Content Warning: This article references the show and case based on the murder of Lyle and Erik Menendez’s parents, which also involves sexual assault.
The new Netflix series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez story” is the second installment of the television series “Monsters” created by Ryan Murphy. Although it was just released Sept. 19, the show has caused controversy regarding the way the brothers are portrayed.
Lyle and Erik Menendez are brothers known for the murder of their parents on Aug. 20, 1989. Viewers are bothered by the delivery of information and its inaccuracy. Despite negative reviews, the show further exposed the Menendez brothers to the media and brought awareness to their case.
CBS, a television and radio broadcast network, published “Inside the story of the notorious Menendez brothers case” which verified that at first, it was believed that the cause of their parents death was a mob hit, a murder by hired individuals. However, Erik Menendez eventually confessed to his therapist, Jerome Oziel, 12 days after the murder. Oziel told his mistress Judalon Smith, and after trouble emerged in their affair, Smith retaliated by informing the police of Menendez’s confessions.
Once the news became known to the public, people were curious as to why two young men killed their parents. Eventually the Menendez brothers testified, claiming they had acted in self-defense in response to years of their parents’ sexual and psychological abuse.
The first trial ended in a mistrial, an inconclusive trial, due to the confusion behind what actually happened, leading people to question the credibility of the boys’ statements. In the second trial, the jury convicted them of first-degree murder and sentenced them to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The current issue regarding their case is that the Netflix show has inaccurately portrayed their lives.
The show includes inaccurate details that make the audience question why Murphy falsely depicted the Menendez brothers’ story. For example, multiple scenes suggest there was an inappropriate relationship between the brothers that they voluntarily participated in. However, this is false, as their relationship was wrongly portrayed and their inappropriate relationship was forced onto them as part of the abuse.
The first part of the series “Monsters” was based on Jeffrey Dahmer. Along with the Menendez case told through Murphy’s perspective, people also deemed his series on Dahmer controversial. Some people describe the series as inconsiderate of the victims and their families. The show humanized Dahmer and his actions by deeming him a regular person with emotions and urges that are “common.”
In an interview with celebrity news outlet People, “Ryan Murphy Knocks Menéndez Family’s ‘Knee-Jerk’ Reaction to ‘Monsters’”, Murphy defended the show despite the criticism and negative opinions.
“We live in a sort of culture of outrage that a lot of things are knee-jerk, and that’s fine. I’m used to being controversial. It’s not new to me,” stated Murphy.
In response to the release of the show, Erik Menendez released a statement through his wife, Tammi Menendez’s, X account.
“It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this with bad intent,” said Menendez.
Murphy responded by making a statement against the backlash the show faced.
“(Monsters is) The best thing to happen to the Menendez brothers in 30 years,” stated Murphy.
Some students believe the show isn’t accurate but still enjoy the show.
Senior Danielle Alvarez watched the show and rated the show an eight out of ten in terms of its entertainment value despite its inaccuracies. Biography.com, a website dedicated to covering intriguing life stories, discussed the inaccuracies in the article “What Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story Gets Right and Wrong.”
“I rate it an eight because it portrays them, like, emotionally and, like, takes like a deep dive into their lives and I think an eight because, like two points docked off because it’s kind of like false, I guess,” said Alvarez.
Similarly, freshman Eden Buckley thinks the show was “alright”, that it portrayed the brothers inaccurately and rates the show a six out of ten.
“They made Lyle more aggressive than he actually was, and then they made Eric like, um, like they tried to perceive him as gay but he was not really gay,” said Buckley.
To share their story accurately and spread awareness about their situation, the brothers released their own documentary on Oct. 7, titled “Menendez Brothers.”
The exposure “Monsters” brought to the brothers led to misconceptions about them, which in turn, negatively impacted their mental health.
A man who identified himself as LaShawn America was seen waving a flag in support of Donald Trump at the Menendez brothers’ house. America claimed that if former President Trump was in office during the time of the incident, it would not have occurred due to his strict policies on sex crimes.
“It’s sad what happened to the Menendez brothers… and somebody’s got to speak up, like, I’m not even from California and a lot of people in California, they’re asleep to this and I’m out here with my Donald Trump flag because I know Donald Trump is the one, that is the first president in history to do something about children being trafficked,” said America.
Whether or not Trump was the first president to prioritize sex trafficking is irrelevant to the fact that Murphy produced an inaccurate and harmful series. The inaccurate depiction made in “Monsters” by Murphy has sanctioned unproductive discussion such as the claims America made.
By focusing the angle of the show away from the sexual abuse and more towards suspected motives, Murphy depicted the brothers as villainous. Murphy misled audiences and by doing so, harmed the brothers’ reputation. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon will re-evaluate The Menendez brothers case to be determined next month.
