Netflix Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menéndez plunges into the disturbing true crime saga of the menéndez brothers, who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1989. In the latest chapter from frequent contributors Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, monsters revisits the story of the two brothers accused of brutally murdering their parents, citing years of abuse at the hands of their father, José.

The nine-episode series. and later but separate documentary from October 7, The Menendez brothers, has taken the platform by storm, breathing new life into a case that first captivated the public in the late ’80s and still dominates CrimeTok. According The wrapperthe documentary alone garnered 22.7 million views, instantly becoming Netflix’s most-watched film worldwide, while Ryan Murphy’s dramatization It obtained more than 52 million visits in its first month.

The current trial of the Menendez brothers may seem like ancient history, taking place in the pre-Internet era of 1993 to 1996, but these recent publications have sparked renewed interest in the case. That, along with new evidence, has led the Los Angeles district attorney to ask for life imprisonment for the brothers be re-examined so they can have a chance at parole.

So if you’re intrigued by this famous story, here’s everything you need to know about who the Menendez brothers are, what happened back then, and where they are now.

Who are the Menéndez brothers?

Erik Menendez, left, and his brother Lyle, in front of their home in Beverly Hills.
Credit: Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Lyle and Erik Menéndez were born to José Menéndez and Kitty Andersen, a seemingly typical power couple who met in college in Illinois before starting their family. The two moved to New York in 1963, where their first son, Lyle, was born in 1968. Erik followed two years later, arriving in 1970 after the family settled in New Jersey.

José’s ambitious career path led him to rise at Hertz, then at RCA Records and finally land as CEO of Live Entertainment. This promotion brought the family to Calabasas, California, in the early 1980s. But in 1988, the Menendez family moved to Beverly Hills due to the wave of robberies in the brothers neighborhood – stealing an estimated $100,000 in cash and jewelry.

During this time before the murders, the brothers alleged that suffered physical and sexual abuse at the hands of Joséa “relentless perfectionist,” and that her mother was an alcoholic who enabled the abuse. They allege it began when they were young children with their father, who turned his attention to Erik after Lyle turned six. An older cousin of the brothers, Diane Vander Molen, also supported their claims. counting ABC in 2017 that Lyle had told her about the abuse when she was 8 years old, back in 1976.

Murphy’s dramatization leans heavily on this aspect of the Menendez family story, painting an unflinching picture of the brothers’ supposed trauma. However, the show’s creative liberties have sparked a backlash: family members have publicly stated the adaptation slammed as “a phobic, disgusting, anachronistic serial episodic nightmare”, accusing it of being a “grotesque shock drama”.

Erik also responded to the show. via his wife Tammi on X (formerly Twitter).

The tweet may have been deleted.

Murphy’s other series in the Monster anthology, Jeffrey Dahmer History, received similar complaints — especially the relatives of Dahmer’s victims.

The murder and trial of the Menéndez brothers

On August 18, 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez purchased two shotguns at a local gun store. Two days later, on the night of August 20, they confronted their parents, José and Kitty, who were watching television. The brothers claimed a heated argument broke out that culminated in a violent confrontation. Lyle and Erik would later argue that they acted out of self-preservation, fearing that their father intended to kill them that night.

According to their accountsThe catalyst for the murders came weeks earlier, when Erik confided in Lyle about the years of alleged abuse he had suffered. This revelation sparked several confrontations within the family, and José allegedly threatened to kill them if they dared to speak out. This supposed fear for their lives became a central element of their defense, framing the murders as a desperate act born of years of trauma and intimidation.

Erik Menendez, left, and his brother Lyle, dressed in prison uniforms, are led into the courtroom. June 15, 1990.
Credit: Larry Davis / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Immediately after the murders, Lyle and Erik Menendez say they waited for the police, convinced that the noise of gunshots would have prompted a neighbor to call 911. When no one came, they took matters into their own hands and got rid of them. his clothes and clothes. shotguns before heading to a festival at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium to establish an alibi.

When they returned home and found the house still in order, Lyle called 911 himself, tearfully telling officers that his parents had been murdered and suggesting that the murders might be mob-related. Surprisingly, though not surprisingly, the responding officers did not carry out routine procedures, such as examining the brothers for gunshot residue, allowing them to fall under suspicion, at least for a time.

In the months after the murders, as police pursued leads about an alleged mob connection, Lyle and Erik Menendez threw themselves into their new multimillion-dollar inheritance with reckless abandon. They indulged in luxury apartments and high-end business ventures and splurged on Rolex watches, designer clothes and fancy sports cars. Their wasteful spending even put them in the public eye; The brothers were seen on the court at a New York Knicks game, where they were Inadvertently immortalized on a Mark Jackson trading card..

After spending up to a million dollars in the months after the murdersPolice began to suspect that Lyle and Erik Menendez had financial motives. However, family members argued that his lavish spending was nothing new. Despite his newfound freedom from his parents, Erik’s guilt led him to confess to his psychologist, Dr. Jerome Oziel. When Oziel’s lover, Judalon SmythShe found out about the confession and then separated from him, reporting him to the police, resulting in the brothers’ arrest in 1990.

The first trial in 1993 captivated television audiences when Lyle and Erik Menendez claimed they acted in self-defense, believing their lives were at risk after enduring years of abuse from their father. His accounts were backed by family members, including cousin Andy Cano and aunt Joan Vander Molen. Although each brother was tried separately, both trials ended with hung juries, leaving the case unsolved.

At their 1996 retrial, a stricter judge limited testimony about the brothers’ abuse allegations. This time, the outcome was final: Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, resulting in life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Can Lyle and Erik Menéndez be granted clemency?

Today, Lyle and Erik Menendez are serving life sentences, originally in separate prisons, although they were reunited in 2018. Both brothers are married and have filed multiple appeals over the years.

In 2023, they requested a new hearing after the former member of Menudo Roy Rosselló allegedly that José Menéndez had sexually assaulted him during his time at RCA Records. Rosselló detailed in the today’s program, after the release of the 2017 Peacock documentary Menéndez + Menudo: Children betrayedthat José drugged and assaulted him when he was 14 years old at the Menéndez home in New Jersey.

With this new evidence, the brothers’ attorney argues that Lyle and Erik should have been convicted of first-degree murder instead of murder, a charge that could have led to their release years ago.

In 2024, new evidence and renewed public interest from Netflix Monster The series prompted Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón to review the Menéndez brothers’ case. On October 24, Gascón recommended that Lyle and Erik be resentenced to 50 yearsnoting that because they committed the crime before the age of 26, they should have been eligible for parole under current guidelines.

If a judge accepts this recommendation, the brothers could be free for the first time in more than 25 years.