What Did Jose Menendez Do? Father Erik and Lyle’s Job – Hollywood Life

Lyle Menendez AND Erik MenendezThe life story and trials made headlines following the publication Ryan MurphyNetflix series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. After the brothers shot their parents, José Menendez AND Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, In August 1989, Lyle and Erik spent a large sum of their family’s fortune. As a result, prosecutors accused the siblings of killing their mother and father to inherit the money, but Lyle and Erik argued that the motive was different. So what did José do professionally that made his family so wealthy?

Below, Life in Hollywood details José and how the Menéndez family developed their affluent lifestyle.

What did Jose Menendez do?

Before moving to Los Angeles, José worked as an accountant after graduating from Queens College in New York. He eventually landed a job at Hertz car rental, where he was a commercial leasing manager.

RCA then acquired Hertz, and José reportedly worked on record deals with various music artists in Hollywood. According to Los Angeles TimesJosé left his job at RCA and went to work for Carolco Pictures, an independent film studio that eventually owned International Video Entertainment (IVE). Although IVE was initially heavily in debt in the 1980s, José helped the company make millions of dollars.

While working at the film studio, José signed contracts with some of the biggest stars, including: Sylvester Stallone for his Rambo franchise, and the businessman reportedly laid off hundreds of employees at the company to cut costs.

Why did Lyle and Erik kill their parents?

During Lyle and Erik’s trials, their defense team argued that they killed José and Kitty in self-defense after years of alleged sexual, mental, and physical abuse.

How old were Lyle and Erik when they killed Jose and Kitty?

In August 1989, Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18 when they shot their parents. In September 2024, Lyle is 56 and Erik is 53.

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