Lyle and Erik Menendez, made infamous by their 1989 patricide, are brought back to the forefront of public attention with Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s most recent Netflix series.
“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” follows the first of the creators’ true-crime anthology series on Jeffrey Dahmer. With the high-profile case of the Menendez brothers, who are awaiting a new judge’s decision to free them from their life sentence in prison, the accuracy of their Netflix portrayal could prove incredibly consequential.
In 1989, news broke that brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez were arrested after killing their parents with fourteen shotgun blows in their Beverly Hills mansion. In their 1993 trial, the brothers testified with gruesome accounts of their years being sexually and emotionally abused by their parents, but were ultimately sentenced to life without parole in 1995.
Released on Sept. 21, “Monster”’s newest season stars Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch as Lyle and Erik Menendez, respectively. Nearly thirty years after their trial, the Menendez brothers –– still sitting in jail –– have regained public focus, this time with new outlooks on the possible motivation behind the murders.
After three decades, there appears to be a wider acceptance of the brothers’ reports of their sexual abuse than there was in the 90s. Although “Monsters” has generated more support for the brothers and increased public demand for their release, there are still aspects of the show that reflect poorly on Lyle Menendez and Erik Menendez, and that the brothers themselves feel are inaccurate to their true story.
Murphy and Brennan’s Netflix show establishes a deep connection between the brothers early on, showcasing their bond and support of each other throughout their abusive relationship with their parents, and after the murder. However, in spite of the brothers testifying that there has never been a sexual relationship between them, Murphy and Brennan took a substantial bit of creative liberty, portraying them as incestuous with a kissing scene in the second episode, and a nude showering scene in the sixth. Furthermore, actor Chavez displayed countless fits of rage throughout the season while portraying Lyle Menendez, despite a real-life testimony from the extended Menendez family that Lyle never so much as raised his voice.
Erik Menendez reportedly felt the show is detrimentally inaccurate and represents the brothers, and male sexual abuse victims, in a negative light. Erik claims that there are “blatant lies rampant in the show,” and that the portrayal of him and his brother are “disheartening slander.” In response to Erik’s statement, Murphy claimed in an interview with “Entertainment Tonight” that 60 to 65% of the show “very carefully” centers “around the abuse and what [Erik and Lyle Menendez] claimed happened to them.” Murphy also stated that the release of the show is “the best thing that has happened to the Menendez brothers in 30 years in prison.”
During their time in prison, the Menendez brothers have spent time proving themselves to be far from their “monstrous” portrayals. In 2018, the brothers founded “The Green Space Project,” a prison reform initiative to improve the living quality of inmates. Additionally, Lyle Mendendez received his bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UC Irvine in June 2024, and runs a support group for fellow inmates who have experienced sexual abuse. Public supporters of the brothers, namely Koch, Kim Kardashian and over a dozen members of the Menendez family, are calling for the brothers’ sentences to be shortened, and for them to be released from prison. Lyle Menendez and Erik Menendez both currently await a new decision regarding their sentence, and will attend a hearing in downtown Los Angeles on Nov. 26.
While the Netflix series was riveting and certainly grabbed hold of the internet’s attention for weeks on end, it’s crucial to consider the extensive creative liberties Murphy and Brennan took with the Menendez brothers’ story. Had the show been an original concept rather than an inaccurate narration, exploiting the trauma of real victims, I might have enjoyed it more. If you’re considering watching the show, I implore you to take it with a grain of salt and approach with caution.
Contact the editors responsible for this article: Anabelle Meyers, Ivy Buck
