in prison for two life sentences for defending themselves against their own flesh and blood harming them in such a vile manner.
Self defense? Their parents were sitting down watching TV. 👀 They had keys to vehicles, why not drive to the nearest police station and turn them in for said abuse? They knew right from wrong that's why they lied about what happened to their parents.
@@weirdmatterAbused person's may not think straight. It happens. Erik claims to have had his life threatened by his father if he told. You can't know what that was like for him not being in his shoes, when he was, what, no less a child. It wasn't self defence in the immediate sense..but..wait..wasn't he still being abused as an adult? Is fighting back some kind of trauma response? There's third party evidence of how cruel the father was.
She sound stupid asking Erik why he didn’t run away. Let’s keep in mind that Erik was just turning 18. They don’t have the right capacity to make the right decisions that young. Not to excuse the murder but she acting like he would think to run away when he was being sexually abused at 18.
Yeah she's very dumb
As if running away was so easy, parents wouldn't have come after him and then abuse would be worse. Where would he have gone and sustained himself. There is no run away hotel or park
@@youareright2802 yeah and people dont understand this at all..
What 18 ya a full blown adult man not a child
There are grown ass adults in their 40’s who don’t leave relationships that are abusive, so I don’t get why they expect an 18 year old to figure that out.
Probably because they’re men. My mom has said many a time “if it were Lyla and Erika Menendez the verdict would’ve been different.”
Barbara is cruel honestly 😢
She is like their mother
Oh boo Hoo. She’s not there to coddle them. They’re GROWN ADULTS that blasted their parents face off. Get a grip.
@@Kay-uj9lwFor a a reason tho? They were abusive and evil parents to those boys! And unfortunately turned into the path that ruined their lives forever.
They were not abused omg they’re only saying they were to get out of prison.
She is dead now
Their answers are so thoughtful and deep. Much better than all the sentences of Barbara Walters.
I have no idea why she was so successful. She was annoying and unprofessional.
They may spend the rest of their lives in prison, but their conscience is clear: they killed their abusers, and they deserve sympathy.
How can you justify killing your own parents as victims of abuse? You don't go around killing people who abuse you. So should everyone just be a vigilante?
@@hanjoocho8641 But the abuse is okay??? You are not allowed to abuse anyone and yet they did it!! What is this double standard?
Those who treat people like that deserve nothing else
@@hanjoocho8641 Ok so by your logic, would you also blame serial killer victims who kill their abuser after being raped and tortured and threatened with death, cause you can't be sure they were just about to be killed for real? Does abuse really never has anything to do with how wrong it is to kill someone?
It is best to have police deal with it, but the truth is police is very powerless in families where incest and death threats happen,.
@@juliakleinert9685 who ever said the abuse was ok? The abusers were found with many bullet wounds, dead. Remember? If you wanted your parents to be known as the horrible abusers they are, you don't fucking PREMEDITATEDLY MURDER THEM. There is no double standard here, you're comparing abuse to murder. The Menendez brothers committed 2 murders, and were sentenced accordingly. This is exactly how the justice system is supposed to handle murder.
@@laza8675 no, abuse doesn't have anything to do with killing somebody, unless it's self defense WHILE you're ACTIVELY being abused. If you think someone abusing you means you should be able to plan out their murder and then commit it, you have a lot to learn about the justice system
Forgiving their malignant abusers for everything they did to them; the on going trauma they subject them to. They're far better human beings than what I'll ever be.
Honestly just only them saying that were abused ,I am starting not believe it ,because of the way they acted after killing
I find it really hard to believe that that's how they feel.
@@katarzynamariamuszynska2811 they look extremely truthful. There were probably suffering from ptsd and spending is a response to depression.
Forgiving them after they murdered them is pretty interesting
@@laza8675 "looking truthful" means absolutely nothing in a court of law. You need actual evidence
This interview is horrid. She is rude and frankly unprofessional
She constantly interrupts and won’t let them finish their answers. She is pushy, rude, and abrasive.
As always.
No, these days it's all political correctness back in a day it was real.
Good. She’s not there to coddle them. Theyre grown adults that blasted their parents face off, I think they can handle little ol Barbra.
@@larendaroberts8846she’s rude.
Erik blaming himself for the whole thing is textbook for abuse victims. This completely breaks my heart and wish I could tell him it's not his fault.
