The Black Country murder that’s horrifyingly similar to Netflix’s Menendez brothers story

Erik and Lyle Menendez blasted their parents Jose and Kitty to death with shotguns at their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989. In 2020 there was a double killing in the Black Country which shared similar brutality amid claims of childhood abuse

The Menendez brothers' murder of their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion is the latest true crime tale to take Netflix by storm. Millions of people have watched the latest instalment of the 'Monsters' series which recreates the case of siblings Erik, then 18, and Lyle, 21, who blasted their mother and father, Kitty and Jose, with shotguns in August 1989.

The controversial show has reignited the debate over whether the brothers simply killed them to inherit their fortune or whether the murders were the culmination of years of sexual abuse, mainly at their father's hands.

Chillingly, a murder in the Black Country in recent years shares horrifying similarities with Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. In February 2020 Anmol Chana brutally stabbed to death his mother Jasbir Kaur, 52, and his step-dad Rupinder Bassan, 51 at their home in Oldbury.

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Six months later the 26-year-old told his trial at Birmingham Crown Court he had been sexually abused by his mum as a child - graphic claims that were strongly discredited.

While there was wider testimony from relatives to support the Menendez's accounts of abuse, there was no further evidence to back up Chana's story. It appeared to be a desperate attempt to justify his wicked crimes, which the prosecution dismissed as 'fantasy'.

In a further parrallel to the Menendez case, Chana cynically alleged he had acted in self-defence, claiming Mr Bassan had come at him with a knife after Mrs Kaur instructed 'finish him off'. But the brutality of the murders told a different story.

While the Menendez brothers opted for shotguns - with firearms more easily obtainable in California than in the UK - Chana chose a knife, which was something he had been obsessed with since childhood. But their savage intent was the same.

Unsuspecting Kitty and Jose were repeatedly blasted at close range. Chana was equally emphatic, stabbing his mother and step-father at least 20 times each. Police described the scene as 'utter carnage'.

Then there was their cold and callous actions afterwards. The Menendez brothers claimed they found their parents' dead bodies before fuelling the theory that they had been gunned down by the Mafia. The Netflix show depicted their subsequent spending spree, which included partying at the Hotel Bel-Air.

As for Chana, he dragged the lifeless corpses of his mother and step-father from the corridor, where he had knifed them, to the rear living room. There, he used a laptop to search for female escorts. He made further attempts to hook up with women in the following days, during which he also played pool at a pub, booked a flight to Italy and made notes about robbing a Lidl store.

In both sets of cases the courts handed out some of the severest punishments available to them. Chana was ultimately found guilty of murdering Mrs Kaur and Mr Bassan and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 36 years. It is one of the longest tariffs handed out in the region in recent times and perhaps only one step short of the UK's harshest punishment, a whole life order.

The Menendez brothers were initially tried separately but each case ended in a deadlocked jury and a mistrial being declared. They were ultimately convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder following a retrial. In 1996 they were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole after being spared the prospect of the death penalty.

The brothers are currently serving their time in San Diego, California. Last year they submitted evidence again claiming they had been sexually abused and were acting in self defence - material that was largely withheld at their second trial. Since the Netflix show aired it has been reported that their case is set to be reviewed.

Notwithstanding the undoubted similarities, Chana's background was somewhat different. He had been known to social services, GPs and mental health teams since childhood due to his bizarre behaviour which had worried his teachers. His sister had described him as a 'problem child' to the jury, with a fascination for knives which had to be locked away in her their home.

As with any murder the first question everyone asks is always 'why?', which is not something the prosecution necessarily has to prove to show intent. Regardless of the lack of credibility around his sexual abuse claims there was clear evidence of Chana's deep resentment towards his mother.

He sent chilling texts to his biological father stating she was 's***' while he was a child as he accused Mrs Kaur of 'trying everything she can to f*** my life up'.

He also typed out a sick fantasy of him 'pouring boiling water down her throat' and putting her head 'in a chip pan'. A homicide review which concluded last year highlighted the failings of agencies involved with Chana, who was described as a 'ticking timebomb'.

The report of the Safer Sandwell Partnership also commended the 'incredible strength' of Mrs Kaur who had long felt in danger and sought help.