Were the Menendez Brothers adopted? Explained

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story premiered on September 19, 2024, on Netflix. The series, created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, centers on the infamous 1989 murders by the Menendez brothers.

The series follows the terrible deaths of José and Kitty Menendez, played by Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny, and focuses on the crimes committed by their sons Lyle and Erik, portrayed by Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch.

José and Kitty Menendez were Erik and Lyle's biological parents, meaning the Menendez Brothers were not adopted. The now deceased couple met at a debate class at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and in 1963 tied the knot before moving to New York as per People.

As per ABC News, Kitty Menendez worked as a teacher until giving birth to both her sons, Lyle and Erik, in 1968 and 1970, respectively, whom she raised full time as a stay-at-home mother.

The brothers were born into an affluent household. However, behind the façade of wealth, the brothers alleged years of abuse at the hands of their father, reportedly leading to their eventual crime and the media frenzy surrounding it. Highlighting how their father wanted the brothers to be perfect, Lyle told the Los Angeles Times in 1990,

"My father suffered from being a perfectionist. It carried over into his home life, and it was sometimes difficult for Erik and me. So much so that he really couldn't do something well enough. It wore on him tremendously mentally. And it wore on us."

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The Menendez Brothers' family and rumors

The brothers claimed José Menendez, a strong executive in the entertainment business, had physically and emotionally mistreated them over the years. The rumors about the Menendez Brothers being adopted seem to have come up from the shocking nature of their crimes. For many, the idea that two biological sons could murder their parents in such a brutal fashion didn’t align with traditional family dynamics.

The defense, during the trial, made claims about the victims' harmful parenting, describing it as abusive. They stated that the Menendez Brothers had been abused physically and had been punched and hit with belts.

"I just wanted to die… Life no longer mattered. And I didn't know what to do. I thought of telling Lyle… I thought I couldn't do that — that it would be too embarrassing, and that I couldn't admit it," Erik said in his testimony as per FOX 11.

Lawyers also said that José Menendez had s*xually abused both Lyle and Erik when Lyle was seven and Erik was six. Some relatives testified under oath that some of these claims were true. It was said that Kitty knew what was going on with the boys and that the abuse reportedly went on for 12 years.

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Erik Menendez’s reaction to the show

Menendez has expressed frustration with how Netflix portrayed their story. He pointed out the mistakes in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and said that the show made their experiences seem more dramatic than they were.

Erik's wife, Tammi Menendez, shared his anger that the show lied about their lives, especially by making it seem like the brothers were dating.

Erik thought the abuse they went through should be the main focus because he thought that was what caused them to kill their parents. He thinks the show failed to accurately capture the pain and trauma they were going through because it put entertainment value ahead of truth. This allegedly false information may have led to more rumors about the brothers' past, including rumors that they were adopted.

The psychological trauma and abuse they described during their trial, though not proven, provide a tragic backdrop to the horrific events of 1989.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is currently streaming on Netflix.