Me and my 4 children still talk about how 20 years ago we believed my husband would kill all of us . He told my 2 sons 3 years later he thought of killing the entire family . Until you have known a psychopath murderer you can not understand the torture these boys endured .
Honestly, me and my family went through less, and I remember always thinking my dad was going to kill my mom and me, and my siblings would talk about what we should do about him and how we would protect eachother. If anyone has ever been through real family trauma, then they'd know it's not abnormal the Menendez brothers thought their father would kill them.
@@wb6266 I say now … if you have a feeling your dad is going to kill you… it’s because he is thinking of killing you . ….. I thought my husband was but he didn’t say it …. I was shocked 7 years ago my son told me their dad confessed he thought of killing us . My son said to me “” dads don’t say that “.
@@wb6266 Right ! And I believe their dad was planning on it .
@@beverlyallison4768 100% he would have done something to hurt them.
Being a teen or young adult in the 80s, we didn't have much of a voice. I really get how they were forced into taking the action they did. I do not condone it just totally get how they got to that point
They had no other choices like people do today
I feel like if these were two sisters, they would be free today. Such a shame.
Are you really that dumb and gullible? They made this up to try to get a lesser sentence!
Very true
@@P0kerBab3as a sexual abuse survivor, it is not easy to replicate these emotions the bothers are displaying specially Eric. This cannot be acted out.
@@Viviana1caraveo u mean like that 911 call?? LOL
@@Viviana1caraveo Sure u can if youre facing life or death LOL
Considering the year, Eriks response to the gay question was very thoughtful and, dare I say, even progressive.
I agree. Very ahead of their time and ridiculously well spoken.
Lyle said the only reason they did this interview was to try to plead that they do not separate them and look what they did im so mad
I cannot even begin to comprehend how an adult can molest a child. I can’t even begin to imagine the immense pain and emotional trauma that they had gone through by their father or any child for that matter.
I wish I could believe this two brothers! Nope! They’re criminals!
How do you know that they’re telling the truth? They’ll say anything in their behalf now that the parents are dead! Which they caused!
@@shirleysullivan586 How do I know that they are telling the truth? Because I believe that they are. I am also 💯 certain that they have remorse for what they did. They are paying the price for it. I have done some research about this case as well. I also have compassion. That’s why.
@@shirleysullivan586 There's a Menudo documentary that recently came out and their father was investigated for molesting a boy from the boy band, Menudo.
@@shirleysullivan586there is a lot of evidence about it. Even a medical file where it shows that Erik had a wound throat which is provoked by oral abuse. And there was a letter found by Erik’s aunt after her son died where Erik was telling him all of the abuse even before the murders. So yes, they are telling the truth
Lyle seem so chill comparing to the monster show he presented very wrong
I watched the First Episode 5 min and Already thought wtf how are they portraying them??? 🤮
Yeah I'm shocked that it's not being brought up more... Lyle seems way more in touch with his emotions and authentic than they portrayed.. they made him seem like a narcissistic sociopath.
You might want to try using English when you write. Just saying.
yeah because the show version of him is incorrect and so unrealistic
And you say it based on half an hour of interview with him?
You should have seen an interview with Ted Bundy, I suspect you would like him, too. Really chill dude and just a decent guy.
They freed gypsy rose now free these guys
I genuinely think if it was the Menendez sisters instead, they would be free already. Society doesn't care about male sexual abuse victims
Gypsy rose convince another guy to kill her mom and let that guy do the life , she was a smart kid, not a good kid
@@asphaltneshin I think she did it before Nick arrived
@@susanagarcia9646 maybe 🤔, she no angel tho
@@asphaltneshinshe’s not
I just want to hug them so bad 🥺😔💔
🤮
Tama ang sinabi ni eric kung bakit kailangan nilang pgtakpan ang kademonyohan ng kanilang ama as to why they killed them... Becoz it will only exposed to the world how evil their parents are.. But they needed to defend themselves.
They are both good kind brothers and they talk a lot of sense... Hope that they be given second chance.
I think she talks to them so harshly and so impatiently, it really makes me sad. They seem like such kind souls who really just didn't know what to do anymore and felt that they had no choice/that it was their only way out. the fact that they are painted out to be monsters breaks my heart.
