Menendez Brothers Case Gets New Legal Review As Controversial ‘Monsters’ Continues To Top Netflix Charts

Topline

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón has said his office will review the case of Lyle and Erik Menendez, convicted of murder for killing their parents in 1989, two weeks after Netflix released the controversial Ryan Murphy series "Monsters” that has been slammed for its inclusion of an incestuous storyline and called a “blatant lie” by the real-life brothers.

Key Facts

Gascón on Thursday said his office is evaluating whether or not the brothers, who claimed they killed their parents out of fear for their lives following years of sexual abuse, should remain in prison for the rest of their lives and said he has a "moral and ethical obligation to review what is being presented.”

The review comes after Netflix's dramatic series based on the murders drew more than 50% more viewers in its second week amid criticism from one brother and a boast from creator Ryan Murphy the show is “best thing to happen to the Menendez brothers in 30 years.”

"Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" was the most-watched series on Netflix for the second week in a row with 153.8 million hours viewed from Sept. 23 to Sept. 29, a 57% increase from the 97.5 million hours it was watched in its debut week.

The second season of the anthology series "Monster" from Ryan Murphy focuses on the murders of José and Kitty Menendez, who were killed by their then 18- and 21-year old sons Erik and Lyle, though the two men have slammed the show as a “blatant lie” amid its portrayal of sexual abuse trauma and the suggestion they had an incestuous relationship.

On Sept. 19, the day of the show's premiere, Erik Menendez shared a statement to X through his wife Tammi's account that accused Murphy of "bad intent,” slammed the show as a step backward in accurately portraying male sexual abuse, and said it included “vile and appalling character portrayals of Lile and of me."

The more controversial depictions in the show, like the incest implication and scenes showing Lyle using cocaine, are largely based on the far-flung theories of the late Vanity Fair journalist Dominick Dunne, with no real evidence behind them.

Murphy said he found Erik Menendez's commentary "interesting because I know he hasn’t watched the show" and said he stands by how "Monsters" portrayed the story, later slamming the Menendez brothers for claiming "lies after lies” without specific criticisms and then labeled the show “the best thing to happen to the Menendez brothers in 30 years.”

On Tuesday, The Hollywood Reporter published an article with interviews from the show's main actors—including Cooper Koch, who played Erik, and Nicholas Alexander Chavez, who plays Lyle—who expressed sympathy for the Menendez brothers but also agreed with Murphy that press from the show stands to benefit, more than harm, the family.

Did The Menendez Brothers Have An Incestuous Relationship?

Most of the controversy surrounding "Monsters" focuses on the implication the Menendez brothers had a sexual relationship. In the show, Erik and Lyle share a kiss in the second episode and their mother finds them showering together in episode six. Both have vehemently denied a sexual relationship, and Murphy has said "there are people who say that never happened, there were people who said it did happen.” Robert Rand, an expert on the case, told the Hollywood Reporter he doesn't think the pair were "ever lovers" and said any inappropriate contact between the two would not have been a real relationship, but a "response to trauma."

Key Background

José and Kitty Menendez were shot six and 10 times, respectively, in their home in August of 1989. Initially, Erik and Lyle told police they'd been out of the house when the murders occurred, but Erik later confessed the killing to his psychologist, whose mistress told police about the brother's involvement. The Menendez trial was a huge news event, and while the brothers never denied killing their parents, they claimed they shot them out of fear for their lives after a lifetime of sexual abuse at the hands of their father. They said their mother, who they accused of being an alcoholic and drug addict, enabled her husband's behavior and was also physically abusive. The defense presented pornographic images of the boys taken by their father, and two people testified in support of the abuse claims. One prosecutor claimed "men could not be raped." The first trial ended with deadlocked juries and a second trial, which focused much less on the abuse claims, ended in the conviction of both brothers on two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder. They were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole and remain in prison.

What To Watch For

In addition to the new investigation from the Los Angeles District Attorney, Lyle and Erik, now 56 and 53, are awaiting a habeas corpus petition filed last year that asked for a new evidentiary hearing or for the Menendez brothers’ convictions to be vacated. Last year, new evidence emerged in the case when Roy Rosselló said he, too, had been raped by José Mendenez, and the brothers' defense team discovered a letter written by Erik to his cousin in 1988 opening up about his father's abuse.

Tangent

"Monsters" was the No. 1 most-watched show on Netflix last week. "Nobody Wants This," a romantic comedy series starring Kristen Bell and Seth Cohen, was in second place with 45.7 million hours viewed, less than a third of "Monsters" in the same week. "The Perfect Couple" was in third place (30.7 million hours viewed), followed by "Mr. McMahom" (28.2 million) and the fourth season of "Emily In Paris" (25.1 million views). The much-anticipated comedy special of Ellen DeGeneres, called "For Your Approval," was the ninth most-watched show in its debut week.

Further Reading