Menendez brothers 'deserve a break,' says ex-mob boss who spent months with them in prison

Famed mobster-turned-mentor Michael Franzese spent 11 months in solitary confinement with Lyle Menendez in a Los Angeles County federal correctional institution.

Lyle and his brother, Eric Menedez, were serving life in prison after they were convicted of gunning down their parents at their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989, though they were eventually separated into different prisons after being accused of trying to escape together.

"They were definitely abused. I mean, they told me things about their dad, and more disappointment with their mom because she didn't step in and help, and she was ruled by the dad," Michael Franzese, who had been serving time in the federal facility for a parole violation charge before the case was resolved, told Fox News Digital. "Just from my conversations with [the Menendez brothers] — and I take everything with a grain of salt because you never know if somebody's telling you the truth or not — but . . . I believe that the abuse was real and that they were scared."

The Menendez case has garnered renewed attention after the release of two Netflix productions — a nonfiction documentary called "The Menendez Brothers" and a fictionalized TV series based on true events, titled "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" — between September and October. Both productions detail the brothers' abuse allegations against their parents.

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Menendez brothers, Erik, left, and Lyle on the steps of their Beverly Hills home in November 1989.  (Ronald L. Soble / Los Angeles Times)

The brothers have also been seeking reduced sentences after spending more than 30 years in prison, and their family has been backing them up. Lyle was 21 at the time of his parents' murders, and Eric was 18. 

"They've done 30 some odd years in prison. You know, they're in their 50s now. You know, I think they deserve a break," Franzese, a former member of the Columbo crime family, said. "They've been model prisoners from everything that I've understood. They're married. Erik has a child, a daughter. I think they've done enough time. And I think there's more. This is more of a manslaughter conviction than anything else." 

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An undated photo of the Menendez family as it appears on the screen during a panel at CrimeCon 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday, June 2. The brothers Lyle and Erik were convicted of fatally shooting both of their parents in 1989.  (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)

"I think they deserve a break," he added later on. 

Franzese's cell at the Los Angeles County jail was located next to Lyle's in solitary confinement, he said. Their cells were barred off, but they could speak to each other and "even see each other quite a bit" due to mirrors in the walkway between cells, he said.

MENENDEZ BROTHERS, CONVICTED OF KILLING PARENTS, DEFENDED BY RELATIVES AS THEY FIGHT FOR FREEDOM

Erik and Lyle Menendez listen during their trial in the 1990s. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said his office will review new evidence in the brothers' murder case. (Ted Soqui/Sygma)

The Menendez brothers detailed some of the alleged abuse endured from his father to Franzese, who empathized with the young convicts. 

"I think the boys were trapped in their own minds."

— Michael Franzese

"I said, why didn't you go and tell your family? And they said, 'Well, my dad ruled the family, and he would find out that we told him that, and then I'd really be in trouble. God knows what he would do. It'd be worse," Franzese recalled. "And I said, what about law enforcement? . . . I was giving them all the alternatives to doing what they did. And they said, 'No, you don't know. My dad is a very powerful guy. He's got very powerful friends, and we were just afraid to go to anybody. We had to endure it.'"

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Former New York Mafia boss Michael Franzese poses during a photo shoot at the REVY restaurant in Sydney, New South Wales. He is in Sydney on a speaking tour.  (Max Mason-Hubers / Newspix)

The former mob boss emphasized that the abuse does not justify murder, but he does believe manslaughter charges should have been on the table for the brothers rather than first-degree murder, and their abuse allegations should have played a larger role in court proceedings.

"The boys expressed to me that they loved their dad. Their Dad was their hero. They didn't even know what they were going to do without their dad even after all of this happened," Franzese said to emphasize how conflicted the brothers felt about their actions and convictions.

MENENDEZ BROTHERS, CONVICTED OF KILLING PARENTS, DEFENDED BY RELATIVES AS THEY FIGHT FOR FREEDOM

Pictured is a letter allegedly written by Erik Menendez and sent to his cousin Andy Cano eight months before the killings of Jose and Kitty Menendez. (Superior Court of the State of California, Los Angeles County)

The brothers' attorneys have argued that they should have been convicted of manslaughter rather than murder, in which case, they already would have been released from prison.

"The Menendez Brothers" premiered on Oct. 7. The film's creators promised to "offer another perspective — that of the brothers themselves, provided in all-new audio interviews," according to a press release. It also details the brothers' allegations that their father had sexually assaulted them.

Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. Email tips to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on Twitter at @audpants.