The high-profile murder trial of Erik and Lyle Menendez in 1993 and the “trial of the century” of OJ Simpson shortly thereafter were two of the biggest media events of the 1990s, when televised court proceedings attracted widespread attention. The cases even have similar origins, namely gruesome murders in wealthy neighborhoods in West Los Angeles. That’s why the controversial new series from Netflix and Ryan Murphy Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendezit’s no surprise that some key moments from the closely watched trial of the former linebacker are mentioned in passing and in the background. But then Simpson appears as a character in the series’ penultimate episode, shortly after his 1994 arrest following his infamous Bronco chase.
Viewers wonder if this moment was invented for the Netflix series. But when Simpson and Menendez crossed paths, it actually happened.
While Erik Menendez was held in the Los Angeles jail for a long time after his arrest alongside his brother for the murder of his parents, José and Kitty Menendez, Simpson was held for an extended period in a cell next to the younger Menendez brother. What was supposed to be just a brief conversation between the two incarcerated, clueless tabloid stars to punctuate an episode full of legal disappointments for the titular brothers was in fact a series of conversations over about 10 days.
As Robert Rand writes in The Menendez Murdershis definitive book about the murders and trials (as well as a new appendix describing new evidence the author has discovered that may help the brothers’ case), Simpson and Erik Menendez knew each other before their unexpected meeting in prison in June 1994. When the brothers were children, José Menendez was climbing the corporate ladder, working for a time as an executive at RCA’s Hertz company. Simpson famously did commercials for the company by rushing through an airport to his rented apartment, a location so popular that he may have become more famous for it than for his football career. José invited Simpson to his home a few times, and it was there that he met the brothers when they were young children.
Because the 10 days of conversations between Erik and OJ were reduced to a few minutes of the Netflix series, many details that Rand wanted for a playboy Magazine articles from 1995 are not included. One element of their prison friendship was omitted: the young and somewhat inexperienced Erik Menendez advised the great Simpson not to befriend the guards or to become friends with the prison staff, as they were not as trustworthy as Simpson apparently saw them.
“I remember Erik telling me that OJ was just super friendly to all the MPs, and all the MPs, you know, came by with signed pictures,” Rand said The Hollywood Reporter by phone. “They were used to having celebrities of OJ’s level in their care. So Erik would call me every night and tell me what had happened today or what had happened today. But I got the impression that OJ really appreciated Erik’s friendship and advice.”
A key moment that Rand reported took place in prison was included in the Netflix series: Menendez advises Simpson to take a deal in his case in the final seconds of episode eight. While this works as a bit of a gag and sets up the opening moment of the final episode, it wasn’t Erik who gave him this advice; it was actually Lyle.
“OJ and Lyle Menendez spent many hours in the prison’s lawyer’s room while waiting for their lawyers or key witnesses,” Rand wrote. “During the 100 hours of contact between the two inmates, the two high-profile prisoners spoke openly and exchanged dozens of letters. Lyle advised OJ that he should consider a plea deal, and OJ briefly considered that option – according to Lyle – but later told Menendez he couldn’t do that because it would ruin his reputation and he would never work again.”
Ultimately, the show skips most of it, condensing the Simpsons story arc into a short sequence. And it works, as Erik suggests that this NFL star will be the next big media sensation – his star shines again when the Menendez story is quickly dismissed. And that’s exactly what happened.
