Netflix, along with creators and showrunners Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, have teamed up again to continue their Monster anthology on true crime murderers and serial killers. This time, they recount one of the biggest and most notorious crimes of the 20th century. In the nine-episode show Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, the horrific events surrounding the grisly and cold-blooded murders of Beverly Hills residents Jose (Javier Bardem) and Kitty Menendez (Chloë Sevigny) by their two sons Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik (Cooper Koch) in 1989 are told in great and gruesome detail. The boys were charged with murder and the show covers premeditation of the slayings and the trial of both brothers, who were eventually found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. But what happened at the end of Murphy and Brennan’s true story adaptation, and has anything changed with the brothers?
The Menendez Brothers Received Guilty Verdicts in the Murder of Their Parents
After the first trial ends in a mistrial, the final episode, “Hang Men” digs into the second trial in 1995-1996 and the resulting guilty verdicts. Leslie Abramson (Ari Graynor) is now representing both Lyle and Erik pro bono as the brothers have run out of money. The close bond between the brothers is starting to deteriorate as they have been in jail for over five years awaiting a guilty or not guilty verdict. They blame each other for their circumstances as things are not going well, and it appears they will both be charged with first degree murder. Erik takes the stand for a second time and is grilled by the prosecution about the premeditation they put into killing their parents, and it was not because they were sexually and emotionally abused by their father, Jose, while their mother, Kitty, looked the other way.
Erik maintains the story of self-defense about the abuse and there are several tense exchanges between the witnesses and the lawyers. The seemingly insurmountable evidence is starting to pile up against the brothers, and Abramson, who was once on the attack in defense of her clients, now seems flustered and overmatched by the sheer weight of the physical and circumstantial evidence. There is a poignant moment when Abramson and Erik are playing “Hangman” with each other and are asked by the defense and judge to stop playing during the proceedings. Murphy has several shots of the brothers and Abramson looking defeated at their table, and he effectively conveys a feeling of doom and a fait accompli.
Was the Murder in ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ Premeditated?
Acclaimed Vanity Fair writer Dominick Dunne (Nathan Lane) relates the story as he holds court with his many friends. Lyle and Erik are subsequently found guilty of the murders and sentenced. Murphy captures the jury for the first time as they deliberate between whether to give the brothers the death penalty or life without parole. There is a memorable, standout moment when one of the older female jurors vehemently argues that the Menendez’s should be put to death.
A sobering testament by a more compassionate juror convinces the rest of the jurors that they can’t put the brothers to death, citing their relatives speaking on behalf of Erik and Lyle. They are sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. Abramson still believes the boys are harmless victims and continues to argue on behalf of the boys. The Milli Vanilli playing in the background is called “Don’t Go” as they are transferred and separated, which is the perfect sound because the two members of the singing duo were exposed as lip-synching frauds. It’s a deft touch that feels like the appropriate callback from earlier in the show by Murpy and Brennan.
The final scene of Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is a somber shot of Jose and Kitty having a heartwarming discussion at the stern of the boat during a sun-kissed family shark-fishing trip. They laugh, and he tells her how much he loves her. Meanwhile, the boys are at the bow of the boat agreeing to kill them both, making it clear that it was on the afternoon boat charter that they confirmed their plans. It leaves one final palpable sense of irony that it was at this moment that they committed to the slayings that would change their lives forever.
New Evidence Has Surfaced in Lyle and Erik Mendendez’s Trial
The last time the Menedez’s saw each other was in 1996, from across the prison yard. They weren’t allowed to communicate. After their conviction, Erik and Lyle were taken to different facilities. On April 4, 2018, after many appeals by Lyle, they were finally reunited when Erik moved to Lyle’s unit. Journalist Robert Randtold ABC News that when Lyle first laid eyes on his brother that they both “burst into tears immediately. They just hugged each other for a few minutes without saying any words to each other. Then the prison officials let them spend an hour together in a room.”
In January 2017, Lyle relayed that he had accepted his fate, saying, “I am the kid that killed his parents, and no river of tears has changed that and no amount of regret has changed it,” he goes on to say, “I accept that. You are often defined by a few moments of your life, but that’s not who you are in your life, you know. Your life is your totality of it…You can’t change it. You just, you’re stuck with the decisions you made.”
However, new evidence has come to light that may add weight to the brothers’ arguments that they suffered abuse at the hands of their parents. A 1988 letter from Erik to his cousin Any Cano has been presented by the brothers’ attorney, Cliff Gardner, in which Erick alludes to his father’s abuse. Cano had previously testified at the brothers’ trial, but the prosecution dismissed his account as a lie. Additionally, former member of the Puerto Rican band Menudo, Roy Rosselló, has claimed Jose Menedez sexually abused him as a teenager sometime in 1983 or 1984. Gardener presented the new evidence in May 2023 and, per CBS News, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the claims.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menedez Story is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
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