What is the true story behind Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story? Explained

Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is a true-crime documentary based on the 1989 double murder case of couple Jose Enrique Menendez and Mary Louise "Kitty" Andersen, by their children, Joseph Lyle Menéndez and Erik Galen Menéndez. The show is the second installment in the Monsters Franchise.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story will be released on Netflix on September 19, 2024. The documentary will explore the chilling details of the murder and the trials that followed it. The docu-series stars Javier Bardem as Jose Menendez, Chloë Sevigny as Kitty Menendez, Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle Menendez, and Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez.

The official synopsis of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix reads:

“This riveting true-crime drama probes the lives of Menendez brothers, convicted of the brutal 1989 murders of their parents in Beverly Hills.”

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What case is Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story based on?

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is based on one of the infamous criminal cases in the United States. The case is about the killing of José and Kitty Menendez by their sons, Lyle and Erik Menendez, in 1989.

José Menendez, who was a rich businessman, and his wife, Kitty, were killed by gunshots by their sons, Lyle and Erik, at their Beverly Hills mansion on August 20, 1989. José was shot many times, including one shot in the back of his head that killed him. Kitty was shot ten times, and it looked like she tried to escape by crawling away before the last shot that killed her.

After committing the murders, Lyle and Erik didn't run away but instead stayed back at the mansion and waited for the police to arrive. Upon the arrival of the police, the brothers claimed they had been out watching a movie and attending a local festival, thereby establishing an alibi.

At first, the police didn't think Lyle and Erik were involved because they seemed very upset and sad. But later, they noticed the brothers were spending a lot of money on expensive things, new businesses, and trips.

As the police suspected the two boys, they concluded that the boys might have killed their parents for inheritance. Both of them accepted their crime to therapist, Jerome Oziel, but the twist was that they alleged their father of physical, mental, and sexual abuse.

The Menendez brothers were taken into custody in March 1990. Their lawyers, led by Leslie Abramson, claimed that the brothers had to kill their parents in self-defense. They claimed the brothers had suffered from mental, physical, and sexual abuse from their father for their whole lives.

The lawyers described José Menendez as a cruel person who harmed children and Kitty as someone who allowed it to happen. Several family members supported their claims during the trial.

The case gained much media attention, especially when Court TV showed the first trial in 1993. The prosecution claimed that the killings were planned and done because the brothers wanted to take control of the family's money.

On the other hand, the defense claimed their actions were a last resort to protect themselves from a lifetime of terrible experiences. The first trial didn't reach a decision, so there was a second trial where cameras were not allowed inside the courtroom.

In this second trial, the jury convicted both brothers of first-degree murder, and they were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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Fans of true crime documentaries can watch Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix starting on September 19, 2024.