. >> there is no issue as to who killed jose and marylouies menendez. why they were killed is what the focus of all of our evidence will be on. >> trials are story-telling competitions. >> reporter: abc's terry moran, a self-described rookie reporter at the time covered the case extensively for court tv. >> so whoever story in the trial that's anchored in the facts as they come out, that's who's going to persuade the jury. >> the prosecution was completely focused on the idea that eric and lyle menendez were greedy rich kids that had killed their parents because they were in a hurry to inherit their money. >> reporter: in the days after the murder, a shopping spree by the brothers. >> why did you need to buy a rolex watch four days after your parents were killed? >> i didn't need to. >> reporter: they made the case that the brothers were afraid of being cut out of their parents' will. but the story took a turn when the defense alleged a deep rooted family secret. >> he killed his parents because he could no longer endure their abuse and had to stop it.