Kind souls that are explaining how they killed their parents
@@elinicole14Fuck up. They did it out of fear. They parents were definitely capable of killing them. The mom had literally threatened to poison them all because the dad poisoned them. The dad literally said he WOULD kill them. The dad literally cut their dog head off and put it in a freezer. Who wouldn’t be terrified? They thought that was their only escape
@@elinicole14 explaining- how their parents tortured and raped them their whole lives
@@elinicole14 kind souls that are explaining how they were tortured, m*lested and r*ped by their parents
@@alexandra3965😂😂😂😂😂😂
Barbara Walters is a cold interviewer she has 0 empathy.
I REALLY do not like her style of interviewing people, she makes them look and feel so incompetent and uncomfortable. She has always came off ignorant about cases and the person alone. TBH, glad she's gone but also at the same time I appreciate that people like the Menendez brother were given the chance to be interviewed.
Walter’s is not on trial for murder.
Not guilty.they were sexually abused for years not by strangers by their parents.free them.100% truthfull on the stand.
Yes it's horrible to be abused.The monsters are the mother and father.These boys or young men should not be punished.
They killed. They must have been punished. But… The time has been too long now. They already paid what they did to their terrible parents. They should be free.
@@annamccartney8447 you pay for someone's life with your own. Each brother took a life, and they'll each serve life. Nothing unfair has happened
If they are lying they are the best actors in the world...
I think the last part was a bit forsed. Like that they forgive them and all. No. I dont think so.
Dont go in the law. Ever
They lied when they called the cops
Exactly, they were on the stand for 10 days straight I believe,. And I don’t know a single actor who has ever lived that would be able to get through the morning without forgetting a line or 2: let alone that many days! They were telling the truth 100% about all of it..
I don’t believe them ..
They were so polite despite knowing how painful their past was.. Barbara witch was trying to spin something else instead of listening 😡😡
This witch was also bias and rude , sarcastic to MJ.
Yes and Hitler and Bin Laden were also polite. Are you kidding me?
Almost as if... they have no emotions?
Respectful, so was Dahmer. 😂😂
They are so worried about them killing the parents but what about the abuse they took for many years .....
Ugh, my heart. They moved their chairs closer to each other.
Barf! 🤮
Overspending has always been a type of coping mechanism, why are they acting like it crazy that they did that
True
Society has taught us emotions are linear and they’re not
They spent that money as a compensation for the abuse.
The older generations were so backwards god this is why i’ll never side with gen Z hate, we’re so much more aware and empathetic
Yeah I tend to spend when I’m upset too. You’re trying to fill a pain/void and it never really works so you keep going. With these guys, I feel like the murder really happened from Erik and Lyle just protected his brother and went in on it after the fact. I wish they could openly talk about what really happened and what they were feeling as I think they are holding some stuff back due it possibly being portrayed negatively. I don’t think Lyle was hurting as much as Erik because he was already out of the home and had little regard for his parents. You can see it in his rebellious nature in many things he did growing up. But the sexual abuse that Erik was continuing to deal with is what set everything off. Lyle had enough of it and Erik really needed to get out of the house and get therapy. Buying those guns was only going to lead to death as he wasn’t going to be able to control his emotions.
The title “Monsters” may not refer to the brothers but rather their parents.
Agree.
Yup
All 4
Such an unprofessional display of interviewing technique; I’m surprised they continued with the interview.
The way that Lyle looks at Erik is so heartwarming omg 🥺 #freethemenendezbrothers
I remember when this happened and my first thought was “what did their parents do to them” I innately knew they were abused. Travesty of justice this case
One child killing their parents is a bad child. Two children killing their parents…. Is a bad family. The parents obviously did something to make their children so miserable and angry, they felt the need to do this. I believe they were abused badly.
@@pommiebears💯💯👍🏻
@@pommiebearsthe father abused his two sons and the mother didn’t do anything
@@batamurizasabrina8969 Were you there?
@@pommiebears this statement can't be any more false. Two bad children can exist, there's literally 0 evidence to show that 1 kid doing something vs 2 means anything. Interesting speculation though, unfortunately courts operate off evidence and not guesses though.
Wow I can even believe Barbra Walters treated them really unfairly
Barbara, if you got raped all your life as a child would you buy a gun early or later in that scenario? Serious question this case was more about her getting her spotlight rather than understanding molested children are going to have trauma and rage from the pain of not having a loving home which I feel alot of people are forgetting. Now they spend the rest of their lives further traumatised. Those poor boys. Lawyers and jury did not listen to them. Only 18 years old yet their fragile personality’s ripped apart.
