The story of the Menendez Brothers, Lyle and Erik, is one of the most shocking and popular shows on Netflix based on a true crime history. The show premiered last week and the questions from the crime story are still lingering in people’s minds. This story is all about family conflicts, wealth, betrayal, and ultimately murder. The two Menendez Brothers kill their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills Mansion. We will try to bring more light into the case and ultimately the story through this article.
The Latest Netflix Series
The latest Netflix crime series Monsters is the real story revolving around the case of Murder committed by Lyle and Erik Menendez. They killed their real parents Jose and Kitty in the awe of betrayal. The series includes nine episodes and jumps back and forth throughout the long crime story, starting in 1990.
Role Characters
The series is played by some prominent actors in Hollywood. Here are the actors in the lead roles:
The General Hospital star Nicholas Chavez portrays the character of elder brother Lyle in the series Monsters. The famous star from The New York Christmas Wedding Cooper Koch plays the character of Erik, besides Nicholas. Their father Jose’s role is played by the Spanish actor Javier Bardem.
Furthermore, the investigative journalist Dunne (Dominick Dunne) is portrayed by Nathan Lane. Their defense attorney Leslie Abramson is played by Ari Graynor in the series. Lastly, Dallas Roberts from The Good Wife appeared as Dr. Jerome Oziel, the psychologist to whom Erik confessed about the murder.
The Murder Story
Eric and Lyle Menendez bought two shotguns from a Big 5 Sporting Goods Chain store in San Diego. The place is hundreds of miles away from their Beverly Hills Mansion. The next day, on August 19, 1989, their parents took them on a yacht and enjoyed shark fishing with them. The next day, when they returned home, the parents were shot dead with 15 shots by their sons.
Erik mentioned in the court that he shot first but later Lyle shot the best. They also said that their parents were enjoying television on a couch. The brothers were just 21 and 18 then.
What’s even worse is their partying after killing their parents. The two booked Batman tickets and drove to a movie theater. On their way back home, they changed their blooded clothes and pretended that someone else killed their parents on a 911 call.
About the Confession
A typical aspect of this crime story, mentioned above, is that the convicts were not arrested for about half a year after they murdered their parents. The case ended when the Menendez Brothers accepted themselves guilty and confessed in front of the court of their misdeed.
What forced them to confess their murder was the therapy sessions that they took with Dr. Jerome Oziel. The event was stressful for Erik which led him to confession. The doctor’s mistress overheard the whole conversation, which was also tape-recorded. Erik was then arrested on March 8, 1990, by the police in their mansion in Beverly Hills. Those six months of partying, shopping, and therapy sessions eventually paid back.
Why did they murder their parents?
According to their attorney Leslie Abramson, the two brothers Erik and Lyle were molested by their father repeatedly. Bearing the trauma since childhood and then continuing into their teens, the two decided to get rid of it and bought the shotguns in their defense.
Erik and Lyle’s case took about seven years to bring to a final decision. By the time their vulnerability came in front of the people, they were already the villains in everyone’s view. People were discussing their cases and were blaming them over social media. Finally, in 1996, the Menendez Brothers were found guilty and were eventually sentenced to jail.
Sentence by Court
Erik and Lyle were sentenced to life on April 17, 1996, by the Court. The Menendez brothers are still serving their deeds. The jury even requested to keep them in the same prison but the court decided to keep them miles apart from each other.
The two have married now, being behind bars, and have been exchanging letters for about six years now.
