THE case of the Menendez brothers who murdered their parents in 1989 has gripped the world once more.
One person who knew the Menendez brothers and their father well, was their tennis coach, Charles P. Wadlington.
Charles P. Wadlington was Lyle and Erik Menendez’s tennis coach in the 80s[/caption]
The former instructor testified at the Menendez brothers’ trial in 1993[/caption]
Born in 1954, Charles P. Wadlington was Lyle and Erik Menendez’s tennis instructor when they were teenagers.
He was the siblings’ coach from 1981 through to 1985.
During the Menendez brothers’ 1993 trial, Charles switched careers and became a financial advisor living in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Charles’ testimony
In 1993, the Menendez brothers stood trial for murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty, with a pair of shotguns in their Beverly Hills mansion on August 18, 1989.
The siblings claimed to have killed their mom and dad after being subjected to years of abuse by their father.
Charles testified at their murder trial that their mother, Kitty Menendez, was always “angry and sarcastic” towards her sons.
Speaking about the brothers’ father Jose, he said he was “unrelentingly demanding” and “the harshest person I’d ever met”.
During his testimony, he claimed that the Menendez brothers’ dad ran the family “sort of like his business”.
At one point he fought back tears and said: “He would give the orders and they would follow him.”
The former tennis coach added about his pupils: “I thought I was about all they had.”
As he gave evidence for two hours, Charles also said of Jose: “I just couldn’t stand the guy . . . because I saw him being mean to the boys.”
Possibility of parole for the Menendez brothers
The brothers were convicted of killing their parents in 1996 and were sentenced to life without parole.
On October 24, 2024, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon announced he would ask a judge to consider resentencing Lyle and Erik.
In a statement, the DA said “I came to a place where I believe, under the law, resentencing is appropriate.”
Gascon’s recommendation could mean the brothers could be released from prison at the end of 2024.
A Los Angeles court will hear the case on November 26, 2024.
Timeline of the Menendez brothers case
Erik and Lyle Menendez have been serving a life imprisonment sentence without the possibility of parole since July 1996.
The brothers were convicted of shooting their parents to death in their Beverly Hills home in August 1989.
Timeline:
August 20, 1989 – José and Kitty Menendez are found dead from multiple shotgun wounds.
March 8, 1990 – Lyle is arrested outside his parents’ Beverly Hills mansion.
March 11, 1990 – Erik turns himself in to police after flying back into Los Angeles from Israel.
July 20, 1993 – The highly publicized trial of Lyle and Erik begins and ends weeks later in a mistrial.
October 11, 1995 – Lyle and Erik’s second trial begins.
March 20, 1996 – The Menendez brothers are convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
July 2, 1996 – Lyle and Erik are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and sent to separate prisons.
February 2018 – Lyle is transferred to the San Diego prison, where Erik is held.
April 4, 2018 – Lyle was moved into the same housing unit as Erik – the first time the brothers were reunited in over 20 years.
May 2023 – The attorney representing Lyle and Erik files a habeas petition after Roy Rosselló, a member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, made sexual abuse allegations against Jose Menendez.
September 19, 2024 – Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story releases on Netflix.
October 3, 2024: Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said his office was reviewing new evidence in connection with Lyle and Erik’s convictions.
October 7, 2024 – The Menendez Brothers documentary film comes out on Netflix.
October 16, 2024 – Family members of the Menendez brothers hold a press conference begging for the siblings to be released from prison.
October 24, 2024 – Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón recommends the brothers be resentenced.
