The Brutal Parricide of the Menendez Brothers Comes to Netflix

Netflix continues to focus on strengthening its catalog with series based on true crimes that have shaken the world. Now, the streaming platform has just launched Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menéndez who is addressing the case of two siblings who were convicted of brutality murder of his parents in a sumptuous mansion in Beverly Hills, California.

This is the second season of the Monster anthology series, created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. The first season, released in September 2022, focused on serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

In this episode, the cast is composed of Nicolas Alexandre Chavez And Cooper Koch who plays Lyle and Erik, aged 21 and 18 at the time of the events. While Chavez is remembered for his role in the series General Hospital, Koch participated in the film Swallowed.

Responsible for the role of parents, José and Mary Louise Menéndez, are the famous Spanish actor Javier Bardem and the American actress Chlöe Sevigny.

The Menendez story had a great impact in the United States in the 1990s and their trial was one of the first to be televised. which allowed him to be followed by millions of people.

Through ten episodes, the series broadcast by Netflix explores the two aspects that were exposed during the trials: whether the brothers murdered their parents to preserve the family fortune, or whether the events occurred after years of abuse by the father.

According to The New York Times At the age of 16, José Menéndez decided to flee Cuba after Fidel Castro came to power. The destination he chose to settle was the United States. Over time, he managed to become a successful executive in the entertainment industry and married Mary Louise “Kitty” Andersen, who had been his girlfriend since his college years.

The couple had two sons: Lyle and Erik. From their earliest years, the children grew up surrounded by privileges. Even the mansion they lived in, in Beverly Hills, was in one of the most sought-after areas.

But on August 20, 1989, a brutal scene occurred in the family home.

That night, while watching television in the living room, Jose and Kitty were shot with 12-gauge shotguns. He was shot six times, while she was shot ten times.

Apparently, at that time, the Menendez family bought tickets to go to the cinema and also went to a festival. This, in order to have an alibi.

The next day, the brothers called the police to report that when they arrived home, they had found their parents dead.

Initially, suspicions were not directed at Erik and Lyle. According to the BBC Investigators in the case focused their investigations on mafia groups and people close to the marriage.

Interest in the brothers began when they showed a life full of luxury, despite the sudden loss of their parents.

Then came another key clue to clarify what had happened. Erik had confessed to the murders in sessions with his psychologist, L. Jerome Oziel, but had also threatened him to prevent it from being revealed.

It was Judalon Smyth, the therapist’s girlfriend, who alerted police, saying she had heard that the Menendez brothers had murdered their parents and that these conversations had been recorded.

These files led to the arrest of the two brothers in 1990 and their accusation of murder.

During the trial, which officially began in 1993 and was broadcast on Court TV, Erik and Lyle confessed that they were responsible for the deaths and that they had done it. in self-defense after suffering sexual, physical and psychological abuse.

According to the brothers’ account, since childhood, their father subjected them to episodes of violence and threatened to kill them if they spoke out. Her mother knew, but did not intervene. Andy Cano and Diane Vander Molen, cousins ​​of the Menendezes, testified at trial that they were also aware of the events.

Prosecutors, however, have pushed a completely different story: that the brothers planned the murders in order to keep their $14 million in assets.

The trial ended in 1994. But since no agreement was reached on the verdict, a new trial was ordered.

In this second trial, which began in 1995, it was held under different conditions. In addition to not being broadcast on television, Judge Stanley Weisberg prevented the defendants’ defense from focusing again on the testimony and evidence of the alleged abuse they had suffered.

Finally, in March 1996, Erik and Lyle were convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

For 22 years, each of the subjects was held in separate prisons. According to journalist Robert Sand, who has been following the case for years, they had contact by letters and even played chess that way.

In 2018, they were able to meet again, after Lyle was transferred from Mule Creek in Northern California to Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, where Erik is being held. According to Sand, the brothers broke down in tears during that reunion. Today, they remain in prison.

More than three decades after the events, the Menendez case continues to spark divisions because of the way it was handled in the past, given that the brothers claimed to have been victims of abuse at the hands of their father.

Additionally, new evidence has emerged. Sand, who wrote the book The Menendez Murders, has found a letter in which Erik – then 17 years old – told his cousin Cano about the sexual abuse he had suffered. In 2023, this letter was presented by the brothers’ lawyers before the Californian courts, so that the case could be re-examined.

Meanwhile, the documentary series Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, broadcast on the Peacock platform, has shown new accusations against Father Menendez. These are: Roy Rosello, a former member of the Puerto Rican band Menudo, who claimed Jose sexually assaulted him when he was 14.