Did Lyle molest Erik in real life? Fact-checking the alleged claims about The Menendez Brothers

The Menendez Brothers documentary was recently released on Netflix on Monday, October 7, 2024, and it fact-checked several claims that were misrepresented in Ryan Murphy's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. The documentary gives an accurate representation of the brothers' story and closely covers the trial where they were convicted of murdering their parents.

While The Menendez Brothers documentary did fact-check many of the untrue claims made against the two, another narrative has started making rounds on social media, which sees people question whether Lyle Menendez abused his brother Erik. This narrative was born out of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, which showcased the brothers having an incestuous relationship.

While there is truth to the fact that Lyle Menendez did abuse Erik Menendez at a young age, there is more to the story, with many specialists arguing that it was a response to the trauma that they had faced.

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The Menendez Brothers: Fact-checking the alleged molestation claim against Lyle

During their original court trial, Lyle Menendez did admit that he abused his brother, Erik Menendez, when the former was 8 years old. In the statement, it was revealed that Lyle took Erik out into the woods, where the older penetrated his younger brother with a toothbrush. However, this was further revealed to be a response to the trauma they endured from their parents.

It was revealed that the Menendez brothers' father would do the same to them, and years of s*xual abuse from their father led to the brothers eventually killing him and their mother. This was also theorized by author Robert Rand. He covered the lives of the brothers extensively and wrote The Menendez Murders: The Shocking Untold Story of the Menendez Family and the Killings that Stunned the Nation.

The author further argued that the event of Lyle abusing Erik likely took place as a response to the s*xual trauma that they faced from their family. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rand said:

"Rumors were going around the trial that maybe there was some sort of weird relationship between Erik and Lyle themselves. But I believe the only physical contact they might have had is what Lyle testified, that when Lyle was 8 years old, he took Erik out in the woods and played with him with a toothbrush — which is what José had done with him. And so I certainly wouldn't call that a sexual relationship of any sort. It’s a response to trauma."

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Ryan Murphy's Monsters series has been criticized for its depiction of the Menendez brothers

Since its release, Ryan Murphy's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story has been criticized for its incestuous depiction of the brothers. Many viewers directly called out Murphy for this inaccurate portrayal of them, while Erik Menendez also put out a statement, via his wife, criticizing the show:

"I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show. I can only believe they were done so on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent.”

The misinterpretation in the series also led to the creation of The Menendez Brothers documentary, which portrays the trial from the point-of-view of those who were actually involved in it.

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The latest documentary can now be streamed on Netflix.