«The Menendez Brothers: The Story of the Murder of Their Parents and a New Series by Ryan Murphy»
20 september 2024 в 20:37
Lyle and Erik Menendez continue to serve a life sentence in prison for the brutal murder of their parents on August 20, 1989, when the brothers, then 21 and 18 years old, shot them in their mansion in Beverly Hills.
Now, 35 years later, the Menendez brothers have become the latest subjects of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s anthology «Monster». The series, titled «Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story», stars Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch as Lyle and Erik, as well as Javier Bardem and Chloe Sevigny as their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez.
The 10-episode season intends to explore whether the brothers were cold-blooded killers seeking to inherit their family’s fortune, as the prosecution claimed, or if they were victims of years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents, as the defense argued and as the brothers maintain to this day.
Before delving into the new series, now available on Netflix, here is more information about the real story of the «Monster» and what led to the arrest of the brothers.
Lyle and Erik shot their parents in August 1989 with shotguns, firing a total of 14 shots in their Beverly Hills home. When the police initially investigated the crime scene, they initially suspected mafia involvement due to the extreme brutality of the murders.
After Jose and Kitty were brutally shot in their mansion in Beverly Hills, Lyle and Erik Menendez spent lavishly, spending their parents' estimated $ 700,000 fortune on cars, jewelry, as well as purchasing restaurants and cafes.
Although the brothers were not initially suspects, the police received a tip from Judalon Smith, the mistress of Erik’s psychologist, Dr. Jerome Oziel. Smith revealed that Erik confessed to the murders during a therapy session and that there were audio recordings of this confession. The brothers were then arrested in March 1990, leading to a lengthy legal battle over the admissibility of Dr. Oziel’s recordings. The judge ultimately ruled that the recordings could be used as evidence, as Erik allegedly threatened his doctor, waiving doctor-patient privilege.
«I never thought I believed in evil, but when I heard these boys speak, I believed», - Smith told investigative journalist Dominick Dunne in 1990.
In 1992, Erik and Lyle were officially charged with the murder of their parents, and their trial in 1993 became national news. During the trial, both brothers claimed to have killed their parents after years of abuse. They accused their late father of sexual abuse and their late mother of alcoholism and drug addiction.
Their first trial, which began in 1993, ended in a hung jury. In the second trial, the judge limited testimony about alleged abuse and prohibited the jury from considering manslaughter charges instead of murder. Both brothers were found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual violence, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1−800−656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, impartial support, as well as local resources for healing, recovery, and more.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, contact the National Helpline for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration at 1−800−662-HELP (4357)
Now, 35 years later, the Menendez brothers have become the latest subjects of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s anthology «Monster». The series, titled «Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story», stars Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch as Lyle and Erik, as well as Javier Bardem and Chloe Sevigny as their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez.
The 10-episode season intends to explore whether the brothers were cold-blooded killers seeking to inherit their family’s fortune, as the prosecution claimed, or if they were victims of years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents, as the defense argued and as the brothers maintain to this day.
Before delving into the new series, now available on Netflix, here is more information about the real story of the «Monster» and what led to the arrest of the brothers.
Lyle and Erik shot their parents in August 1989 with shotguns, firing a total of 14 shots in their Beverly Hills home. When the police initially investigated the crime scene, they initially suspected mafia involvement due to the extreme brutality of the murders.
After Jose and Kitty were brutally shot in their mansion in Beverly Hills, Lyle and Erik Menendez spent lavishly, spending their parents' estimated $ 700,000 fortune on cars, jewelry, as well as purchasing restaurants and cafes.
Although the brothers were not initially suspects, the police received a tip from Judalon Smith, the mistress of Erik’s psychologist, Dr. Jerome Oziel. Smith revealed that Erik confessed to the murders during a therapy session and that there were audio recordings of this confession. The brothers were then arrested in March 1990, leading to a lengthy legal battle over the admissibility of Dr. Oziel’s recordings. The judge ultimately ruled that the recordings could be used as evidence, as Erik allegedly threatened his doctor, waiving doctor-patient privilege.
«I never thought I believed in evil, but when I heard these boys speak, I believed», - Smith told investigative journalist Dominick Dunne in 1990.
In 1992, Erik and Lyle were officially charged with the murder of their parents, and their trial in 1993 became national news. During the trial, both brothers claimed to have killed their parents after years of abuse. They accused their late father of sexual abuse and their late mother of alcoholism and drug addiction.
Their first trial, which began in 1993, ended in a hung jury. In the second trial, the judge limited testimony about alleged abuse and prohibited the jury from considering manslaughter charges instead of murder. Both brothers were found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual violence, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1−800−656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, impartial support, as well as local resources for healing, recovery, and more.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, contact the National Helpline for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration at 1−800−662-HELP (4357)
© Kolganov Andrey
