Murders Prompt Entertainment Firm to Order Internal Review

The execution-style murders of entertainment executive Jose Menendez and his wife have prompted his company, LIVE Entertainment, to hire an outside law firm to conduct an internal review, the company said today.

“All who worked with (Menendez) find it inconceivable that he was involved in any unsavory dealings that might have led to this tragic event,” the company said in a prepared statement, adding that “many of the rumors which are the subject of press speculation are frankly absurd.”

Menendez, 45, and his wife, Kitty, 44, were found dead Aug. 20 in their Beverly Hills mansion.

Although police have refused to disclose details of the slayings, The Times reported Wednesday that sources close to the case said the couple were killed by at least two people who fired more than a dozen blasts from 12-gauge shotguns, including a coup de grace shot to Menendez after he was dead.

In its statement, LIVE said it is cooperating with police and has retained the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison “to assist us in conducting an internal review.”

The company did not specify what areas of its business will be reviewed.

--- UNPUBLISHED NOTE ---

Correction

Mary Louise (Kitty) Menendez was 47 when she died, not 44.

--- END NOTE ---