'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Netflix docuseries Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story follows the true story of Lyle Menendez and his younger brother Erik Menendez, who are currently serving life sentences for the murder of their parents.
The brothers appeared on the national radar in the 90s, when their murder trial was watched publically by many Americans. On July 2, 1996, they were given life sentences in prison for the murder of their parents. The documentary is set to follow their story and the trial that declared them guilty.
Actor Nicholas Chavez is playing the role of Lyle Menendez in the cinematic reenactment of the case. He has also been famously known for playing Spencer Cassadine on the daytime soap General Hospital, for which he received a Daytime Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Younger Performer in a Drama Series.
Trending
Who is Nicholas Chavez? Actor profile explored
Chavez, 25, was born in Houston, Texas, on 6 September 1999. He attended the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers. After two years, Chavez took a leave of absence from Rutgers and moved back to L.A. to pursue acting full-time.
On July 1, 2021, the actor made his debut on television as Spencer Cassadine on General Hospital. He exited the role in recently in January 2024. Chavez had also worked on a few other projects apart from the soap. He starred as Jason in the film Crushed in 2022.
In 2023, Chavez was cast for the second season of Ryan Murphy's Netflix series. The true crime drama Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story has been released now. Chavez played Lyle Menendez in the series.
Nicolas Chavez has won Soap Hub Awards for Best Newcomer and Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Performer in a Drama Series in 2021 and 2022, both for General Hospital.
Who were Erik and Lyle Menendez? What is the story behind the docuseries?
The Erik and Lyle Menendez case began on August 20, 1989, when the two brothers shot their parents José and Kitty at their Beverly Hills mansion. Immediately after the killings, the brothers encountered the local police. They gave the false alibi that they were at a film festival when the murder took place.
Afterwards, Erik and Lyle Menendez began to spend their parents' inheritance on luxury items and expensive trips at a quick rate. As the police investigation continued, the authorities grew suspicious of the brothers and their habits and tried unsuccessfully to get a confession from them.
Erik was the one who confessed about the murder to his therapist Jerome Oziel, and this confession made its way to the police through Oziel's mistress Judalon. Both brothers were arrested after this. The brothers were charged with murder, and the case became a sensation when their trial was publically broadcast on television in 1993.
Leslie Abramson was the Menendez brothers' defense lawyer, who argued that they murdered their parents out of fear. The defense presented the case that the brothers had been s*xually absurd by their father as children, and they had retaliated. Their mother Kitty was also described as an enabler who took the father's side. Two cousins of the Menendez family also supported this defense.
Erik and Lyle Menendez were eventually convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder. They were given life sentences by the court on July 2, 1996, with no possibility for parole.
Who are the cast members of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story?
The reenactment of the Menendez family story features an extensive cast, playing the roles of the real life people involved in the case. The cast members include:
- Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez
- Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez
- Javier Bardem as José Menendez
- Chloë Sevigny as Kitty Menendez
- Nathan Lane as journalist Dominick Dunne
- Ari Graynor as defense attorney Leslie Abramson
- Dallas Roberts as Dr. Jerome Oziel
- Leslie Grossman as Judalon Smyth
- Jason Butler Harner as Det. Les Zoeller
- Enrique Murciano as Carlos Baralt
- Michael Gladis as Tim Rutten
- Drew Powell as Det. Tom Linehan
- Charlie Hall as Craig Cignarelli
- Jeff Perry as Peter HoffmanBrandon Santana as Tony
- Tessa Auberjonois as Dr. Laurel Oziel
- Tanner Stine as Perry Berman
- Larry Clarke as Brian Andersen
- Jade Pettyjohn as Jamie Pisarcik
- Marlene Forte as Marta Cano
- Gil Ozeri as Dr. William Vicary
- Jess Weixler as Jill Lansing
Also read: Where are Lyle and Erik Menendez now? All about Netflix's Monsters subject
Audiences can watch Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story streaming online via Netflix.
