In October, Netflix released a new drama series, Monsters, which follows the lives of the Menendez brothers, played by Nicolas Chavez as Lyle and Cooper Koch as Erik. The show faced tremendous backlash, including from the Menendez brothers themselves.
Netflix also recently released a documentary, The Menendez Brothers, which focuses mainly on the trial. One of the prosecutors, Pamela Bozanich, went viral for a comment she made while being interviewed for the documentary, where she said that she believes that the boys were lying the whole time.
The Menendez murders occurred on Aug. 20, 1989. Jose Menendez and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez were reported dead in their home in Beverly Hills, California. Their sons, Lyle and Erik Menendez called the police, explaining they had been out and discovered the bodies. Six months later, the brothers were arrested for the murder of their parents.
On the nationally televised trial, both brothers pled self-defense. There was no question about whether the brothers had committed the crime, rather the focus was on the motive. The prosecution placed a focus on the brutality of the murder and a motive for the multi-million dollar inheritance, while the defense released a shocking new motive: longstanding, intense abuse. At the first trial, the decision between first degree murder and manslaughter ended in a hung jury.
At the second trial, Judge Weisberg limited many defense witnesses that appeared previously. The judge removed the option of manslaughter, making the sentencing options first degree murder or nothing. Arguably most crucially, the judge ruled that most of the evidence of abuse was not admissible in the second trial, seriously limiting what could be shown. Both Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of first degree murder and received life in prison without the possibility of parole.
They are both currently serving life sentences, but a new movement has reopened the case from the 90s.
The release of both series sparked public interest, and followers began pushing for the brothers’ release. Individuals began writing letters to the brothers, signing petitions for a re-sentencing, and urging the state to take a closer look at the case.
The case is perceived differently in the 21st century than in the 1990s. It features everything you could ask for in a courtroom drama. Two charming young brothers who killed their extremely wealthy parents. Was it the dark family secrets or the greed for money? For the brothers, though, it’s not a courtroom drama. It’s their lives. Here is an in depth analysis of both the documentary and the series:
The first thing noted in Monsters is the character portrayal of Lyle Menendez. He is portrayed as significantly more aggressive than he is in court videos. He swears excessively and is shown doing cocaine, despite no evidence that this actually happened. There is also an incestuous relationship between the boys. They are shown kissing and showering together. They did not have any type of romantic relationship, and it is off-putting and frankly disgusting they would portray it as such.
The show both glamorizes and understates the incidents that were happening to them. For example, at the end of episode six, the brothers calmly arrive in their car and enter the house. There are flashes of light coming from inside the house, representing the shots that were fired when the boys killed their parents. The camera slowly pans to the exterior of the house while the song “Don’t Dream it’s Over” plays. This scene is extremely downplayed for such a traumatic and chaotic murder.
In the last episode of Monsters, Lyle and Erik are under the impression they are being transferred into the same prison. The brothers are calmly escorted into different vans, which is different from Erik Menendez’s account when he explained that he called out for Lyle and did not see him again for over two decades. “Blame it on the Rain” played as the vans went their separate ways. This scene was much more understated than expected. It was expected for the brothers to shout out to each other, cry, and make the audience feel the isolation that was felt when the brothers were separated after being together their entire lives. Instead, Erik asks where Lyle is being transferred to, and the scene ends.
The show was highly anticipated, but it ended up being distasteful, presenting theories with no weight to them. Many people watch these shows and don’t do investigative research, or fact-check. This show is presented as aesthetic and comedic at the expense of misinformation and deceitfulness.
Compared to the drama series, the documentary The Menendez Brothers is much more compelling. The Menendez family and an original prosecutor were included, giving it a far more neutral perspective. It gave a better sense of the timeline and how other events affected the case, like the arrest and acquittal of OJ Simpson. The acquittal was a serious failure for the LAPD, so when the Menendez case appeared, they were determined to win a case and take back their sense of justice and authority.
The facts were correct, and the narrative was more straightforward. The documentary was entertaining throughout, and it was more enjoyable to watch because the facts were correct. I thought the documentary was very moving, especially with Lyle closing the documentary.
Monsters was funny at the cost of being misleading, and The Menendez Brothers documentary was more successful by including facts and neutral opinions. The case is still controversial today, and it will be interesting to see what happens with the brother’s new chance at freedom in 2025.
