What happened to Lyle and Erik Menendez? True story behind Netflix's Monsters

The new series tells the tale of the Menendez brothers, who were sentenced to life for killing their parents Mary Louise (better known as Kitty) and José Menendez on 20th August 1989.

During the trial, the brothers – who are played by Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch in the series – cited years of abuse as the reason for the murders. They claimed that they had killed their parents out of fear that their father would kill them if they were to expose his behaviour towards them.

Much like Dahmer, which told the (mostly) true story of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story has proved to be controversial amongst viewers for a number of reasons.

The question on many viewers' lips is: how much of the show is true?

Read on for the true story behind The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, including how the brothers were caught, what happened at their trials and where they are now.

Is Monsters based on a true story?

Yes. The new Netflix series is based on the real-life case of Lyle and Erik Menendez, two brothers who were convicted in 1996 of the murders of their parents José and Mary Louise 'Kitty' Menendez.

Across nine episodes, Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story chronicles the case, and as per the synopsis: "While the prosecution argued they were seeking to inherit their family fortune, the brothers claimed - and remain adamant to this day, as they serve life sentences without the possibility of parole - that their actions stemmed out of fear from a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents."

How old were Lyle and Erik Menendez when they killed their parents?

Lyle Menendez was 21 and his brother Erik was 18 years old.

On the evening of 20th August 1989, Lyle and Erik walked into their Beverly Hills family home carrying shotguns.

They proceeded to shoot and kill their parents. In total, Kitty was shot 10 times while her husband José was shot six times, including a fatal shot to the back of his head.

How were Erik and Lyle caught?

It's safe to say that the real-life case of the Menendez brothers took the world by storm for a multitude of reasons, not least because of public intrigue over the circumstances surrounding the deaths of José and Kitty, as well as the brothers' actions after the murders.

After the killings, the brothers remained in the house as they thought the police would be on their way due to the noise of gunshots.

Once the police arrived, the brothers told them that they had been out all evening at the cinema watching Batman and then at the Taste of LA Festival.

They said that afterwards, they had returned home to find their parents murdered. Believing their version of events, the police did not seek gun residue tests from the brothers and began their investigation into the murders of Kitty and José.

In the months after their deaths, the Menendez brothers started living lavishly and spent money at an alarming rate.

They not only bought many luxury items but also travelled internationally, purchased restaurants and bought adjoining houses in Marina del Rey. It was reported that, collectively, the brothers spent a total of $700,000 before they were eventually arrested.

Their lavish spending only put them under the line of suspicion to the police, who were trying to narrow down suspects who had the motive to murder José and Kitty.

While they did suspect some mob involvement, their sights honed in on the brothers, who were proving to have a significant financial motivation for the killings.

The police employed the help of Erik's friend, Craig Cignarelli, who they asked to wear a wire and ask Eric outright if he murdered his parents. Erik denied it but later confessed to the crime to his psychologist, Jerome Oziel.

But the real breakthrough in the investigation came after Oziel told his mistress Judalon Smyth about Erik's confession. The pair were having an affair and Oziel broke things off with Smyth, but in her own fit of anger, she reported what Oziel had told her about Erik to the police.

The brothers were then arrested in 1990, six months after the murders of José and Kitty. Lyle was arrested on 8th March that year, and Erik, who had just returned from Israel, turned himself into the police three days after his brother's arrest.

The trial became a US sensation when it started up in 1993, being broadcast by Court TV live every day. The brothers were tried for their crimes separately, but both admitted to killing their parents out of self-defence.

What happened at the trials?

The brothers stated that they had killed their parents in self-defence.

They described having a fear for their lives after being subjected to years of abuse at the hands of their parents, but namely their father José, who they said had sexually abused them for years.

During the trial, Lyle gave graphic testimony of his father's alleged abuse, and had stated that he had even confronted José about sexually assaulting Erik just days before the murder.

The allegations about the sexual abuse were corroborated by two family members – the brothers' cousins Andy Cano and Diane Vander Molen. Cano testified that Erik had told him about the abuse when they were both children, while Molen said that she told Kitty about an instance of José's alleged sexual abuse to Lyle. Molen said that, at the time, Kitty told her the allegations were false.

The prosecution argued that the brothers had killed their parents for financial gain, not in self-defence. The first trials ended in 1994 with two dead-locked juries, resulting in a mistrial.

The second trial unfolded in 1995, but this time, the brothers were tried together and it wasn't as public, as Judge Stanley Weisberg ruled for no TV cameras to be present in the courtroom.

Once again, the defence cited years of abuse, and similarly, the prosecution argued that the brothers had acted as "vicious, spoiled brats".

Weisberg limited testimony about the brothers' alleged abuse and didn't allow the jury to consider a verdict on manslaughter charges, only murder.

How many years did Lyle and Erik get?

On 21st March 1996, both Lyle and Erik were sentenced after being found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder, receiving two consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole.

While the jury noted that the claims of abuse were not a factor in their own deliberations, they did decide not to impose the death penalty due to the brothers' lack of previous criminal convictions.

Where are the brothers now and are they together in prison?

After their convictions, the brothers were separated and sent to different prisons. In 2018, the brothers were reunited after being allowed to serve their sentences at the same prison in San Diego.

They were moved into the same housing unit, marking the first time the brothers had seen each other in almost 22 years.

Over the years, the brothers have filed many appeals, but all have been denied.

Just last year, the Menendez brothers filed an appeal for a new hearing based on newly acquired evidence. The evidential documents they submitted were reported to include testimony from another man, boy-band member Roy Rosselló, who claimed to have also been raped by José Menendez at the age of 14 in a documentary.

"We have received the habeas petition in the Menendez matter and it’s currently under review," the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office told CNN in May 2023.

As of now, the brothers counsel other inmates who have suffered sexual abuse and Erik leads various self-help groups in prison, according to journalist Robert Rand, who has covered the case since 1989 and revealed more to A&E True Crime.

Are Lyle and Erik married?

Yes, both brothers are married; Lyle to journalist-turned-attorney Rebecca Sneed and Erik to prison pen-pal Tammi Saccoman, who he also has a daughter with.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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