A dramatic, true-crime rendition of the 1989 Menendez brothers trial that perturbed the nation is arriving on Netflix from producer Ryan Murphy as a part of his “Monster” anthology sequence. Final yr, Season 1 of the present, which starred Evan Peters as serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, went on to earn six Emmy nominations and a win for supporting actress Niecy Nash.
Now, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” stars Javier Bardem as Jose Menendez and Chloë Sevigny as Kitty Menendez, together with Nicholas Chavez and Cooper Koch as their sons and killers Lyle and Erik Menendez, respectively.
It began on the evening of Aug. 20, 1989, when Lyle, then 21 years previous, made a 911 name to the Beverly Hills Police Division, saying “Somebody killed my mother and father!” When the police arrived on the Menendez household’s Beverly Hills mansion, they discovered Jose and Kitty brutally murdered by shotgun wounds whereas they’d been watching TV. Jose was shot six occasions and Kitty was shot 10 occasions. At first, investigators thought the homicide was associated to Jose’s enterprise dealings at Stay Leisure and maybe linked to mob actions.
Erik and Lyle informed police that they’d been out at a movie show watching “Batman” on the time of their mother and father’ murders. Whereas the police investigated the crime, the brothers went on a spending spree. In simply six months after killing their mother and father, they spent $700,000 of their inherited fortune. Their purchases included a Porsche, a Rolex, a restaurant, a $40,000 funding in a rock live performance and extra.
Nevertheless, all of it got here crashing down for Erik and Lyle in March 1990 when Judalon Smyth reported a tip to the BHPD. She claimed to have audio-taped confessions that Erik, then 19 years previous, had made throughout his remedy periods with Dr. L. Jerome Oziel. Smyth was Dr. Oziel’s mistress.
Upon additional digging, proof started stacking up in opposition to the brothers. Their film alibi may solely shield them so lengthy. On March 8, 1990, Lyle was arrested. Two days later, Erik surrendered on the airport. The brothers have been perceived as assassinating their mother and father to earn their father’s $14 million fortune.
The already grotesque story took one other flip when the trials began in July 1993. Throughout his testimony, Lyle defined how his father and mom each sexually assaulted him from ages six to eight. Erik adopted his brother’s testimony and claimed that his father additionally abused him from age six, however that in contrast to his brother the abuse by no means stopped. The top to the alleged abuse got here as soon as he confided in his brother about what had been taking place as a result of the following day they killed their mother and father.
On the stands, the brothers wept whereas discussing the alleged abuse, explaining how that, consequently, additionally they inflicted ache on one another whereas they have been youngsters. Andy Cano, certainly one of their cousins, testified that Erik had informed him about his father’s abuse when he was 10 and Cano was 13. Erik requested if it was regular for his father to provide him “massages.” He later made him promise to maintain these mentions a secret out of concern for his father. One other certainly one of their cousins, Alan Andersen, testified how when he visited, Jose would take showers with the children and the way Kitty wouldn’t permit him close to the room at these occasions.
The case led to a mistrial declared by the decide because the jury was unable to achieve a unanimous choice. The retrial trial started in October 1995. This trial caught extra to the info surrounding the homicide and its brutality. The prosecution efficiently objected a lot proof surrounding the abuse and labeled that protection because the “abuse excuse.”
At this trial, Lyle refused to take the stand. On July 2, 1996, the Menendez brothers have been discovered responsible of first-degree homicide and sentenced to life with out parole. Within the years since their conviction, the brothers have tried to enchantment the case however have been denied.
There have been different dramatic recreations in regards to the notorious homicide, together with the Lifetime film “Menendez: Blood Brothers.”
“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” is now streaming on Netflix.