The first dramatized film about the killing of Jose Menendez and Kitty Menendez at the hands of their sons, Lyle Menendez and Erik Menendez. Originally airing on Fox on Monday, April 18th, 1994, another TV movie dramatizing the true events, Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills (1994), aired on CBS over a month later.
The movie is based on transcripts from the first murder trial of Lyle Menendez and Erik Menendez, in addition to the true crime nonfiction book "Blood Brother" written by Ron Soble and John Johnson.
The real Jose Menendez was born and raised in Cuba, and immigrated to the United States when he was a boy. James Farentino, who portrayed the elder Menendez in this film, was born in the United States and was of Italian descent on both sides of his family.