Menendez brothers join new Netflix documentary after slandering ‘Monster’

Netflix will release a gripping new documentary about the Menendez brothers next month, featuring real-life accounts from Erik and Lyle Menendez themselves.

For the first time in nearly 30 years, Erik and Lyle Menendez look back in their own words at the trial that shocked the nation. Together they tell their story from the Donovan Correctional Facility in California.

“Everyone is asking why we killed our parents,” one of the brothers interjects, as The Menendez Brothers Trailer begins. “Maybe now people can understand the truth.”

Lyle, then 21, and Erik, then 18, admitted to shooting their parents, but claimed they acted out of fear that their father, who had sexually abused Erik for years, would kill them to keep the abuse secret.

The brothers initially blamed the mafia because their father had ties to a high-ranking executive in the entertainment industry, but the brutal nature of the crime suggested a more personal and emotional motive.

In the first trial of the Menendez brothers, which began in 1993, Lyle and Erik Menendez were charged with the murder of their parents in 1989. The trial ended in a stalemate between two jurors who could not agree on whether the brothers were guilty of murder or acted out of fear. This resulted in a mistrial and set the stage for a second trial in 1995.

Unlike the first trial, in which the allegations of sexual abuse were the focus, in the second trial the judge significantly limited the defense’s use of the allegations of abuse.

The jury found Lyle and Erik Menendez guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“What emerges may not answer the many questions that still surround the case, but it offers another perspective – that of the brothers themselves, provided in brand new audio interviews,” the Netflix website says.

The new documentary The Menendez Brotherswill include interviews with Erik and Lyle Menendez, as well as new insights from their cousin Diane Vander Molen, who testified in the first trial, and from prosecutor Pamela Bozanich.

The Menendez BrothersDirected by Alejandro Hartmann, decades of evidence surrounding the crime and the subsequent trial are examined.

Unlike Murphy’s drama, which delves deeply into the brothers’ turbulent relationship and the events leading to their parents’ murder, Hartmann’s documentary aims to provide a comprehensive look at the complexity of the case.

Newsweek I have contacted Hartmann, but he has not responded yet.

The Menendez Brothers Premieres on Netflix on October 7th.

This follows the latest installment in the Netflix series, Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendezcreated by Ryan Murphy. The series premiered on September 19th, generating a lot of buzz and intense scrutiny.

Erik Menendez expressed regret over Netflix’s “dishonest portrayal” of the tragedies surrounding the brothers’ crime.

“I can only believe they were done on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I must say that I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be so naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives to do this without malicious intent,” Erik Menendez wrote, as shared by his family via X and Facebook. “Murphy shapes his horrific story through vile and horrific character portrayals of Lyle and me and disheartening slanders.”

Ryan Murphy fires back

Murphy responded and defended his project after Erik Menendez’s criticism.

Attending the red carpet premiere of another of his shows on Monday, Murphy told Entertainment tonight It’s difficult to see your own life portrayed on the big screen, and for the Menendez brothers it must have been particularly challenging.

However, he also said it was interesting that Erik Menendez made a statement without even seeing the show.

“I find it interesting that (Erik) doesn’t mention in his quote that if you look at the show, I think 60 to 65 percent of our show in the scripts and in the film form is about the abuse and what allegedly happened to them,” Murphy said.

Murphy said he wanted to handle the issue carefully.

“In this time when people can really talk about sexual abuse, it can be controversial to talk about it, to write about it, to write about all points of view,” Murphy added.

When asked directly about the suggestion of a sexual relationship between the brothers on the show, Murphy replied, “When you watch the show, you are presented with the views and theories of many people involved in the case. Dominick Dunne has written several articles discussing this theory, and we share his perspective along with that of Leslie Abramson. We felt it was important to include all of that, and that’s what we did.”

The Netflix series sheds light on incest allegations between the brothers and features a scene in which a drug-addicted Lyle kisses Erik after they inherit their parents’ fortune.

In subsequent episodes, it is implied that Lyle was first sexually abused by her father, José Menendez, and that as a result of the abuse, Lyle then began to mistreat Erik in the same way – suggesting that Erik was abused by both his father and his brother.

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