Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story –What Really Happened?
As true crime fans prepare for the newest season of Netflix’s Monsters to premiere on September 19, let’s take a look at the real-life story of the murderous Menendez brothers, Lyle and Erik, whom this season is focused on. Last season featured Jeffrey Dahmer and was arguably disturbing. This time around, there might be a bit more sympathy given to the killers when their lives are explored. Yes, they killed their parents. It might not be a solid reason, but they declare this came after years of abuse that they endured.
During their trial, the brothers stated that they murdered their parents, Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, out of fear that their father would kill them after they threatened to expose his years of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse. The prosecution, however, argued that they committed these murders to get their hands on their father’s multimillion-dollar estate. The brothers were tried separately at first, with a different jury for each brother.
After both juries deadlocked, resulting in mistrials, they were tried together by a single jury. That jury found them guilty in 1996, and the brothers were sentenced to life in prison – without the possibility of parole.
The killings took place on the evening of August 20, 1989. Jose and Mary Louise Menendez were in the den of their Beverly Hills mansion when Lyle and Erik entered with shotguns. Jose was shot six times, while Mary Louise was shot a total of ten times. It has been revealed that Mary Louise did not die instantly. In fact, her son Lyle had to run to his car to reload his shotgun before firing the fatal shot to her face that killed her.
While the brothers claim these murders came after years of abuse, the prosecution’s case was quite strong because, in the months following this fateful evening, the brothers spent a lot of money on lavish items – including restaurants and vehicles. Collectively, they spent about $700,000 in just a few months before they were arrested for the murders.
Investigators did not immediately suspect the Menendez brothers; however they were suspicious because of their elaborate spending. When no mob leads turned up anything, police arranged for Erik’s friend, Craig Cignarelli, to wear a wire during a lunch they were having. Erik denied it then, but eventually confessed to his psychologist, Jerome Oziel. Oziel then told his mistress, Judalon Smyth, who, in a fit of rage, told the police about the brothers’ involvement after their bitter break-up.
Lyle was arrested on March 8, 1990, and Erik turned himself in three days later. Both were held without bail and jailed separately. The taped conversations between Erik and his psychologist were ruled admissible after Oziel admitted that Lyle threatened him, which violates the doctor-patient privilege. This decision was appealed and delayed the trial for two years, before the Supreme Court of California ruled in August 1992 that most of the tapes were admissible.
The Menendez brothers’ defense was that they feared for their lives after a lifetime of abuse and felt the only way to escape it was to kill their parents. Jose was described as a cruel perfectionist and pedophile, while Mary Louise was described as an enabling, selfish, mentally unstable alcoholic and drug addict who encouraged her husband’s behavior and was also violent toward her sons.
Two family members supported these allegations and testified in court in support of the brothers. Erik testified that a couple of weeks before the night of the murders, he told his brother about the sexual abuse he was experiencing, which led to several confrontations within the family. The Menendez brothers also testified that their father threatened to kill them if they did not keep the abuse secret. According to both Lyle and Erik, the last confrontation happened inside their home’s den on August 20, 1989, a few minutes before Mary Louise and Jose were killed. Afraid that they would be killed by their parents, Lyle and Erik went outside to load their shotguns and came into the den firing.
After two hung juries, the second trial began. This is where things get a bit messy. Relying upon a legal decision by the Supreme Court in an unrelated case, there was limited testimony about the sexual abuse claims, and the jury was not allowed to vote on manslaughter charges instead of murder charges.
If the abuse allegations are, in fact, true, it is easy to see why Lyle and Erik would snap. Of course, murder is not right, however, their reasoning would be somewhat justified. It does seem that the killing was a crime of passion and a release of built-up emotions.
New evidence has recently come out seemingly supporting the brothers’ story – a letter written by Erik to his cousin, Andy Cano, in December 1988, where he writes that he is trying to avoid his father because “it is still happening” and that it is “worse for me now,” adding “I’m afraid… He’s crazy.”
It will be interesting to see how viewers feel about the Menendez brothers after they watch Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Considering they are still trying to appeal their life sentences, this could positively impact their lives. Either way, murder is never okay.
About Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
In the second installment of the Monster anthology series, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan tackle another high-profile case that captivated the nation in the ’90s. Coming to Netflix on Sept. 19, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story tells the story of two brothers who killed their parents on Aug. 20, 1989, and the events surrounding the brutal slayings. Both were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
_
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She owns Mama’s Geeky, but also is a freelance writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for more than ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association. Her passion for film, television, video games, and comic books started when she was a little girl and has only continued to grow.