The so-called Bathtub Girls, known by the pseudonyms of Sandra and Beth, drugged and drowned their alcoholic mother Linda in the bathtub of their Ontario home in January 2003. The pair allegedly killed Linda after suffering years of abuse. Georgie Henley (left) and Abigail Breslin (right) are pictured portraying the sisters in the 2014 film Perfect Sisters, which was inspired by the Bathtub Girls murder

America remains riveted by the gruesome Menendez family slaying which made brothers Erik and Lyle household names in the 1990s. But across the northern border, in an eerily similar case, two sisters are able to live freely despite having drugged and drowned their alcoholic mother in the bathtub of their Ontario home

The so-called Bathtub Girls – known by the pseudonyms of Sandra and Beth – killed their mother Linda, also an alias, 16 years after Erik and Lyle Menendez murdered their parents.

Linda, 44, died in January 2003 after Sandra and Beth plied her with vodka and codeine-laced Tylenol 3s, helped her into a bath, and held her head underwater for four minutes. The scene was so convincing that her death was initially ruled an accidental drowning and the sisters received $133,000 in life insurance money.

Sandra and Beth, then 16 and 15, evaded their crime for a whole year, but were arrested after online chat logs revealed their plan to kill Linda. They were ultimately found guilty of murder and sentenced to the maximum youth term of 10 years.

Erik and Lyle Menendez, then 18 and 21, shot their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez 14 times with 12-gauge shotguns in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. After an initial mistrial, the brothers were convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Prosecutors painted Erik and Lyle’s crime as a cold-hearted bid to get their hands on their parents’ $14million fortune, but the defense argued that they acted out of self-defense after years of emotional and sexual abuse by their father. 

Like the Menendez brothers, the prosecution argued the Bathtub Girls were cold-blooded and money-hungry killers, while the sisters alleged their childhood was plagued by physical and sexual abuse, as well as their mother’s alcoholism.

The Menendez case has seen a huge surge of renewed interest as Eirk and Lyle make a bid for freedom this year. Meanwhile, Sandra and Beth are free to live new lives with their identities protected under Canada‘s Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The sisters were released after serving just six years behind bars. Sandra became a scientist and single mother, but says she lives with ‘constant regret’. Beth trained to be a lawyer and is now at the center of a row with the Law Society of Ontario which tried to use her sealed youth criminal record to disqualify her practicing.

Like the Menendez bothers case, which spawned a Netflix series, the grisly tale of the Bathtub Girls was depicted in the 2014 film Perfect Sisters, starring Abigail Breslin and Georgie Henley.  

The so-called Bathtub Girls, known by the pseudonyms of Sandra and Beth, drugged and drowned their alcoholic mother Linda in the bathtub of their Ontario home in January 2003. The pair allegedly killed Linda after suffering years of abuse. Georgie Henley (left) and Abigail Breslin (right) are pictured portraying the sisters in the 2014 film Perfect Sisters, which was inspired by the Bathtub Girls murder

The so-called Bathtub Girls, known by the pseudonyms of Sandra and Beth, drugged and drowned their alcoholic mother Linda in the bathtub of their Ontario home in January 2003. The pair allegedly killed Linda after suffering years of abuse. Georgie Henley (left) and Abigail Breslin (right) are pictured portraying the sisters in the 2014 film Perfect Sisters, which was inspired by the Bathtub Girls murder

Like the Menendez bothers case, which spawned a Netflix series, the grisly tale of the Bathtub Girls was depicted in the 2014 film Perfect Sisters, starring Abigail Breslin and Georgie Henley

Like the Menendez bothers case, which spawned a Netflix series, the grisly tale of the Bathtub Girls was depicted in the 2014 film Perfect Sisters, starring Abigail Breslin and Georgie Henley 

The sisters' case is eerily similar to that of Erik and Lyle Menendez, who shot their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez 14 times with 12-gauge shotguns in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. The defense argued that the brothers (pictured in 1990) killed in self-defense after suffering years of emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of their father

The sisters’ case is eerily similar to that of Erik and Lyle Menendez, who shot their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez 14 times with 12-gauge shotguns in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. The defense argued that the brothers (pictured in 1990) killed in self-defense after suffering years of emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of their father

On January 18, 2003, Sandra and Beth got their mother – who was struggling with alcoholism – so drunk on vodka and painkillers that she was nearly unconscious. 

Sometime around 6pm the sisters helped Linda into a bath. She laid down in the tub with her head against the taps.

‘Turn over, Mom,’ Sandra, then 16, instructed, as she did not want to look into Linda’s eyes as she drowned her. 

Beth, then 15, stood in the doorway and watched as Sandra, wearing gloves to avoid obvious bruising, gently pushed down on Linda’s head and held it underwater for four minutes until she stopped twitching. 

The duo then dined with two friends at a popular Canadian restaurant chain in a pre-arranged alibi before returning home four hours later and calling 911, The Toronto Star reported.  

The pair, who allegedly practiced crying ahead of the call, told dispatch that they had found Linda in the tub, ‘not moving’, and were in complete hysterics when police arrived at the home. 

