“The gripping true crime series, The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story, chronicles the shocking and infamous crime committed by brothers Lyle and Erik Menéndez in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Another highly acclaimed Netflix crime drama, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, delves into the life of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. After the success of its first season, the series was renewed for two more seasons, with the first one delving into the intriguing story of the Menéndez brothers.”
In the upcoming crime drama, Lyle and Erik Menéndez will be portrayed by Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch, respectively.
The cast of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story also includes Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny, who play the roles of José and Kitty Menéndez, the parents of Lyle and Erik. Additionally, the series features Dallas Roberts as Dr. Jerome Oziel, Jason Butler Harner as Les Zoeller, Enrique Murciano as Carlos Baralt, Nathan Lane as Dominick Dunne, Ari Graynor as Leslie Abramson, and Leslie Grossman as Judalon Smyth. These talented actors and actresses portray real-life individuals who played pivotal roles in the Menéndez case.
The Sinful Crime of the Menendez Brothers
This documentary on Netflix delves into the real-life events surrounding the Menendez brothers’ alleged murder of their parents. In August 1989, José and Kitty were fatally shot by their sons. Lyle and Erik used 12-gauge Mossberg shotguns to shoot José six times inside their home, and Kitty was shot ten times.
While awaiting the arrival of the police, the brothers remained inside the house. Lyle and Erik informed the authorities that they had been out but returned to find José and Kitty deceased when the police arrived at the scene of the crime. Initially, law enforcement seemed to trust the Menéndez brothers and began to investigate potential suspects and motives for the murders.
Despite initially telling the police that they were at a movie theater and the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium for a festival during the time of the murders, Lyle and Eric soon fell under suspicion by the Los Angeles police in the months following their parents’ deaths.
The Menéndez brothers were taken into custody
After the murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menéndez, on August 20, 1989, Lyle and Erik, who were 18 and 21 at the time, made the decision to use a large portion of their parents’ wealth.
As they splurged on fancy restaurants, luxurious trips, and expensive Rolex watches, the brothers also put their newfound riches into different business ventures. However, their extravagant lifestyle and hefty expenditures drew disapproval from the public and law enforcement. This disapproval only intensified when it was uncovered that they had used nearly $700,000 of their parents’ money. As a result, the Menéndez brothers quickly became the primary target of the police’s investigation.
In March of 1990, Judalon Smyth, the girlfriend of Lyle and Erik’s psychologist, phoned the police and provided them with a tip. In Leslie Grossman’s portrayal of Smyth in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story, it was revealed that the brothers had confessed to the murders during a therapy session and that there was evidence to support their claims. During the therapy session, Erik was recorded admitting that he and Lyle were responsible for the deaths of José and Kitty. As a result, Lyle was apprehended by the police on March 8, 1990, outside of his parents’ home, while Erik turned himself in a few days later after returning from a trip to Israel.
Erik Menéndez and Lyle Menéndez were each given a life sentence in prison
Despite being arrested in March 1990, Lyle and Erik Menéndez did not receive a sentence until years later. This was due to the mistrial that occurred during their first trial, resulting in the brothers having to endure two separate trials. In the 1993 trial, Lyle and Erik were tried concurrently, but the different juries rendered different decisions.
Despite weeks of jury deliberation to determine whether Lyle and Erik should be convicted of manslaughter or murder, a mistrial was declared by the judge. If they had been found guilty of first-degree murder, the siblings could have faced the death penalty.
In October 1995, after a few years had passed, the second trial commenced. However, the prosecution opted for a single jury instead of two, and ultimately achieved a favorable outcome. The Menéndez brothers were convicted of first-degree murder, but Lyle and Erik were spared the death penalty and instead given life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Menéndez disclosed their true intentions for the homicide
The defense team for Lyle and Erik Menéndez argued in their first trial that their parents, José and Kitty, had mistreated them during their childhood. Due to this, the brothers claimed self-defense in the murder of their parents and anticipated a verdict of manslaughter instead of first-degree murder.
During their testimony, Lyle and Erik recounted the sexual abuse they endured from their parents, which began at the age of six and continued until just days before the murders. Lyle stated that his father abused him until the time of the killings, while Erik recalled the abuse ending when he was eight years old.
Despite the Menéndez brothers’ claim that they had confronted José and Kitty, causing conflict, Lyle and Erik feared that their parents would retaliate and harm them. They asserted that they had taken matters into their own hands.
Despite their actions after the murders, which seemed to confirm their financial motivation, Lyle and Erik were not taken seriously by many at the time. The purchase of shotguns a few days prior to the killings led prosecutors to believe that the murders were premeditated. However, it remains unknown which motivation will be explored in depth in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story.
Lyle and Erik Menéndez’s Convictions and Current Whereabouts
Despite being imprisoned for nearly thirty years since their second trial, Lyle and Erik Menéndez continue to serve separate life sentences at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County, California. However, recent developments in the case may potentially prove the Menéndez brothers’ claims of maltreatment to be true.
The outcome of the judge’s decision will determine if they will be granted a retrial, but Lyle and Erik Menéndez will continue to be imprisoned.
About the Second Season of Monster
The next entry in the Monster anthology series, created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, delves into another notorious case that gripped the nation during the 1990s. Set to premiere on Netflix on September 19, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story chronicles the shocking murders of their parents on August 20, 1989 and the aftermath of the heinous crime. Both brothers were ultimately convicted of first-degree murder and given life sentences without the chance of parole.
The initial installment of Monster, DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, was released in 2022 and was produced by Murphy and Brennan. It focused on the gruesome murders of Jeffrey Dahmer (Evan Peters) between 1978 and 1991. The series, which aired on Netflix, was a huge hit, garnering 1 billion view hours within its first 60 days. It joined the ranks of other successful Netflix shows such as Stranger Things and Squid Game by achieving this milestone. Due to the overwhelming success of the first installment, two more were commissioned to explore the lives of other infamous individuals who have made a lasting impact on society.
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