The $17 Million 'Murder Mansion': What Happened To The Menendez Brothers' House In 2025?

The infamous Beverly Hills mansion at 722 N Elm Dr, the site of one of America's most sensational and tragic crimes, has once again captured global attention, with its status becoming a major point of curiosity for true crime fans in late 2025. The property, where Lyle and Erik Menendez brutally murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989, has seen a dramatic resurgence in public interest following the release of the Netflix series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, and a massive, headline-grabbing sale that closed in March 2024. This renewed focus has transformed the once-private residence into an accidental "murder mansion tourist trap," forcing the new, unsuspecting owners to undertake extensive renovations to regain their privacy and escape the home's dark legacy.

The latest chapter in the house’s complex history is marked by a staggering $17 million sale, confirming that even the most notorious properties in the coveted 90210 zip code can command a premium price, despite years of being tainted by what court filings once described as "bad karma." As of today, December 18, 2025, the new owners are dealing with the fallout of the home’s renewed infamy, grappling with a constant stream of visitors and photographers drawn to the Mediterranean-style villa by its sinister past, a situation that has led to neighborhood distress and calls for police intervention.

The Victims: Biography of Jose and Kitty Menendez

The story of the house is inextricably linked to the lives and tragic deaths of its original owners, Jose and Kitty Menendez. Their ascent to wealth and prominence in Beverly Hills was a classic American success story that ended in infamy.

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• Jose Menendez (1944–1989): Born in Cuba, Jose was a highly successful, driven entertainment executive. He served as an executive at RCA Records before becoming the CEO of Live Entertainment, a company that owned the video distributor Vestron Video. His career was marked by ambition and significant financial success, which afforded the family their luxurious lifestyle on Elm Drive.
• Kitty Menendez (Mary Louise "Kitty" Andersen) (1941–1989): Born and raised in Chicago, Kitty was a former beauty pageant contestant. She met Jose while they were both attending Southern Illinois University. After their marriage in 1963, she became a homemaker, dedicated to raising their two sons, Lyle and Erik. She was often described as fragile and dependent on Jose.
• Family Timeline: Their first son, Joseph "Lyle" Menendez, was born in 1968, followed by Erik Galen Menendez in 1970.
• The Murders: On the night of August 20, 1989, Jose and Kitty Menendez were brutally shot to death with shotguns in the family room of their 722 N Elm Dr mansion. Jose was shot multiple times in the head and chest, while Kitty was shot in the leg, chest, and face.

The Curse of 'Bad Karma': A History of Sale and Ownership

Following the horrific 1989 murders, the 9,063 square-foot Mediterranean-style villa became a macabre landmark. The property’s value was immediately diminished, and it sat unoccupied for years as the Menendez estate dealt with the legal and financial fallout.

A Stigma That Lingered for Decades

The house was appraised at $4.5 million before the murders, but the intense media scrutiny and the crime's notoriety made it nearly impossible to sell at its true market value. It eventually sold in 1991 to an undisclosed buyer, marking the beginning of a strange and fascinating chain of ownership.

The Co-Creator of Murder, She Wrote: In a twist of irony that seems ripped from a Hollywood script, the mansion's next high-profile owner was William Link, the co-creator of the popular murder mystery series, Murder, She Wrote. Link purchased the house in 1993 and lived there for eight years, reportedly selling it in 2001. Link’s residency in the house where a real-life murder mystery unfolded only added to the property's bizarre lore, attracting the attention of true crime enthusiasts and media alike.

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The Long-Term Owner: After Link, the house was purchased in 2001 by telecommunications executive Samuel Delug for $3.7 million. Delug and his family owned the home for 23 years, a period of relative quiet for the notorious property. It was during this time that the home was renovated and lived in, attempting to shed its dark reputation.

The 2024 Sale and The Netflix Effect: A New Wave of Infamy

The year 2024 marked a pivotal moment for the Menendez mansion, bringing it back into the national spotlight with a vengeance. The confluence of a massive real estate transaction and a major streaming series has created a perfect storm of public fascination.

The Record-Breaking $17 Million Transaction

On March 20, 2024, the mansion was sold for a staggering $17 million. This price point—nearly five times its 2001 sale price—demonstrates the explosive growth of the Beverly Hills real estate market. The sale closed on the 28th anniversary of the Menendez brothers' murder convictions, a chilling coincidence that did not go unnoticed by the media.

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The property is a substantial estate, boasting seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms across its sprawling floor plan. Despite its history, the sheer size, location on the prestigious Elm Drive, and potential for renovation made it a valuable asset for the new, as-yet-unnamed owners.

The 'Monsters' Tourist Trap Phenomenon

The most immediate and disruptive development for the property has been the release of the Netflix series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. The series, which debuted in late 2024, reignited public interest in the case, driving a significant number of true crime fans and tourists to the quiet residential street.

The surge of visitors attempting to photograph the house, often peering over the hedges or driving slowly by, has deeply upset the neighbors and the new owners. The mansion has effectively become an accidental tourist attraction, prompting local residents to urge police to intervene and stop the influx of what they view as trespassers and gawkers.

In response to the constant attention, the new owners are reportedly moving ahead with extensive renovations. These efforts are likely aimed not only at updating the 1927-built structure but also at installing new privacy measures to shield themselves from the unrelenting public curiosity. The house, which once tried to shake off its dark past, is now the subject of intense, renewed scrutiny, proving that in Hollywood, some stories—and houses—never truly fade away. The ongoing saga of the Menendez brothers, from their resentencing hearing to the fate of their family home, ensures the mansion will remain a fixture in the true crime landscape for the foreseeable future.