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The story of the Menendez brothers who made headlines for the controversial and brutal murder of their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez has been adapted by Netflix into a series.
The series follows the relationship between the brothers and their parents, the murder, and the trial, which led to the arrest of the duo, and the main role in their arrest was played by a woman named Judalon Smyth, who later testified at their trials.
Judalon Smyth and the Menendez brothers never met each other or knew each other personally. Yet, seven months from the time of the double murder, she would be responsible for the arrest of the Menendez brothers on the charge of killing their parents.
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Who is Judalon Smyth and what was the role she played in the arrest of the Menendez brothers?
Judalon Smyth is a key figure in the Menendez brothers' case owing to her relationship with Dr. Jerome Oziel, who was their therapist. Smyth met Oziel in June 1989 while she was running a tape-duplicating business. She proposed they sell tapes of him talking about psychology and shortly after began a romantic affair.
It was around the time Erik Menendez confessed to Oziel about him and Lyle killing their parents that Smyth moved into Oziel's house. It appears that she was aware of this confession and its existence on record.
When Judalon Smyth and Dr. Jerome Oziel broke up in March 1990, she went to the police to tell them Oziel had recordings of the brothers confessing to the murders.
She was also a witness for the defense and in her testimony, Smyth spoke extensively about her relationship with Oziel, according to the Los Angeles Times:
"Oziel, she said, brainwashed her, programmed her and left her victimized, frightened and traumatized. She said she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and compared herself to a prisoner of war....From the stand, Smyth described once faking a suicide so Oziel could find her. She said she once made him an IOU for 500 sex acts. She once sent him a card inscribed, 'If only hugs could be put into words.'"
Oziel denied all the accusations and prosecutors believed that a criminal case against him would be fruitless as it would be pitting his words against hers.
Read more: How did the Menendez brothers' actions lead to their downfall?
Where is Judalon Smyth now?
Judalon Smyth has a LinkedIn page where she writes,
"I am a low-key-high-energy person. I believe no one should work, but everyone should be engage in a productive passion that sustains their lifestyle and in some way benefits others. I have many facets and talents, so have had many careers depending on the adventure at hand."
She began working as an EMT in the greater Los Angeles area in 2012, according to her LinkedIn, but it is unclear whether she is still in the same role.
In 2015, Smyth opened up about her treatment by the media for her involvement in the case, on Reelz' Murder Made Me Famous, where she said:
"It was a little confusing for me the way the media was. I really didn't understand the attack I was going to come under for doing the right thing...There was some paper that said something about me having loose lips. It's like, excuse me. If that was your mother and father getting murdered, would you like someone to have tight lips or loose lips?"
According to her LinkedIn profile, she still lives in Los Angeles.
Catch the full story of the Menendez brothers on Netflix now.
