Lyle Menendez

Lyle Menendez was born to a to a Cuban-American business executive, Jose Menendez and a schoolteacher, Kitty Menendez. After his birth, his mother became a full-time homemaker and his father immediately set about making sure his oldest son was even more successful in business then he was and give him a good name in the process. In achieving that goal, Jose became a stern, domineering, perfectionist father who controlled what Lyle would eat, who he could associate with, what books and television shows he was exposed to, and even tried to control his thoughts. Starting in grade school, Jose would question him about current events at the dinner table and berate him for unsatisfactory answers. His mother supported his father's methods, and in addition was subject to dramatic mood swings that her sons had to endure. The pressure took a toll on Lyle, who developed a bed-wetting problem at the age of 14 and suffered from insomnia. He also came to have a fierce temper. In high school his fathe