The luxury Beverly Hills mansion where the Menendez brothers shot and killed their parents in 1989 has sold for $17 million, exactly 28 years after the brothers were convicted of the brutal murders.
The seven-bedroom home, complete with a pool, private tennis court and two-story guest house, has been on the market since December, with an asking price of just under $20 million. The seller, Sam DeLogue, a communications executive, bought the house in 2001 for $3.7 million.
Details about the buyer were not immediately available. Realtor.com reported that a forensic appraiser estimated the mansion's $17 million sale price was about 25% less than prevailing market values.
Homes where a reported homicide has occurred tend to sell at a discount, according to Realtor.com. The Menendez mansion has been put up for sale months after the release of the Peacock documentary series, “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed,” which brought renewed attention to the notorious case.
Eric and Lyle Menendez killed their parents, Jose and Kitty, with a shotgun on August 20, 1989. There was initial speculation that the mob was responsible for the murders, according to Fox 11, but the brothers admitted to the murders at trial.
The brothers, who were 21 and 18 at the time of the crime, claimed they were acting in self-defense against their abusive father. Their defense team said they were guilty only of manslaughter and “did not have the mental state necessary for first-degree murder.”
Eric and Lyle claimed they had been repeatedly sexually assaulted by their father and feared for their lives. Prosecutors pushed the narrative that the brothers killed their parents for a multimillion-dollar inheritance, citing the brothers' heavy posthumous spending.
The first trial resulted in a hung jury, but a second trial ended in a first-degree murder conviction in 1996. The brothers remain in prison despite repeatedly appealing their convictions.
The mansion was built in 1927 and remodeled in 1984 by real estate tycoon Mark Slotkin, who sold it to Jose in 1988 for $4 million. This Mediterranean style villa is located on Elm Street within the affluent 90210 zip code.
