Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez Ryan Murphy is more than just real crime. And it is perhaps one of the most brutal and bloody films in the vast catalog of the genre on Netflix. It is also an in-depth look at one of the most controversial cases to have occurred in North America in the last fifty years. Especially since the production reignites the debate about what really happened at the Menendez residence. And, in particular, the reasons why Lyle and Erik Menendez killed their parents on the night of August 20, 1989.
Over nine episodes, the Netflix series attempts to explore more than just the crime scene. The brothers also accused their parents of abusing them for decades as children. However, the Menendezes were never able to demonstrate such a situation definitively. Especially since the domestic situation was so brutal that the only way out was murder, as the young men’s lawyers tried unsuccessfully to prove in court. The truth is that the devastating testimony of young men who described years of physical and sexual abuse They became the center of sensational media attention.
He real crime Ryan Murphy recapitulates the above in a story that encompasses more than just the testimony of young men. At the same time, it is the critical look at the trial that has dominated media attention for nearly a year. But while it is an interesting way of telling the story of a crime that has astonished the United States, it does not attempt to answer the central question. Did the Menendezes have no choice but to kill their parents to free themselves from a long cycle of violence? Until then, the series leaves the answer—or debate—up to the audience.
What’s Behind the Controversial Argument
On August 20, 1989, a teenager screaming in terror called the Los Angeles police. It was Lyle Menendez, 21. He said he and his younger brother, Erik, had found their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, murdered in the family home in Beverly Hills. Through sobs, he explained that the living room of the house showed signs of were destroyed as a result of, apparently, shelling of the victims.
The news shocked the town. The Menendezes had lived a quiet and luxurious life, and until then their family had apparently been exemplary. Jose, played in the feature film by Spanish actor Javier Bardem, was a successful show business executive, respected by society and his circle. Kitty, his wife, was a happy housewife, devoted to caring for her two children and her husband. Until his death, the couple had always seemed happily married. who raised her two children in a strict but loving environment.
So the brutality of the murder of both of them surprised everyone who knew him in the city of Los Angeles. Both were killed by no less than six shots. In the case of Jose, he was even hit in the mouth. Which suggested that it was a planned crime and extreme brutality. On the other hand, Kitty’s body was found in the hallway leading to her room, which led the police to believe that she was trying to escape. For the authorities, the brutality and aggressiveness of the crime were a grim sign that this was not a random crime or robbery. This made him suspicious of his children.
The revelation that shook the country
According to the brothers, they both went to the movies and then returned to the family mansion to find their parents’ bodies. For two months, that was the only theory the police had, and the investigation continued without any clear indication of what had happened. For the first two months, the most common theory was that it was a Mafia hit. At least from a powerful enemy who had plotted to solve the crime step by step, leaving no witnesses or traces behind.
At that time, journalist Robert Rand from Miami Heralddevoted his time and interest to investigating the case. This led him to have lengthy interviews with the murdered couple’s children. By then, rumors had begun to circulate about the heirs’ lavish spending sprees. These included a Porsche 911 Carrera and a $300,000 advance on a chicken wing restaurant. The brothers’ behavior began to attract police attention. At the same time, both told stories of idyllic family lives. Rand, who would eventually write a book based on his contacts with the youth.
However, Eric finally admits that he and his brother Lyle planned and carried out the murders. This is at a psychiatric consultation that the young man attended. In what was another aspect of the scandal in this case, Eric confessed to his psychologist Jerome Oziel everything that happened on the night of Menendez’s murder. It told how he and Lyle bought counterfeit movie tickets and then returned with shotguns to commit the crime. Judalon Smith, the therapist’s fiancée, listened to the confession and finally He alerted the police to the presence of a confession recorded in the expert’s file.
Controversial trial and new evidence
The Menendez brothers’ trial took place between 1993 and 1996. In a major media event that rocked North America, the defendants claimed they had been abused for years. And that when the situation became volatile and Lyle threatened to file a complaint, Jose threatened to kill them. What led the young men to accept the decision to plan a crime whose brutal nature still surprises today.
In the midst of the trial, which was broadcast on Court TV and in what became an infamous public event, the brothers invoked doctor-patient privilege. An argument that was not accepted and followed an extensive series of questioning on the stand in which Eric and Lyle recounted the alleged abuse they had suffered. Prosecutors argued that even if they had suffered abuse, it did not give them the right to kill. Thus, the trial was based on a charge of manslaughter (which gave him some advantages in sentencing) or murder. It was the latter charge, It guaranteed life imprisonment without the right to appeal, bail or commutation of the sentence.
After a trial that was overturned due to a hung jury, the Menendezes were finally convicted in March 1996. They were charged with premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison. That sentenced them to life in prison without the possibility of regaining their freedom. Now, after new evidence implicating Jose in other acts of pedophilia, Eric and Lyle’s attorneys have filed a writ of habeas corpus, which they hope will lead to a retrial. New controversy to coincide with Netflix series premiere.
Source: Hiper Textual
