The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez

The second part of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan Monster The Netflix anthology has arrived. After chronicling the gruesome murders committed by the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer In 2022, the next chapter focuses on the lives and crimes of the infamous Menendez brothers.

The 10-episode second season follows Lyle and Erik Menendez, the brothers who gunned down their parents in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. The high-profile murders of entertainment executive Jose Menendez and his wife, Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, captivated America throughout the ’90s.

Prosecutors portrayed the brothers as cold-blooded killers motivated by a desire to inherit the family fortune, while the defense argued that Lyle and Erik were victims of physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents.

Read on to dive into the gripping true crime case featured in Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendezincluding what the brothers did, what happened at their trials and what they were sentenced to.

What happened to Jose and Kitty Menendez?

On the evening of August 20, 1989, Jose and Kitty Menendez were found shot dead at close range in the living room of their Beverly Hills home. Due to the brutal nature of the murders, police initially suspected mafia involvement.

Officers arrived at the scene after Lyle Menendez, then 21, called 911 frantically yelling, “Someone killed my parents,” according to CBS News. Lyle and his brother Erik, 18, told police they found their parents shot when they arrived home.

José Menendez worked for a movie studio and supervised the home video department, leading investigators to initially suspect that the murders were linked to his business activities. However, suspicion quickly fell on the couple’s sons, who were seen spending lavishly on Rolex watches, real estate and business investments.

When did Lyle and Erik Menendez become suspects?

Six months after the murders, authorities received a tip from Judalon Smyth, who was the mistress of Erik’s psychologist, Jerome Oziel. According to Time.com, Smyth told police that Erik had confessed to the murders in therapy, and that there were audio recordings of them.

The California Supreme Court ultimately ruled that prosecutors could use notes Oziel recorded during two sessions with Erik and Lyle, during which the brothers admitted to killing their parents.

On March 8, 1990, Beverly Hills police arrested Lyle Menendez outside the residence where his parents were murdered. Two days later, Erik Menendez flew into Los Angeles International Airport after returning from Israel, where he had been playing tennis.

What happened at the Menendez brothers trials?

The trial of Lyle and Erik Menendez began on July 20, 1993, and was broadcast live on Court TV (now TruTV), causing a media frenzy across the country. The brothers were tried together but their sentences were determined by separate juries. If convicted of first-degree murder, the brothers faced the death penalty, CBS News reported.

Menendez’s defense team argued that the brothers killed their parents in self-defense. Both brothers testified that they were abused by their parents. Lyle Menendez testified that his mother and father abused him, and that his father began sexually abusing him when he was 6 years old.

Lyle testified that his father stopped sexually abusing him when he was 8 years old, but Erik said the abuse never stopped for him and that he told his older brother Lyle about it days before the murder. Relatives, friends and acquaintances of the Menendez family testified for the defense about incidents of physical and emotional abuse.

The brothers claimed that the confrontation between Lyle and their parents escalated to the point that they feared their parents would kill them to keep the family secret from being revealed. They testified that they believed their parents intended to kill them that night, which is why they entered the family room and began shooting.

Prosecutors, led by Assistant District Attorneys Pamela Bozanich and Lester Kuriyama, have argued that money was the motive, saying the brothers sought to control their parents’ $14.5 million estate. Lyle and Erik allegedly spent up to $700,000 of their inheritance on luxury items, businesses and travel. For example, Lyle bought a $60,000 Porsche 911 Carrera to replace the Alfa Ramero his father had given him. Erik turned in his Ford Mustang 5.0 hardtop and bought a beige Jeep Wrangler. Lyle also bought $40,000 worth of clothes and a $15,000 Rolex watch, and Erik hired a tennis coach for $50,000 a year, according to Vanity Fair.

Prosecutors also argued that the killings were premeditated, noting that the brothers had purchased the shotguns days before the crime. Deliberations lasted for weeks, but both juries debated whether the brothers should be convicted of murder or manslaughter. Ultimately, the judge declared a mistrial.

In October 1995, the retrial began with only one jury instead of two. Judge Stanley Weisberg also banned the televised proceedings, limited testimony on the sexual abuse allegations and barred the jury from voting on manslaughter charges instead of murder, according to Time.com.

Prosecutors said the brothers lied about the abuse, calling it an “excuse for abuse.” Lyle Menendez refused to testify at the retrial.

What were Lyle and Erik Menendez sentenced to?

After several days of deliberation, the jury convicted Lyle and Erik Menendez of first-degree murder. The brothers were sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

In January 2017, Lyle said ABC News He said he had accepted his crime. “I’m the child who killed his parents, and no amount of tears has changed that, no amount of regret has changed that,” he said at the time. “I accept it. You’re often defined by a few moments in your life, but that’s not who you are in your life, you know. Your life is your totality… You can’t change it. You’re just stuck with the decisions you’ve made.”

For more on Lyle and Erik Menendez, read the article below to find out where the brothers are now and the new evidence supporting their abuse allegations that could get them out of prison soon.

ForbesWhere Are Lyle and Erik Menendez Today? New Evidence Could Lead to Their ReleaseBy Monica Mercuri

Watch the official trailer for Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez below.