WARNING: EXPLICIT MATERIAL

José Menéndez

Birth Name:
José Enrique Menéndez
Birth Date:
May 6, 1944
Birth Place:
Havana, Cuba
Death Date:
August 20, 1989
Place of Death:
722 N Elm Drive, Beverly Hills, California
Age:
45
Cause of Death:
Homicide - gunshot wounds
Cemetery Name:
Princeton Cemetery
Claim to Fame:
Crime and their Victims
Associates:
José Menéndez was an entertainment executive and was married to Kitty Menendez, a former beauty queen, school teacher and mid-level Beverly Hills socialite. Sadly Kitty and Jose will always be remembered as the murder victims of their two sons - Erik and Lyle. In August of 1989 the couple’s two sons, Lyle and Erik, drove a small white hatchback up to the house, got their weapons from the trunk and entered the house via the French doors. The first shot from a .12 gauge shotgun hit José in the back of the head and killed him instantly. They continued with two more shots, tearing open both arms. Kitty was not so lucky as they pumped 10 shots as she tried to crawl away with the final shotgun blast to the face. Lyle dialed the fake 911 call and told police they had arrived home after a movie to the grisly discovery as smoke from the gunshots still loomed in the air. But as the months passed after the execution-style deaths, police were struck by the sons’ lavish spending sprees: buying Rolex watches, private tennis lessons, expensive clothing, jewelry, a Porsche, and even a chicken wings restaurant. After two hung juries, a third trial found them guilty of murder and sentenced the two sons to life without parole.

Fun and Not-So-Fun Facts

After they murdered their parents for their inheritance (but before he went to jail) Lyle bought the popular student hangout, Chuck’s Spring Street Cafe, for $550,000. Chuck’s remains a staple of Princeton, New Jersey.

Actress Robin Greer was a longtime friend of O.J. Simpson, and Robin hosted Nicole Brown Simpson’s baby shower, when she was pregnant with Sydney, at the Elm Drive manse in 1985.

When the first Beverly Hills crime scene investigator came upon the crime scene, he was handed an umbrella due to the volume of blood splatter on the couch, carpets, walls and ceiling (which were dripping down on the bodies).

Rarely have parents been so defiled by their children, or victims by their killers. But in the case of Kitty and Jose Menendez they were further defiled by Erik, Lyle and their attorney Leslie Abramson who painted a horribly untrue picture of Jose sexual molesting his sons while Kitty encouraged the abuse under a haze of pills and alcohol. And to date there hasn’t been a single, verifiable shred of evidence to confirm these malicious allegations.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Princeton Cemetery

29 Greenview Avenue

Princeton, New Jersey, 08542

USA

North America

Map:

Cemetery map of Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, New Jersey

Grave Location:

Menéndez Family Plot

Grave Location Description

As you enter the cemetery drive past the office and take the first right. Drive a short distance and turn left and drive to the end and park. Look to the upper right corner and walk the 200 feet to the far corner of the cemetery to the final resting place of Kitty and Jose Menendez.

Grave Location GPS

40.3562524944, -74.6589886096

Visiting The Grave:

Photos:

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FAQ's

José Menéndez was born on May 6, 1944.

José Menéndez was born in Havana, Cuba.

José Menéndez died on August 20, 1989.

José Menéndez died in 722 N Elm Drive, Beverly Hills, California.

José Menéndez was 45.

The cause of death was Homicide - gunshot wounds.

José Menéndez's grave is in Princeton Cemetery

Read More About José Menéndez:

Videos Featuring José Menéndez:

Watch YouTube video titled Snapped: The Menendez Brothers Special - Lyle's 911 Call
Snapped: The Menendez Brothers Special - Lyle's 911 Call
Watch YouTube video titled Menendez Brothers Details: The Autopsy Reports
Menendez Brothers Details: The Autopsy Reports
Watch YouTube video titled Jordan the Lion: Menendez Murder House & Surprising OJ & Nicole Connection
Jordan the Lion: Menendez Murder House & Surprising OJ & Nicole Connection
Watch YouTube video titled Inside the real Menendez family Beverly Hills home.
Inside the real Menendez family Beverly Hills home.
Watch YouTube video titled Menendez Brothers Murder Parents Crime Scene - RAW
Menendez Brothers Murder Parents Crime Scene - RAW
Watch YouTube video titled Snapped: The Menendez Brothers Special - Erik's Ex-Girlfriend, Tracy
Snapped: The Menendez Brothers Special - Erik's Ex-Girlfriend, Tracy
Watch YouTube video titled Inheritance Killers - Erik & Lyle Menendez
Inheritance Killers - Erik & Lyle Menendez
Watch YouTube video titled Why the Menendez Brothers Say They Killed Their Parents
Why the Menendez Brothers Say They Killed Their Parents
Watch YouTube video titled Michael Franzese on Being Locked Up with Menendez Brothers after They Killed Parents
Michael Franzese on Being Locked Up with Menendez Brothers after They Killed Parents

See More:

Frank Lonardo

popular name: Frank Lonardo

date_of_death: October 19, 1929

age: 42

cause_of_death: Gunshot wounds from a mob hit

claim_to_fame: Crime and their Victims

best_know_for: One of four brothers that made up the Lonardo crime family, Frank was gunned down during a card game in the back of a downtown Cleveland barbershop years after the murder of his brothers Big Joe and John Lonardo. While the crime was never solved, it was generally understood that his murder was part of a plot to eliminate all the Lonardo brothers connected with the bootlegging racket and that Frank Alessi was involved in the planning of the execution.

Al Capone

popular name: Al Capone

date_of_death: January 25, 1947

age: 48

cause_of_death: Suffering from late-stage syphilis he died as a result of a stroke, bronchopneumonia and cardiac arrest.

claim_to_fame: Crime and their Victims

best_know_for: Al "Scarface" Capone was a notorious mobster who was head of the powerful Chicago Outfit during the 1920s and 30s. Making a vast fortune from alcohol bootlegging, prostitution, and illegal gambling he was responsible for over 30 deaths including 7 from the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

Henry Bedard, Jr.

popular name: Henry Bedard, Jr.

date_of_death: December 16, 1974

age: 15

cause_of_death: Homicide - blunt force trauma

claim_to_fame: Crime and their Victims

best_know_for: Henry E. Bedard Jr. was a 15‑year‑old sophomore at Swampscott High School in Massachusetts. He was active in school sports—playing youth baseball and "Big Blue" football—and also worked at his father’s service station. Henry was considered a beloved member of his community, known for spending time with family and friends. On December 16, 1974, Henry was last seen after school doing some Christmas shopping. He stopped at a CVS in Vinnin Square, buying perfume as a gift for his sister. After leaving the mall, witnesses (including Swampscott Police Lieutenant Peter Cassidy) saw him walking along Paradise Road and entering a wooded area near the town’s Department of Public Works yard, a place known locally as “Swampscott View” or “Kite Hill.” The next day his body was discovered in that wooded area, behind the DPW building, under a pile of leaves. He had been severely beaten to death. Investigators found a Louisville Slugger baseball bat near the body—31‑inch, wooden—with distinctive carvings or markings on the handle, possibly Roman numerals or letters. The bat is believed to be a key piece of evidence. Despite investigations, including interviewing dozens of people, reviewing the evidence, and even exhuming Henry’s body recently to run updated forensic tests (such as DNA) and autopsy work, no one has been charged in his murder. The case remains unsolved half a century later with no suspect and no motive.

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