What do you think of when someone mentions the Menedez brothers? Maybe you think they’re monsters. Maybe you think they are victims. Or maybe you don’t even know who they are. Regardless of your opinion, their story is one of the most noteworthy crimes of our time, and as cable releases its numerous specials, it is imperative that people know the facts behind the crime.
Since the beginning of cable TV, it seems as though October has been the month of nonfictional crime. The new hit Netflix series Monsters written by co-creators Ryan Murphy, who had already done the Netflix show Dhamer, and Ian Brennan, who many already know from Glee, is topping the charts. Still, this show has caused many controversies, such as the factual accuracy in their storytelling. Are Erik and Lyle the monsters? The most important question of all, is whether there is enough new evidence for the brothers to walk free? These are questions people have asked over the years, but it is not as simple as a yes or no answer. To understand if the TV Series accuracy portrayed the story behind these murders, we must first discuss the facts.
The Facts of the Case…
Erik (18) and Lyle (21) Menedez grew up around money in Calabasa, California before moving to their Beverly Hills home in 1988. They were both fantastic tennis players throughout high school with Erik even being ranked 44th in the nation at one point. Their father, Jose Menedez, was CEO of Live Entertainment with a net worth of 14.5 million dollars, and their mom, Mary (Kitty) Menedez, was a school teacher up until the children’s birth.
On August 20, 1989, Erik and Lyle Menedez murdered their parents. The scene was a bloody mess; both brothers left the home after some time to create an alibi. Hours passed, and the brothers returned home expecting someone to have called the cops; yet to no avail, as their parents were still there massacred in the living room. Lyle then called 911 on his own and cried to the operator “somebody killed my parents!”. For the next few months, the police were unaware of who had committed the crime.
Erik especially, was going through the grief and had to tell somebody. On October 30th, he went to his therapist, Dr. Oziel, which was his grave mistake. At the session, tensions rose, and Dr. Oziel thought it was best to call Lyle in, who was understandably frustrated and upset. He may or may not have threatened Oziel which is probable cause for a therapist to break patient confidentiality. Lyle states “I don’t go around threatening people;” however, Oziel says it occurred differently. The truth is we will never know what happened between them. At the end of the session, they agreed to keep seeing the therapist together to talk about the murders. Many sessions were recorded and put in a safety deposit box.
What Erik and Lyle didn’t know was that Dr. Oziel was having an affair with his mistress Judalon Smyth and had told her of these killings. This was a big problem when months after the murder, Oziel broke up with her. Smyth went to the police and told them everything. Police were already slightly suspecting the brothers after their $700,000 spending spree during the grieving process.
On March 8, 1990 the brothers were arrested and spent six whole years in Los Angeles County Jail. Erik’s attorney, Leslie Abramsons, and Lyle’s attorney, Jill Lansing, both defended the brothers to the very end. Their main line of defense was that this was an act of self defense after Erik had admitted to his father abuse from the age of six years old to high school. The brothers were both distraught during the trial; many tears were shed, and many secrets were revealed.
Apparently, Erik revealed his trauma before the murders, causing Lyle to angrily yell at their father and threaten to tell everyone. Lyle had also been abused for some time as a child, but once it stopped, it seemed to have started with Erik. He says that his mom confessed that she knew about the abuse all along. After this, they saw their parents as “one” which is why they killed both of them. The brothers were mostly afraid that their Dad would kill them because he told Erik that he would if this secret ever got out.
During the trial, both brothers discussed, in a painful amount of detail, what their father did to them. Whether one believes them or not, it is hard to listen to their cries. However, this entire defense was destroyed by the press who claimed this was a lie. SNL even did a few skits on it, while Tonight Show hosts ripped the brothers into shreds. Unfortunately for the brothers, men’s mental health at this time was not taken seriously. Erik’s lawyer, Abramson says, “If these had been two sisters, they would not be in custody now”.
The prosecutor’s main defense was that they were motivated by greed. The 14.5 million dollars they inherited after the killings and the $700,000 they spent obviously did not bode well for them. The brothers were sentenced to life in prison without parole and have been separated for over three decades.
New Evidence…
In 2024, new evidence is being reviewed for the Menedez brothers. This evidence includes a letter Erik wrote to his cousin Andy Cano that mentioned the abuse getting worse just months before the murders. Another important piece of evidence is allegations made by member of boy band Menudo Roy Rosello who claims their father assaulted him when he was just fourteen-years-old. As this evidence is released, people look forward to the brothers retrial this November.
My Thoughts…
To be honest, I think I enjoyed the show more than most people. There seems to be this narrative that Ryan Murphy solely portrayed the brothers as inhuman monsters, but I feel he actually portrays the brothers parents as the real monsters. About sixty percent of the show is focused around the abuse the brothers endured. That being said, there are a lot of inaccuracies. For starters, it must be said that Murphy’s choice to display an almost incestual relationship of the brothers was awkward. They also portrayed Lyle as someone with anger issues who can’t keep his mind together, swearing at waitresses and almost everybody to be honest. This is the furthest from the truth, as practically everyone who has been asked about Lyle has said he was a kind and polite gentleman. The only person who has said differently was Dr. Oziel whose reputation makes his opinion null and void.
If I were to rate the show as just a show, I’d rate it fairly well. However, due to the inaccuracies of the characters and the fact that this trauma is being exploited for profit, it will never sit right with me.
I really believe that the brothers should have been released from prison a long time ago, and it’s a shame that they’ve been separated for this long. I do think they should have spent time in prison but never life without parole. Hopefully this year or next, we will see the brothers reunited, as their family and friends are hoping for this too.
