The anticipated second installment of Ryan Murphy‘s crime anthology Netflix series Monster has arrived. Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, tackles one of the United States’ most infamous legal cases, and is already receiving criticism for its portrayal of the Menendez brothers, as well as its depiction of the murders. The series stars Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch as the brothers, as well as Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny as José and Kitty Menendez, and spans a seven-year period — from the 1989 murders to the brothers’ sentencing in 1996.
The anthology’s previous season, Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, was met with a fair amount of backlash upon release. Critics denounced the series, which starred Evan Peters as the titular character, and Murphy for glorifying a real-life serial killer, with families of Dahmer’s victims stating the show retraumatized them and did not involve them in the process. While the second season of Monster has received similar criticism as an exploitative retelling, it’s also been credited with sparking a renewed interest in the case, which is currently being reexamined following the discovery of new evidence.
The Menendez Brothers Case Still Lives in Infamy
On August 20, 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez shot and killed their parents in their Beverly Hills home. The brutal nature of the killings, along with the fact that José Menendez (an entertainment executive) allegedly had several business rivals and ties to an embittered porn executive, led police to believe that the murders had been arranged by the Mafia — a theory that was supported by the Menendez brothers. Lyle and Erik were initially not considered suspects, but their behavior — primarily their lavish spending habits immediately after the murders took place — raised suspicions with police. José Menendez was worth a reported $14 million dollars at the time of his death and, according to Robert Rand‘s The Menendez Murders, the brothers had spent nearly $700,000 within a matter of months following the murders of their parents.
In 1990, Erik confessed to his psychologist, Dr. Jerome Oziel, whom he had seen years previously for court-mandated therapy following his participation in a string of burglaries. Dr. Oziel recorded their sessions and disclosed the confession to his mistress, who in turn reported the murders to the police, leading to the brothers’ arrest. Following their arrest, the Menendez brothers claimed they killed their parents out of fear after years of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse by their father.
Two Trials Turned the Menendez Brothers Into Tabloid Sensations
The case went to trial in 1993, and it received significant media attention due to the nature of the brothers’ allegations against their parents. The trial was televised on Court TV, turning the Menendez case into a primetime spectacle and allowing blanket coverage of the case before, during, and after both trials. Both brothers were represented by renowned criminal defense attorney Leslie Abramson in the 1993 trial but were subject to separate juries. The first trials focused primarily on the sexual abuse Lyle and Erik allegedly suffered at the hands of José Menendez, as well as Kitty Menendez’s alleged apathy after being informed about the abuse. Two members of the extended Menendez family supported the allegations of sexual abuse. Still, the prosecution argued that the brothers had killed their parents for financial gain, controversially stating that men cannot be sexually abused because they “lack the necessary equipment.”
The 1993 trials resulted in two hung juries and the brothers were retried in 1996. Both Lyle and Erik were convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, and were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Menendez case raised several questions about abuse, the power of wealth, and the criminal justice system, as the brothers’ second trial, given the limited understanding of the impact of sexual abuse at the time, notably disallowed the allegations of sexual abuse.
‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ Has Caused Renewed Interest in the Case
All nine episodes of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story were released on September 19 and have already garnered criticism online for how the series approached the case of the Menendez brothers. While the series generally sticks to the facts of the case and surrounding events, with the requisite sensationalism of a Ryan Murphy crime drama, the earlier episodes veer into portraying the brothers as having a vaguely incestuous relationship. This comes off as irresponsible, especially given the latter episodes’ coverage of the explicit sexual abuse Lyle (Chavez) and Erik (Koch) Menendez were allegedly subjected to by José Menendez (Bardem).
Conversely, the series has succeeded in highlighting the story of the Menendez brothers. Fox News 11 reported that the series “has brought a renewed interest to the Menendez brothers’ case,” citing a group of TikTok-ers pushing for clemency for the brothers. This is not the first time attention to the Menendez brothers’ case has sparked a reaction from social media users either. However, this comes at a time when the brothers, who continue to serve life sentences in San Diego’s RJ Donovan Correctional Facility, have sought a new hearing and retrial after further evidence supporting their claims of sexual abuse was discovered in 2023.
Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, a Peacock original series, was released in 2023 and covered the abuse ex-Menudo member Roy Rosselló alleges he suffered at the hands of the band’s manager, Edgardo DÃaz. Rosselló, who would have been 13 when the abuse began, also alleges that he was sexually abused by José Menendez (an executive for RCA Records, one of Menudo’s labels) while in New York with Menudo. This evidence, combined with a resurfaced letter written by Erik Menendez to his cousin in 1988 that contained discussion of the abuse, has resulted in a habeas corpus petition being filed on behalf of the Menendez brothers which, if successful, could result in their convictions being vacated.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is available to stream on Netflix.
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