Crimes, in general, are beyond fathoming but when you add the element of family to the equation, that takes the crime to a whole other level. The Menendez Brothers, Erik and Lyle, brutally murdered their parents and are paying the price to this day. This tragedy, however, gave birth to the Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
The series discusses the case in full depth based on Robert Rand’s book, The Menendez Murders: The Shocking Untold Story of the Menendez Family and the Killings that Stunned the Nation. Before jumping into the series, though, it is a must to sort the facts out to be able to tell fact from fiction so, here is a walk-through of the case.
The Menendez Brothers: A Brutal Murder
On August 20th, 1989, the Menendez brothers, Lyle, 21, and Erik, 18, made a 911 call to report the murder of their parents, Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menedez. The crime scene was so heinous that police initially thought that it was a mob hit, and the brothers denied involvement with their parents’ murder. They stated that they went to see a movie but had to make a detour to their home to retrieve Erik’s ID. That’s when they discovered their parents’ bodies with six bullets in Jose’s body and 10 in Kitty’s, leaving them dead beyond identification.
Actions speak louder than words, and that’s what exposed the brothers. A loving son is expected to be grieving his parents’ loss, however, the Menendez brothers started pampering themselves with their inheritance. Out of the $14.5 million they inherited, they lavishly spent $700,000 on Rolex, cars, a private full-time coach, and opened a business. This reckless spending shifted the police’s eyes toward the brothers, and confirmation came when Erik’s therapist, Dr. Jerome Oziel, confided in his mistress, Judalon Smyth, telling her about Erik confessing to the murders. Smyth went to the police with an audiotape of the confessions, which led to their eventual arrest in 1990.
The Trials
The first trial was a sensation as the media played a major part in it. It took place in 1993 and was aired on Court TV. Each brother of the Menendez brothers had his own jury and lawyers, whereas Erik had Leslie Abramson as his lawyer and Lyle had Jill Lansing. The prosecution argued that the brothers had a motive to kill, which was money, and that was proven by their lavish spending after their parents’ death.
The defense countered that by claiming that the brothers had been sexually assaulted by their father. Both brothers claimed that the abuse started at the age of six but with Lyle, it stopped at the age of eight. With Erik, however, it continued well into adulthood. When Lyle found that out, he confronted his parents. Lyle claimed that the aftermath of the confrontation led him to believe that their lives were in danger which led to the murders. All this led to trials that lasted for over six months and two hung juries. Los Angeles County District Attorney Gil Garcetti ordered a retrial and the trial came to an end in January 1994.
The second trial was a totally different story. Judge Stanley Weisberg prohibited the presence of cameras in the courtroom. Furthermore, the judge ruled that there was insufficient evidence to support the Menendez brothers’ claims of sexual abuse by Jose Menendez, which was pivotal for the defense. The jury decided to convict the brothers of the first-degree murders of their parents and they were sentenced to two consecutive life sentences with no chance for parole in 1996.
Conclusion
The Menendez brothers are guilty of the murders, no questions asked, but whether it is manslaughter or first-degree murder is the question. The jury in 1996 answered for us but the series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story raises the question, are the brothers really the monsters? Or is it their parents? Or the media? There is a chance that the brothers have been done wrong but one will never know unless new substantial evidence emerges to prove otherwise.
