Revisiting the Menendez Murders: First Look of Courtney Love as Kitty

It’s one of those scandals you never forget. In 1989, 21-year-old Lyle and 18-year-old Erik Menendez shot and killed their parents, businessman Jose and homemaker Kitty, in their Beverly Hills den. The boys—who are both still serving life sentences—claimed they had been sexually abused by their father. Few people believed them. Lifetime’s new film Menendez: Blood Brothers (June 11, 8/7c) takes the opposite view. “The popular notion is that Lyle and Erik were greedy monsters,” executive producer and director Randy Barbato says. “This movie explores the possibility that the reason they murdered their parents was exactly what they claimed.” And yes, that’s former Hole frontwoman Courtney Love (left, with Benito Martinez as Jose) playing Kitty. “It is a completely unexpected role for her,” Barbato (who helmed with creative partner Fenton Bailey) says. “But Courtney could portray the vulnerability that we wanted for Kitty. In that, they’re kindred spirits.”

Menendez: Blood Brothers, Premieres Sunday, June 11, 8/7c, Lifetime