New Netflix Series Explores the Infamous Menendez Brothers Case
United States: September 19, 2024, Starting today on Netflix, Ryan Murphy’s true-crime anthology series’s newest part, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” This much-awaited show explores the horrific case of the Menendez brothers, who were found guilty in 1996 for the terrible killings of their parents, José and Mary Louise “Kitty.”
A Notorious Crime Reviewed
Armed with shotguns, Lyle and Erik Menendez, aged 21 and 18 years old, broke into their family’s Beverly Hills estate late on August 20, 1989. Their parents were killed, a murder so severe that first suspicions were toward organized criminal participation. But when Erik told his psychologist, the truth surfaced and the Menendez brothers were arrested in March 1990.
The Unique Viewpoint of the Series
“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Brothers Story” seeks to examine the complicated relationships inside the Menendez family. The prosecution contended that the brothers were cold-blooded murderers trying to inherit their family’s wealth, or victims of lifetime maltreatment as the defense claimed.
The show stars Nicholas Chavez and Cooper Koch as Lyle and Erik and Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny as their parents. Examining the psychological and emotional elements leading to the sad occurrences, the show aims to offer a complex picture of the brothers’ lives.
Public and Critical Reception
Two years after the divisive success of “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” which attracted over a billion hours of viewing in its first 60 days on Netflix, the series opens. While that show split viewers and reviewers, Murphy hopes this next one will start intelligent debates about the nature of crime and punishment.
Where Are They Right Now?
Currently receiving life sentences without any chance of release are Lyle and Erik Menendez. Though they have convictions, they say their conduct was motivated by desperation to flee their violent home and terror.
Now available for viewing on Netflix, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Brothers Story” gives audiences a thorough look at one of the most notorious criminal cases in America.
