Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is the latest nine-episode miniseries released by Netflix in September. This new addition to Netflix's true crime anthology follows the success of its first installment, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
Uncovering the Crime
This time, Netflix delves into the chilling murder committed by the Menéndez brothers, which stunned the nation in 1989. The series narrates the gruesome killings of José Menéndez, a Cuban executive at RCA Records, and his wife Mary Louise "Kitty" Menéndez, by their own sons, Erik and Lyle Menéndez.
Initially, the brothers denied their involvement, but later confessed, claiming they acted in self-defense after enduring years of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse from their father while their mother remained passive.
The Legal Battle
The prosecution argued that greed was the true motive, as the Menéndez brothers aimed to inherit their parents' $13 million fortune. The first televised trial in 1993 ended without a verdict. However, in the second trial in 1996, Erik and Lyle were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
At the time of the crime, Lyle and Erik were 21 and 19 years old, respectively. They are currently serving their sentences at the same prison in California. Despite being incarcerated, both brothers have managed to establish stable marriages. Lyle has been married twice, tying the knot with Rebecca Sneed in 2003, while Erik married Tammi Saccoman in 1997 in a ceremony conducted over the phone.
New Evidence Emerges
According to CNN, in May 2023, the Menéndez brothers' lawyers presented new evidence to potentially overturn their convictions. The key piece of evidence is a letter Erik wrote to his cousin eight months before the murders, detailing the abuse by his father. This letter, discovered by Marta Cano, José Menéndez's younger sister, was never presented during the trials. The court has ordered the state to respond to the petition by the end of November, but there have been no updates on the case yet.
The Menéndez Family
Kitty Menéndez, originally Mary Louise Andersen, had a turbulent childhood marked by domestic violence. Despite her challenges, she excelled in college and married José Menéndez, who emigrated from Cuba and built a successful career in the music industry. José, known for his authoritarian and controlling nature, became an executive at RCA Records and was associated with the boy band Menudo. In the documentary Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, former band member Roy Stephan Rosselló accused José Menéndez of sexually abusing him on their first meeting after drugging him. José and Kitty enjoyed a wealthy lifestyle, living in a lavish Beverly Hills mansion at the time of their deaths.
Star-Studded Cast
The role of Cuban executive José Menéndez is portrayed by acclaimed Spanish actor Javier Bardem, who has previously depicted Cuban characters, such as writer Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls and television star Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos. The Menéndez brothers are played by Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle and Cooper Koch as Erik, with Chloë Stevens Sevigny taking on the role of Kitty. The series is brought to life by creators Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story) and Ian Brennan (Glee).