The true crimes and trial of the Menendez brothers explained

Warning: This article contains mentions of sexual abuse.

Summary

• Lyle and Erik Menendez killed their parents in 1989.
• The Menéndez brothers were arrested after a lavish spending spree and sentenced to life imprisonment.
• Lyle and Erik claimed self-defense due to parental abuse.

Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menéndez will tell the true story of the Menéndez brothers, Lyle and Erik, who killed their parents and were captured in the late 1980s/early 1990s. The Netflix crime series, created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, is an anthology series whose first season focuses on the notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer – Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Given that Dahmer was so successful for Netflix, the streaming service renewed Monster for two more seasons, the first of which will focus on Lyle and Erik Menéndez.

Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch will star in the crime drama as Lyle and Erik Menéndez, respectively. As for the rest of the cast of Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menéndez, Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny play Lyle and Erik’s parents — José and Kitty Menéndez. Other actors and actresses include Nathan Lane as Dominick Dunne, Ari Graynor as Leslie Abramson, Leslie Grossman as Judalon Smyth, Dallas Roberts as Dr. Jerome Oziel, Jason Butler Harner as Les Zoeller and Enrique Murciano as Carlos Baralt. Most of the stars portray real people who played a key role in the Menéndez case.

Lyle and Erik Menéndez murdered their parents in 1989

The brothers killed José and Kitty Menéndez with shotguns

Accordingly CBS NewsLyle and Erik Menéndez shot and killed their parents José and Kitty on the night of August 20, 1989. They approached the elderly man and woman in the living room of their Beverly Hills mansion, as described in the Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menéndez Trailer. The Menéndez brothers shot them several times with shotguns. Instead of fleeing the scene, Lyle and Erik stayed in the house and called 9-1-1. While on the phone with emergency services, Lyle reportedly kept screaming, “Someone killed my parents!”

Lyle and Erik told officers that they were out and about when they returned home and found Jose and Kitty dead.

When police arrived at the scene, Lyle and Erik told officers that they had been out and about when they returned home and found José and Kitty dead. The police apparently believed the Menéndez brothers at the time, and law enforcement officials began investigating other suspects and motives for the murders. Lyle and Erik’s happiness would soon run out, however, when Los Angeles police turned their suspicions on the siblings in the months following their parents’ deaths.

The Menéndez brothers were arrested almost a year after their parents were murdered

Lyle and Erik went on a shopping spree after the murders

After the murders of José and Kitty Menéndez on August 20, 1989, Lyle and Erik, who were 21 and 18 at the time, decided it would be a good time to spend a lot of their parents’ money. The brothers splurged on Rolex watches, fine dining, travel, and real estate, and invested their newfound income in various businesses. Naturally, Lyle and Erik’s spending spree raised eyebrows among law enforcement (and the public), as they were allegedly About $700,000 of her parents’ assets were used up. Suddenly the police turned their attention to the Menéndez brothers.

In addition, Judalon Smyth, Lyle’s girlfriend and Erik’s psychologist, called the police in March 1990 and gave them a tip. Smyth, played by Leslie Grossman in the cast of Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menéndez​​​​​​, told authorities that the brothers confessed to the murders during a session with their therapist and that there was evidence to support this. An audio recording of the therapy session shows Erik admitting that he and Lyle killed José and Kitty. Consequently, Police arrested Lyle on March 8, 1990, outside his parents’ home. and Erik turned himself in a few days later after his return from Israel.

Lyle and Erik Menéndez were both sentenced to life imprisonment in 1996

They had 2 processes

Although Lyle and Erik Menéndez were taken into police custody in March 1990, it took years for them to be convicted. The brothers also faced two trials because their first trial ended in a mistrial. In the 1993 trial, Lyle and Erik were tried together, but their verdicts were decided by separate juries. If they had been convicted of premeditated murder, the brothers could have faced the death penalty. After weeks of deliberations, The respective juries could not make a clear decision as to whether Lyle and Erik should be convicted of murder or manslaughter. and the judge declared the trial invalid.

All 10 episodes of
Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menéndez
The premiere is scheduled for September 19, 2024 on Netflix.

The second trial began a few years later, in October 1995. However, prosecutors opted for one jury instead of two, and the trial was ultimately a success. The Menéndez brothers were convicted of premeditated murder. But Lyle and Erik were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole instead of the death penalty.

What Lyle and Erik Menéndez revealed about their motives in their trials

The Menéndez brothers claimed they thought their father was going to kill them

During the first attempt The defense team for Lyle and Erik Menéndez argued that they murdered their parents in self-defense because their parents, Jose and Kitty, had abused them during their childhood. They were hoping for a manslaughter verdict rather than a conviction for premeditated murder. Lyle and Erik took the stand and described in detail the sexual abuse they allegedly suffered at the hands of their parents from a young age (six years old) until the days before the murders. Lyle said his father stopped abusing him when he was eight, while Erik’s abuse continued until the murders.

At the time, not many believed Lyle and Erik and thought their motive was money (which was seemingly proven by their actions after the murders).

The Menéndez brothers claimed that they had confronted José and Kitty, which had led to an argument, and Lyle and Erik were afraid their parents would kill them. So they said they took their manners into their own hands. However, not many believed Lyle and Erik at the time and thought their motive was money (which was seemingly proven by their actions after the murders). Additionally, they bought the shotguns days before the murders, leading prosecutors to believe they acted premeditatedly. It is unclear what motive is detailed in the statement. Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menéndez.

Where Lyle and Erik Menéndez are today and what happened after their conviction

The brothers are still in prison

Almost 30 years after their second trial, Lyle and Erik Menéndez are still in prison. The brothers are incarcerated at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County, California, where they are serving their respective life sentences. However, new evidence has emerged in the case that could prove the Menéndez brothers were telling the truth about the abuse. They are waiting for a judge’s decision to see if their case can be retried. But until then, Lyle and Erik will remain in prison and their story will be told in Netflix’s Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menéndez.

Source: CBS News