The case of the Menendez brothers flares up again online: the questions keep popping up

The one from Netflix Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez delves into the disturbing true crime saga of the Menendez brothers, who were convicted in 1989 of murdering their parents. In the final chapter by frequent collaborators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, Monsters repeats the story of the two brothers accused of brutally murdering their parents, citing years of abuse at the hands of their father, José.

The nine-episode series and subsequent but separate documentary of October 7, The Menendez brothers, has taken the platform by storm, breathing new life into a case that first captivated audiences in the late ’80s – and still dominates CrimeTok. According to The coverthe documentary alone was viewed 22.7 million times and immediately became Netflix’s most-watched film worldwide, while Ryan Murphy’s dramatization attracted more than 52 million views in its first month.

The actual trial of the Menendez brothers may feel like ancient history, as it plays out as it did in the pre-internet era of 1993 through 1996, but these recent publications have sparked renewed interest in the case. That, along with new evidence, prompted the Los Angeles district attorney’s office to ask for the brothers’ life sentence be re-examined so that they have a chance of early release.

So if you’re intrigued by this infamous story, here’s everything you need to know about who the Menendez brothers are, what happened then, and where they are now.

Who are the Menendez brothers?

Lyle and Erik Menendez were born to José Menendez and Kitty Andersen, a seemingly typical power couple who met in college in Illinois before starting their family. The two moved to New York in 1963, where their first son, Lyle, was born in 1968. Erik followed two years later, arriving in 1970 after the family had settled in New Jersey.

José’s ambitious career path took him through the ranks at Hertz, then RCA Records, eventually ending up as CEO of Live Entertainment. This promotion brought the family to Calabasas, California in the early 1980s. But in 1988, the Menendez family moved to Beverly Hills because of the problems neighborhood burglary of brothers – throwing away an estimated $100,000 in cash and jewelry.

During this time before the murders, the brothers claimed that they was physically and sexually abused by Joséa “ruthless perfectionist,” and that their mother was an alcoholic who enabled the abuse. They claim it started when they were young children with their father, who turned his attention to Erik after Lyle turned six. An older cousin of the brothers, Diane Vander Molen, also supported their claims: against ABC in 2017 that Lyle had told her about the abuse at age 8, in 1976.

Murphy’s dramatization leans heavily into this aspect of the Menendez family story, painting an unflinching picture of the brothers’ alleged trauma. However, the show’s creative liberties have led to a backlash, with family members doing so publicly rejected the adjustment as ‘a phobic, gross, anachronistic, serial episodic nightmare’, accusing it of being a ‘grotesque shock drama’.

Erik also commented on the show through his wife Tammi on X (formerly Twitter).

Tweet may have been deleted

Murphy’s other series in the Sample anthology, The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, received similar complaints – especially from relatives of Dahmer’s victims.

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The Murder and Trial of the Menendez Brothers

On August 18, 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez purchased two shotguns at a local gun store. Two days later, on the night of August 20, they confronted their parents, José and Kitty, who were watching TV. The brothers claimed a heated argument broke out, culminating in a violent confrontation. Lyle and Erik would later claim that they acted out of self-preservation, fearing that their father planned to kill them that night.

According to their accountsthe catalyst for the murders came weeks earlier when Erik confided in Lyle about the years of alleged abuse he had suffered. This revelation led to several confrontations within the family, with José allegedly threatening to kill them if they spoke out. This perceived fear for their lives became central to their defense, with the killings portrayed as a desperate act born of years of trauma and intimidation.

Immediately after the murders, Lyle and Erik Menendez say they waited for police, convinced that the sound of the gunshots would have prompted a neighbor to call 911. When no one arrived, they took matters into their own hands, throwing away their clothes and throwing away the belongings. shotguns before heading to a festival at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium to establish an alibi.

When they returned home and found the house still undisturbed, Lyle called 911 himself, tearfully telling the officers that their parents had been murdered and suggesting that the murders might be mob-related. Remarkably, though not surprisingly, the responding officers failed to perform routine procedures, such as testing the brothers for gunshot residue, which allowed them to remain under suspicion – at least for a while.

In the months following the murders, as police chased down clues about an alleged mafia connection, Lyle and Erik Menendez dove into their new multimillion-dollar inheritance with reckless abandon. They enjoyed luxury apartments and high-end business ventures and spent money on Rolex watches, designer clothes and sleek sports cars. Their lavish spending even brought them into the public eye; The brothers were spotted courtside wherever they were during a New York Knicks game unintentionally immortalized on a Mark Jackson trading card.

After spending up to $1 million in the months following the murderspolice began to suspect Lyle and Erik Menendez of a financial motive. However, family members argued that their lavish spending was nothing new. Despite their newfound freedom from their parents, Erik’s guilt led him to confess to his psychologist, Dr. Jerome Oziel. When Oziel’s mistress, Judalon SmithAfter learning of the confession and later splitting from him, she filed a police report, resulting in the brothers’ arrest in 1990.

The first trial in 1993 captivated TV audiences when Lyle and Erik Menendez claimed they acted in self-defense, believing their lives were in danger after years of abuse by their father. Their accounts were supported by family members, including cousin Andy Cano and aunt Joan Vander Molen. Although each brother was tried separately, both trials ended with hung juries, leaving the case unsolved.

In their 1996 retrial, a stricter judge limited testimony regarding the brothers’ abuse allegations. This time the outcome was final: Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, resulting in life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Can Lyle and Erik Menendez get leniency?

Today, Lyle and Erik Menendez are serving life sentences, originally in separate prisons, although they were reunited in 2018. Both brothers are married and have filed multiple appeals over the years.

In 2023 they sought a new hearing former Menudo member Roy Rosselló claimed that José Menendez had sexually assaulted him during his time at RCA Records. Rossello detailed on the Today Show, following the release of the 2017 Peacock documentary Menendez + Menudo: Boys betrayedthat José drugged and abused him when he was 14 at the Menendez home in New Jersey.

With this new evidence, the brothers’ attorney argues that Lyle and Erik should have been convicted of first-degree manslaughter instead of murder — a charge that could have led to their release years ago.

In 2024, new evidence and renewed public interest from Netflix Sample series urged Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón to review the Menendez brothers’ case. On October 24, Gascón recommended that Lyle and Erik be resentenced to 50 yearsnoting that because they committed the crime under the age of 26, they should have been eligible for parole under current guidelines.

If a judge accepts this advice, the brothers could be released for the first time in more than 25 years.