One of the most popular series on Netflix recently is Monsters: the Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, the 'based on a true case' drama depicting how two brothers, Lyle and Erik Menendez, brutally shot and murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty, at home in 1989. The series also goes on to detail that both boys were victims of sexual abuse at the hands of their father growing up, explaining the initially unclear reason they shot and killed them.
At first, the siblings claimed they discovered their parents' bodies and the police chalked the killings up to a mob attack – but later, after the brothers got stuck in to spending their inheritance money with alleged aplomb, the authorities began to suspect Lyle and Erik of being involved.
Following an initial trial resulting in a hung jury, the second trial – which prevented the defense from putting forward evidence of alleged child sex abuse – found both Erik and Lyle guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder (which they have both admitted to).
They are now both serving life sentences, however interest around their case has picked back up given all the recent media attention and it's expected that they will be back in court again later this year, to put forward a case not of innocence but reduced culpability. This could see their sentences changed.
Now, a follow-up documentary, The Menendez Brothers, has made its way on to Netflix, and both Erik, now 51, and Lyle, 55, are sharing their version of events – and what they have to say about Monsters isn't exactly complimentary.
What is The Menendez Brothers documentary about?
This latest programme on the Menendez murders, The Menendez Brothers, has just dropped on Netflix and features the brothers speaking in their own words about their crimes. It also dives in to the motives behind the brothers killing their parents, including the abuse they claim to have endured at the hands of both their mother and father (more so the latter).
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In the documentary, Erik is keen to tell their story first-hand, saying, "So much hasn’t been told and I think that not speaking out doesn’t help anyone." The film also looks at the build up to the brothers being caught by police, explores their disbelief at not being suspected by the authorities right away and hears them comment on their now-infamous shopping sprees after the killings, as recreated in Monsters.
Speaking about the way they spent their inheritance, in the documentary Erik claims he wasn't having a good time but was instead trying to block out the pain and terror he was feeling.
"The idea that I was having a good time is absurd," he says. "Everything was to cover up this horrible pain of not wanting to be alive. One of the things that kept me from killing myself is I felt like I would be a complete failure to my dad at that point."
Lyle also features and shares similar thoughts, saying he was hardly "enjoying himself as a playboy" and couldn't sleep after the murders, which left him so deeply troubled and upset.
What is revealed in The Menendez Brothers documentary?
As well as giving the brothers the time and space to talk about their crimes directly, the documentary also sees Lyle speak out about his arrest – and allege that it was done in order to entertain the media circus surrounding the brothers.
"They could have just called me and told me to come into the police station. It was a staged arrest for a media circus," he claims. "They had called the media to be ready [and] arrested me with a SWAT team, cornering the car on the road, like I was a fugitive drug dealer or something."
The documentary also sees Erik confess to feeling guilty about bringing Lyle into the plot to kill their parents, lamenting that aspect of his decision. "I went to the only person who had ever helped me, that ever protected me. Ultimately, this happened because of me, because I went to him," he says.
"And then afterwards, let's just be honest, he was arrested because of me because I told [his therapist] Dr Oziel, because I couldn't live with what I did. I couldn't live with it, I wanted to die. In a way I did not protect Lyle, I got him into every aspect of this tragedy, every aspect of this tragedy is my fault."
What have Erik and Lyle Menendez said about Netflix's Monsters?
Taking to Facebook, Erik criticised the drama series starring Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez and called it a "dishonest portrayal" of what truly happened – and why.
"I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent," he wrote. "I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show."
Erik then added, "It is sad for me to know that Netflix's dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime have taken the painful truths several steps backward — back through time to an era when the prosecution built a narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually abused, and that males experienced rape trauma differently than women."
In response, Murphy told E! News during a red carpet chat, "I think that's interesting because I know he hasn't watched the show. So I find that curious... I hope he does watch it. I think if he did watch it he would be incredibly proud of Cooper Koch who plays him."
Since Monsters aired, many have spoken out on social media in support of the Menendez brothers, including Kim Kardashian, who shared a post on Instagram saying: "It’s time for the Menendez brothers to be freed. We are all products of our experiences. They shape who we were, who we are, and who we will be.
"Physiologically and psychologically, time changes us, and I doubt anyone would claim to be the same person they were at 18. I know I’m not! You think you know the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez. I certainly thought I did."
'The Menendez Brothers' is now available on Netflix
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