The coroner ruled Linda’s death an accidental drowning due to excessive alcohol consumption and the case was seemingly closed, with the pair receiving a hefty payout from their mother’s life insurance policy.

The pair got away with murder for more than a year and even bragged to friends about having killed their mother. 

But investigators re-opened the case after receiving a startling tip from a family friend that Linda’s death was a pre-meditated murder orchestrated by the sisters and a group of high school friends.

Police launched a video sting operation that saw one sister admit to a friend that she killed her mother. She described the gruesome final moments of Linda’s life, saying how she ‘kept convulsing’ and ‘kept twitching’ while underwater. 

The video ultimately lead to the duo’s arrest.

Sandra and Beth denied murder throughout their eight-week trial in 2005, but the jury delivered a guilty verdict just one day after closing arguments concluded, according to CBC News.

Justice Bruce Duncan, who proceeded over the trial, described the evidence against the pair as ‘overwhelming’ and ‘probably the strongest case I have ever seen in over 30 years’.

Sandra and Beth scoured the internet for ideas of how to kill their mother and spent weeks preparing to carry out the crime. The sisters consulted with at least three close friends - online and in person - for advice before they committed murdered. Pictured is the depiction of Linda's funeral, as seen in Perfect Sisters

Sandra and Beth scoured the internet for ideas of how to kill their mother and spent weeks preparing to carry out the crime. The sisters consulted with at least three close friends – online and in person – for advice before they committed murdered. Pictured is the depiction of Linda’s funeral, as seen in Perfect Sisters

The court heard how the sisters scoured the internet for ideas of how to kill their mother and spent weeks preparing to carry out the crime.

The jury was shown MSN chat logs that revealed the two girls told several friends they were planning to murder their mother by drowning her, The Mississauga News reported.

The sisters consulted with at least three close friends – online and in person – for advice before they committed the crime. 

One reminded them to ‘wear gloves’, another urged them to ‘think about their alibi’, and a young man who was dating one of the sisters even detailed exactly how they should carry out the murder. 

‘Your mom gets Tylenol 3’s, right?’ the boyfriend – whose identity is also protected – wrote in one chat presented to the court, City News Everywhere reported.

‘Probably,’ his girlfriend replied.

‘Seriously, you should include them in the game plan,’ he wrote back. ‘I’m not talking 20 here. I mean like five.’

He also urged the pair to think of things they could do to mislead police and suggested they buy timestamped movie tickets an hour before the killing so they could ‘create a paper trail’. 

‘I’m involved this much, I’m willing to help you out with any of it,’ he wrote.

The sisters even continued communicating with their friends while they carried out the horrific murder, describing how Linda was ‘passing out’ and ‘barely moving’ while they plied her with alcohol and drugs. 

The sisters separately admitted to the killing, but their lawyers argued that their confessions were false. The defense claimed Sandra and Beth (as depicted in the film) were so 'desperate for attention' that they devised a 'class project of how to kill mom' with their friends

The sisters separately admitted to the killing, but their lawyers argued that their confessions were false. The defense claimed Sandra and Beth (as depicted in the film) were so ‘desperate for attention’ that they devised a ‘class project of how to kill mom’ with their friends

The court was shown video footage of each sister separately admitting to the killing – but their lawyers argued that their confessions were false.

Sandra and Beth were so ‘desperate for attention’ that they devised a ‘class project of how to kill mom’ with their friends, defense attorney Jack McCuligh told the court.

‘We have an accidental death and a school class project – how to kill mother – which became a fable when their mother accidentally died,’ he said. ‘The fact that my client is an accomplished liar doesn’t make her a murderer.’ 

He further argued that the girls ‘felt guilty’ because Linda, whom he described as a ‘drunk who finally pushed her luck too far’, died after they left her alone while she was intoxicated.

Eugene Bhattacharya, another attorney for the defense, added that it was an ‘unfortunate coincidence’ that Linda died and that the pair had talked about killing her.

A jury convicted the sisters, then aged 19 and 18, of murder and sentenced to the maximum youth term of 10 years.

‘The defendants set out to commit the perfect crime, but instead they created the perfect prosecution,’ Judge Duncan said as he delivered the verdict.

Neither displayed emotion as the guilty verdict was read out.

The sisters were meant to serve a sentence of six years in secure custody and four supervised in the community, but Sandra was paroled after three years and Beth after four.

The boyfriend was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and received an 18-month sentence. An appeals court later reduced his sentence to eight months confinement and four months under supervision.

