September 1, 1989: Erik confesses to Craig. Erik’s confesses about the murders to best friend to Craig Cignarelli 12 days after the bloody shootings. October 31, 1989: Erik confesses to Dr. Jerome Oziel. Erik reached out to Dr. Oziel on the day of Halloween 1989. He later shared with journalist Robert Rand, “I struggled to explain why I was feeling suicidal because I hadn’t told him I killed my parents, so he wasn’t really understanding.” Erik felt the need to confide in someone, and he chose that moment to open up. “I really wanted him to reassure me that I wasn’t a bad person, but he couldn’t do that without knowing the truth about my parents.” After that, Oziel suggested they call Lyle to come to the office. Judalon Smyth mentioned she was in the waiting room during all of this. November 17, 1989: Craig Cignarelli goes to the police. At first, the police thought the murders were linked to the mob, which led Erik and Lyle to hop from one hotel to another to stay under the radar. But soon enough, the cops started to eye the brothers suspiciously and turned to Erik’s close friend, Craig Cignarelli, for assistance. According to Vanity Fair, Erik admitted to Cignarelli that he had killed his parents just 12 days after the crime. So, in November, a few months after the August murders, the police asked Craig to wear a wire to catch a confession on tape. But when Craig met up with Erik again, he backtracked on his earlier claim, saying he had lied and hadn’t actually killed his parents. On cross-examination, Cignarelli said he had initially told police on Nov. 17, 1989, that he remembered the confession occurring the month before, in October. November 19, 1989: Craig wears a wire to dinner with Erik. Craig, following the police’s request, brought a tape recorder to a two-hour dinner at Gladstones with his buddy. Later, when they talked about that night again, Erik switched up his story. December 11, 1989: Dr. Oziel records Lyle and Erik on tape. The therapist managed to persuade Lyle and Erik to allow him to record their sessions. 1990: The brothers are arrested March 5, 1990: Judalon Smyth goes to the police. Judalon Smyth plays a crucial role in the Menendez brothers’ case because of her connection with Dr. Jerome Oziel. She first crossed paths with Oziel in June 1989 when she was running a tape-duplicating business and suggested they market tapes of him discussing psychology. She told police that not only had Lyle and Erik confessed, but Oziel had tapes of their confessions. After, officers searched Dr. Oziel’s home under a warrant, seizing records and tape recordings. March 8, 1990: Lyle is arrested. Beverly Hills Police arrested Lyle outside his parents’ mansion. March 11, 1990: Erik turns himself in. When Lyle was arrested, Erik was in Israel for a tennis tournament. Erik flew from Israel to London, England, London to Miami and Miami to Los Angeles. On his departure at LAX International, Erik was met by the police. He surrendered at Los Angeles International Airport upon his retrial. 1991-1992 - Pre-Trial: Admissibility of Dr. Oziel’s Tapes After the brothers were arrested, there was a heated debate between the state and their defense lawyers about whether the recordings made by Oziel could be used in court. “Before the trial began, both sides argued over the admissibility of certain tapes recorded by the brothers’ psychologist during therapy sessions,” the American Psychological Association notes about the situation. “The defendants claimed that these recordings were protected 40 LAWYER MONTHLY OCTOBER 2024 Erik and Lyle Menendez in Court
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