Totally Agree
Beautifully said
Except that they lied about everything. I don't believe that they were sexually abused; I believe that they lied to try to get off and avoid the death penalty.
They were adult men, not boys.
Empty souls are judging these boys who were abused from the time they were children. They never had a chance to be normal.
They were psychologically destroyed by their abusive father, and not protected by their mother. Their life was ruined.
It’s crazy how respectful they are to her despite her clearly trying to gaslight them.
I was abused until I was 15, and i told several people, and they always sent me back to my mom, and who would get mad at me when I would say something. My mother. She had four kids, it's funny how two kids think their mother is a saint but the other two think she is a monster. Because she was 💯. They should be released.
I'm so sorry this happened to you 😢.
I hope you've healed and able to move forward
Wish I could give you a hug. God bless you and I'm sorry that ever happened.
Sorry this happened to you. Hopefully you are doing well now. This doesn't justify though they should be released. Abuse doesn't equate to killing someone.
You also didn't kill your mother. They should not be released.
The same thing happened to me. To this day my mother calls me a whore and that I wanted it. Some parents are evil af
The judge, the jurors, & even the lawyers should be ashamed of themselves with how this entire thing was conducted- absolutely tragic
It was a different time and I think the outcome would be different in 2024
@@pugginspicethe system can change that now
They weren't allowed to consider the abuse. Blame the judge!
"Abuse excuse" FIRE THIS INTERVIEW LADY OH MY GOSH!!!!!
"DING DONG, THE WITCH IS DEAD"
It is so infuriating that they keep talking about what they did but not WHY they did it. What was the cause. What made them do it. Years of extreme abuse and S/A
Fire this lady? 😅 Barbara Walters was on 20/20 for 25 years, no one was ever going to fire her. She's one of the most prolific interviewers. That doesn't make her good, but it was what it was (I never liked her...grew up with my parents watching her)
Absolutely !
And she clearly thought that herself. Vile this interview has made me so angry
This interview took place on my 3rd Birthday and here I am watching after 34 years .
wtf is wrong with that lady? Lyle and Erik deserve to be freed. they have served enough time. barbara walters is the worst, she didn't have to be rude to them tf.
“Are you a homosexual?” OMG. 😣
Hannibal lecters wannabe's
How dare her ask that. (never liked her anyway) To her it was all about being controversial and famous.
@@ishp2 a lot of people were asking that question, her job is to deliver those tough questions to them, so they have a chance to defend themselves, it's not her personal questions, it's the public opinions, she did a great job in representing them
She’s asking bc she wanted to know if that’s why he killed the parents, fear he wouldn’t be accepted
@@ishp2please don't talk nonsense.. it's a fair enough question
You can see the conflict with Erik bc he feels guilty for all of this, he knows why he did it. But he’s forced to feel for his abusers and no one even cares to empathize with the kid that he can’t get away from due to trauma. This sucks so bad. Lyle too. I mentioned Erik bc he had more SA w/ his dad and he admits to feeling guilty for everything. Praying for them both
I was SA from age 4 to 15, and I can attest that even a prison cell would have felt like a haven and a first taste of true freedom.
When you're subjected to SA during childhood and adolescence, it's a whirlwind of confusion and anger, making it hard to process emotions normally because you're conditioned to suppress them.
I once told a teacher at school what was happening at home and she went straight to my parents and I was severely beaten.
For Lyle and Erik, what they did was a means to survive and possibly the first instance of experiencing control or ownership in their lives.
I'm not justifying their actions, as they were undoubtedly wrong, but for those abused children, it was their escape route to safety.
Unless you've endured similar circumstances, it's impossible to fully grasp their decisions and motivations. Therefore, I urge you to approach this topic with sensitivity, recognizing that the essence of that abused child remains and cannot be liberated.
Let me tell you that Jose and Kitty killed these two boys before they were and that is a fact.
I'm sorry that happened to you. I wish you healing and happiness. Your input is very important, as it takes into account the actual mental mechanisms of an abused person is. I will never fully grasp the pain but reading this made me somehow see how valid it is.
They suffered all that horrific abuse, now locked up for life 😢 so incredibly sad. I pray they get released, their parents were monsters
Just hope that it's real....