Sandra, pictured during an interview in 2020, revealed she still struggles with the guilt of killing Linda and offered insight as to why the pair turned to murder. Sandra claimed that she and Beth grew up with 'physical abuse and drugs and alcohol in the home' and alleged that 'drunk driving' and screaming were a 'regular part of our life'. She also claimed she was sexually abused as a child

Sandra, pictured during an interview in 2020, revealed she still struggles with the guilt of killing Linda and offered insight as to why the pair turned to murder. Sandra claimed that she and Beth grew up with ‘physical abuse and drugs and alcohol in the home’ and alleged that ‘drunk driving’ and screaming were a ‘regular part of our life’. She also claimed she was sexually abused as a child

Sandra, in a series of interviews with journalist Bob Mitchell - who covered the trial extensively and authored a book about the case - claimed killing was 'easy'. She is quoted saying: 'All I had to do was hold her head under water. She was in a bathtub filled with water. It's not hard. It's a lot easier to kill a person than you think. I don't know how easy it is to get away with it'

Sandra, in a series of interviews with journalist Bob Mitchell – who covered the trial extensively and authored a book about the case – claimed killing was ‘easy’. She is quoted saying: ‘All I had to do was hold her head under water. She was in a bathtub filled with water. It’s not hard. It’s a lot easier to kill a person than you think. I don’t know how easy it is to get away with it’

Sandra has since spoken about the murder and in a series of interviews with journalist Bob Mitchell, who covered the trial extensively and authored a book about the case, claimed killing was ‘easy’.

‘All I had to do was hold her head under water,’ Sandra said, as quoted in Mitchell’s 2008 book The Class Project: How to Kill a Mother.

‘She was in a bathtub filled with water. It’s not hard. It’s a lot easier to kill a person than you think. I don’t know how easy it is to get away with it.’

She said she ‘planned’ the killing ‘pretty well’, but noted it is important to keep your lies straight.

‘There’s all this stuff you have to remember. Like when you’re giving your statement to the cops or whatever. You have to remember, like, you know things that people do when they’re lying. Like, start off with something big, and then get more and more into details. Like, that’s obviously a major sign that you’re lying,’ she explained.

Beth, according to the book, tried to make sense of Linda’s murder by saying it was ‘done to end the pain’ of her addiction.

Linda’s drinking allegedly left her ‘incapacitated’ and ‘out of control’ – and the sisters believed her alcoholism would kill her. 

Beth said they were just trying to ‘speed up the process’ and offer Linda a ‘merciful’ death that was ‘quick and painless’. She added that ‘drastic actions are called for in drastic situations’.

Beth, depicted in the film by Georgie Henley, studied to become a lawyer and in 2016 applied for admission to the Law Society of Ontario. Beth trained to be a lawyer and is now at the center of a row the Law Society of Ontario which tried to use her sealed youth criminal record to disqualify her practicing

Beth, depicted in the film by Georgie Henley, studied to become a lawyer and in 2016 applied for admission to the Law Society of Ontario. Beth trained to be a lawyer and is now at the center of a row the Law Society of Ontario which tried to use her sealed youth criminal record to disqualify her practicing

Four years ago, Sandra spoke out about the case again, revealing she still struggles with the guilt of killing Linda and offered insight as to why the pair turned to murder.

Sandra told Global News that she and Beth grew up with ‘physical abuse and drugs and alcohol in the home’, alleging that ‘drunk driving’ and screaming were also a ‘regular part of our life’.

She also claimed she was sexually abused as a child, telling the news outlet: ‘I don’t even remember the abuse starting. I remember the molestation, the touching, always being a part of my life.’ 

Sandra explained that she decided to kill her mother after reaching a point where she felt she had no other options.

‘When I realized “oh my god, she’s never gonna stop drinking, nobody cares” – like right after that I was like “I should just kill her. Nobody cares. Nobody sees what’s going on. What difference does it make?”‘ she recalled.

‘There’s this story, “it’s like oh there’s this teenage girl who woke up and murdered her mother.” I was so traumatized when I came to that conclusion.’

Sandra said she had the ‘tragic mistaken belief’ that Linda was going to die from alcoholism and ‘I just couldn’t bury it anymore’.

She says she does remember the murder and it continues to haunt her to this day.

‘I don’t want to have that memory and I never wanted to live that and I never wanted to do that,’ she added.

Unlike Erik (pictured) and Lyle Menendez - whose blockbuster murder trial became almost compulsory viewing the 1990s - the public will never know Sandra and Beth's true identities because they are protected under Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act

Also unlike Erik and Lyle Menendez (pictured) - who have launched a new bid for release from prison - both Bathtub Girls were released early and free to live new lives

Unlike Erik (left) and Lyle Menendez (right) – whose blockbuster murder trial became almost compulsory viewing the 1990s – the public will never know Sandra and Beth’s true identities because they are protected under Canada’s Youth Criminal Justice Act. Also unlike the brothers – who have launched a new bid for release from prison – both Bathtub Girls were released early and to live new lives

Sandra, now a single mother, spent years in therapy and has since been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. She graduated from university and works as a scientist.  

Beth studied to become a lawyer and in 2016 applied for admission to the Law Society of Ontario (LSO), according to the Toronto Sun.

Although her murder conviction was sealed under Canada’s Youth Criminal Justice Act, Beth disclosed it on the JSO admission form which triggered a referral to a ‘good character’ hearing.

She authorized the organization to access her youth criminal record, but now claims the LSO tried to disqualify her from practicing law because of her conviction. 

Beth has gone before Justice Duncan, the same judge who convicted her, and asked to have the record rescinded.

He agreed and further argued the Law Review should not be considering her past in its decision because after serving her sentence, the conviction has been ‘erased’.

She is ‘conclusively deemed never to have committed the offence,’ he wrote. 

The LSO is reportedly reviewing its decision in Beth’s case. 

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