In May 2023, Menendez’s lawyers filed a habeas corpus petition seeking to alleviate murder convictions in light of new evidence reviewed by Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón. A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 29 in downtown L.A. 

The Menendez brothers, Lyle (56) and Erik (53) served over 30 years after their conviction in 1996.

Lyle Menendez, then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion on Aug. 20, 1989. 

The brothers were sentenced to first-degree murder and life in prison in their second trial after the first was declared a mistrial. 

The Menendez case has been pushed back into the media spotlight after a recent television series and documentary became Netflix sensations, creating controversies over sexual abuse claims made by the brothers against their father during the trials.

The controversial tendencies of the limited series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and the documentary The Menendez Brothers originated from opposing perspectives on the brothers’ intentions. 

Differing Points of view: 

While Monsters is primarily based on the true events of the Menendez case, the series implies a negative perspective toward the brothers, leaving viewers questioning their motives in the last scene of episode nine. 

The final scene features José and Kitty Menendez privately talking on the same shark-fishing boat trip seen in episode four. 

José and Kitty make amends for their past mistakes and agree to fix their relationship. When Kitty asks why the boys won’t join them, José asks her to leave them alone. Meanwhile, at the back of the boat, Erik and Lyle believe their parents are plotting to murder them (seen in episode four). 

Monsters showcases a new angle not seen in the documentary because of the portrayal of the parents. Seeing both perspectives humanizes the parents and raises questions about how bad the brothers actually had it. 

The series offers a potential idea of the domestic life of the Menendez family, which is lacking in the documentary because of its focus on the trial. This viewpoint influences the viewers’ thoughts on the brothers’ testimony, creating reason for doubt. 

In contrast, the documentary The Menendez Brothers highlights the events of the trial using recent interviews of the Menendez brothers and other people involved in the trial. 

The documentary implies the brothers should have been convicted of manslaughter rather than first-degree murder, arguing the abuse the brothers endured from their parents eventually resulted in their murder. 

The inclusion of the recent phone calls with Lyle and Erik showed the viewers the brothers’ accomplishments in prison and how they were affected by their separation. This positive perspective of their present lives invalidates the accusations that the brothers were stone-cold killers. 

The Letter

A key difference between Monsters and the documentary is the alleged escape plan written to Erik from Lyle while in the L.A. County jail. 

During a surprise jail search, the guards seized the 17-page letter based on suspicions that the brothers were planning on escaping. 

Two weeks later, after examining the letter, the Sheriff’s Department concluded that it showed no plans of escape and that the brothers had no intention of ever escaping. 

In the letter, Lyle confessed to killing his parents, and this is the first time he mentions abuse, which eventually forced the brothers to confess everything in their trial testimony. 

“Only you and I know the truth, only you and I know the secrets of our family’s past. I do not look forward to broadcasting them around the country. I pray that it never has to happen,” Lyle wrote. “If it were not for you, I doubt I would even try for manslaughter, I would rather try to escape or die. I struggle with my belief that men take responsibility for their actions, pleading abuse is not taking responsibility.”

However, in Monsters, Lyle writes a plan of escape, which is cinematically depicted through ridiculous scenes of the brothers dreaming of an escape. In the series, the plans of escape ultimately lead to the brothers’ separation when they are transferred to prison. 

The escape scenes in episode three seem to be purely fiction and intended for comedic relief. However, this diminishes Lyle’s integrity and is not based on the true letter. 

The Will and the Spending Spree 

An important piece of evidence used in the prosecution is the fact that Lyle and Erik were cut out of José Menendez’s will. It was likely left out of the documentary because it validates the suspicion that money motivated the brothers. 

Another detail used in the prosecutor’s argument, which was barely mentioned in the documentary, is the excessive spending spree Lyle and Erik went on a few days after their parents’ death. 

During the months of their spending spree, the brothers purchased three Rolex watches, a Porsche, and a Jeep, hired their former tennis coach as a personal trainer with a salary of $60,000 and discussed purchasing a $900,000 condominium. 

“The idea that I was having a good time is absurd,” Erik said during a recent phone call from prison. “Everything was to cover up this horrible pain of not wanting to be alive. One of the things that kept me from killing myself was that … I felt like I would be a complete failure to my dad at that point.”

The change in Media Responses

The ridiculing tone of media portrayal in the 90s has since changed as society becomes more aware of the effects of abuse.  

The documentary and the series have since helped bring attention to the unjust factors of the trial, such as the defense attorney’s inability to use the defense abuse claim in the second trial and the impact of the verdict of the O.J. Simpson

trial had on the outcome of the Menendez trial. 

Multiple TikToks were made to support the brothers, including analyzing trial and interview tapes. Young people created their own opinions on the case using fresh eyes because they were either not alive at the time or too young to understand. 

This created a more positive media outlook and continues influencing future verdicts regarding the L.A. District’s reconsideration of the brothers’ resentencing. 

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual abuse, information and resources are available at www.wannatalkaboutit.com