Honor Thy Father and Mother: The Menendez Brothers

Honor thy Father and Mother: The Menendez Brothers

Ivy Shelby-Williams

Grambling State University

Dr. Carolyn Hester

SWK 637

April 16, 2012

Honor thy Father and Mother: The Menendez Brothers

Multiaxial Diagnostic Assessment (DSM-IV-TR)

Lyle Menendez Erik Menendez

Axis I: 312.89 Conduct Disorder

312.9 Disruptive Behavior

Disorder Axis I: 312.89 Conduct Disorder

312.9 Disruptive Behavior

Disorder

Axis II: 301.81 Narcissistic Axis II: V71.09 No Diagnose

Axis III: Stutters, stomach problems and

outbursts of temper Axis III: Stutters, stomach problems and

outbursts of temper

Axis IV: Severe parent-child conflict

Violence (by the father) Axis IV: Severe parent-child conflict

Violence (by the father)

Axis V: GAF: 65 Axis V: GAF: 55

Demographics

Joseph Lyle Menendez, an 8 year old, Caucasian male, born January 10, 1968 and Erik Galen Menendez, a 6 year old, Caucasian male, born November, 27, 1970, both are unmarried. The brothers live in Princeton, New Jersey with Kitty and Jose Menendez (Wikipedia, 2004).

Assessment of the clients

According to (Hadar, Robbins and Schenider, 1994), the Menendez's were a very successful family in Los Angeles. Jose Menendez was a successful music producer who later became involved in the film industry. In 1989, he was making roughly $500,000 annually. Kitty was a successful grade school teacher.

Jose and Kitty had two children, Lyle and Erik. The boys were very spoiled, and used to getting anything they wanted. They drove expensive cars, attended the best private schools, and were given lessons on their tennis game. This wasn't enough.

In 1988, the boys were caught stealing $100,000 worth of money and jewelry from their neighbors Calabasas home. Jose paid off the neighbors and made younger brother Erik take the fall so Lyle wouldn't ruin his reputation for possible enrollment at Princeton. Because of this incident, the family moved to Beverly Hills to avoid embarrassment.

By that same winter, Lyle had been kicked out of Princeton for cheating on a psychology 101 exam. His father was furious. He started to believe that his sons would never amount to anything. The brothers worried that they might be kicked out of their Beverly Hills home and forced to work for a living. They also feared they would be dropped from their father's will. Jose Menendez was worth $14,000,000."

On August 17, 1989, Lyle drove to San Diego and purchased two sawed-off shotguns. Three days later Jose and Kitty were murdered. "Just days after the murders, the Menendez brothers went on a shopping spree purchasing new Rolex watches, a new Jeep for Erik, a Porsche for Lyle and tennis lessons for both of them. They stayed at $2,000-a-night hotels and claimed to be hiding from the Mafia. Lyle even bought a chicken wing restaurant in Princeton.

Lyle seemed nonplussed about the murders and kept quiet. Erik, on the other hand, could not keep his mouth shut. He blabbed to a friend that he had killed his parents. He also told his psychologist of the deed." Because of this, the psychologist told his girlfriend, and the girlfriend went to the police. Their first trial was a mistrial. The trial second they were convicted.

Presenting problem and Mental Status

Bums (1994), states Lyle and Erik were recommended for treatment because of issues with behavior at home and school. Lyle and Erik lack conscience and exhibited signs that they were sociopaths. The boys were very immature for their ages. When the boys were young, they were exposed to rigid rules and great outbursts of violence from their father and mother. Lyle at the age of 14 was still wetting the bed. Kitty would have Lyle touch her inappropriate when she was in the bed with her Jose. The brothers were mean to their classmates. Lyle and Erik where defiant and show impulsive behavior with teachers and parents. Lyle and Erik stated that they were sexual abuse by their father. The medical history of brother included stutters, stomach problems and outbursts of temper.

Current and previous agency contacts

Lyle and Erik Menendez begun to commit several burglaries for pocket money, getting caught the court recommended them to therapy. In 1988, Lyle and Erik started seeing

Dr. Jerome Oziel a psychiatric therapist. In 1989, Dr. Oziel prepared a report regarding his therapeutic relationship with and evaluation of Erik, which was submitted to the Juvenile Court in order to successfully secure Erik's diversion for one year and the eventual dismissal of all charges. Dr. Ozeil reentered the lives of the Menendez brothers within days of the killings (Soble and Johnson, 1994).

Medical, Psychiatric, Substance abuse history/data

Medical

Both boys' medical histories include stutters, stomach problems and outbursts of temper.

Psychiatric

Lyle and Erik's mother began to seek help from a psychiatrist for issues of severe depression and suicide. Kitty also had issues with her father hitting her mother and kids. Later he abandoned her mother. Kitty failed to forgive him and became tormented by the idea of divorce in her future.

Substance abuse history/data

Kitty Menendez began drinking but never seek help for it. This is how she copes with her husband affairs. In 1987 she attempted suicide, ingesting a bottle of sleeping pills.