Premonition

Erik and his friend, Craig Cignarelli, wrote a screenplay. He too was a son of a wealthy entertainment executive. The story was entitled “Friends” and it was about a son who murders his own parents in order to claim the inheritance early. As for Lyle, he wasn’t on the straight and narrow path either. He was eventually suspended from Princeton because aside from failing grades and bad behavior, he was also caught plagiarizing.

The Events Unfold

Days before the murder, Lyle and Erik bought two 12-gauge shotguns. And on the evening of August 20, 1989, both brothers shot their parents to death while they were in the den. They had set it all up because soon after, they bought movie tickets as an alibi. They wanted to see the James Bond film License to Kill but ended up watching Batman instead.