In 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez murdered their parents at their home in Beverly Hills. At the time, Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18. They were arrested in 1990 for the killings of their father, entertainment executive José Menendez, and their mother, Mary Louise ‘Kitty’ Menendez. Initially, the deaths were linked to organized crime, but attention soon shifted to the brothers. Prosecutors suggested that greed was the motive, while the defense claimed that the brothers had endured years of abuse.
The case has inspired a new Netflix series titled “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” which is now available for streaming. The anthology series is created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan.
The cast includes Javier Bardem as José Menendez and Chloë Sevigny as Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez. Nicholas Chavez portrays Lyle Menendez, while Cooper Koch plays Erik Menendez.
The brothers were apprehended after authorities received a tip regarding Erik’s confession in therapy, including recorded evidence of this confession. Their extravagant spending following their parents’ deaths had already drawn suspicion.
On March 10, 1996, Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison after separate trials. The brothers claimed that their father sexually abused them from childhood and that their mother was complicit in the abuse.
Currently, Lyle and Erik Menendez are incarcerated at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility.