Where are Lyle and Erik Menendez now? 'Monsters' recounts spiral of how NYC brothers to convicted killers
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: From the creators of 'Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story' comes another chilling true crime documentary series. Netflix's 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story', created by Ian Brennan and Ryan Murphy, will explore the story of two brothers- Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were convicted of killing their parents.
The docu-series consists of nine episodes, offering a deep dive into the lives of the convicted brothers and what led them to commit the crime. Before you add it to your this month's watchlist, here's everything you need to know about the case.
Joseph Lyle and Erik Galen Menendez killed their parents in 1989
Lyle and Erik Menedez were born to José Enrique Menéndez and Mary Louise "Kitty" Andersen. The family lived in New Jersey before José's career as a corporate executive took them to Beverly Hills. Erik attended Beverly Hills High School where he proved his talent in Tennis, ranking 44th in the US as a junior.
Meanwhile, Lyle, the elder brother, pursued his education at Princeton University, where he faced academic challenges. He was placed on academic probation for poor grades and later suspended for plagiarism.
On August 20, 1989, Lyle (21) and Erik (18) murdered their parents at their 9,000-square-foot mansion in Beverly Hills. They entered their home carrying shotguns and shot José six times while Kitty was shot ten times.
According to EOnline, the brothers then disposed of the two Mossberg 12-gauge shotguns and created false alibis by purchasing movie tickets and seeking out acquaintances in different parts of the city.
Upon returning home approximately two hours after the incident, Lyle made a call to 911 and sobbed, "They shot and killed my parents!"
He recounted to authorities and others that a mob was responsible for their parents' deaths. Initially, everyone believed their story until their actions landed them in soup.
How were Joseph Lyle and Erik Galen Menendez caught?
The brothers went around making extravagant purchases shortly after killing their parents, as per Refinery 29. This included buying a restaurant in the posh area, a Porsche, a Rolex, and clothes worth 40,000.
They dined at expensive places very often, rented luxury penthouses, and took overseas trips. Erik even hired a full-time tennis coach for himself. Collectively, their spending spree amounted to approximately $700,000 before their relatives started connecting their lavish expenditures to the murder of their parents. As the investigation progressed, the suspicion of the brothers began to grow. However, due to the lack of evidence, the authorities had to rely on a confession.
Erik confessed to killing his parents to his psychologist, Jerome Oziel, who then told his mistress, Judalon Smyth. When Smyth broke up with Oziel, she contacted the police in a fit of rage and reported the crime of the brothers. This led to their eventual arrest and subsequent trials, during which they claimed self-defense, citing years of abuse inflicted upon them by their parents.
Joseph Lyle and Erik Galen Menendez's trial
During the trial, the brothers asserted that they had acted out of fear for their own lives, contending that they had endured years of sexual and emotional abuse at the hands of their father.
Their statement was confirmed by their cousin Diane Vander Molen, to whom Lyle as a kid, confessed, in 1976, that he was being sexually abused by his father. Molen recalled that when she informed Kitty about the abuse during those times, she sided with her husband, dismissing Lyle's claims as lies.
On the other hand, the prosecutors argued that the brothers committed the crime to inherit their father's multimillion-dollar estate. Lyle and Erik's extravagant spending before their arrest supported the prosecutors' argument. The trials culminated in both brothers being convicted of first-degree murder and receiving life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Both the brothers were sent to different prisons until February 2018, when they reunited in a California prison and burst into tears.
When is 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' releasing?
The twisted case of the two wealthy brothers will be covered in depth in the upcoming true-crime anthology 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story'.
Anticipation for the docu-series is high as Lyle and Erik's case remains one of the most widely discussed murder trials in the United States. 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' will premiere on Netflix on Thursday, September 19.
'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' trailer