Netflix’s Monsters: The true story of the Menendez brothers

Sep 21
Written by Michele Theil

Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents in 1989. (Getty)

Lyle and Erik Menendez (known together as the Menendez brothers) have been capturing the zeitgeist in recent days following the release of Ryan Murphy’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

The portrayal of the two brothers’ relationship in the show has been at the centre of much debate online.

Monsters fictionalises the true story of two brothers who shot and killed their parents, José and Kitty, in 1989.

Their father was shot six times and Kitty was shot 10 times and, at first, neither brother was suspected of being involved.

But once they were arrested, the brothers claimed to be the victims of serious sexual abuse by their father as their defence – but the pair were eventually convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in 1996 and jailed for life without the possibility of parole.

Murphy’s adaptation looks at the crime and the subsequent trial with Nicholas Chavez and Cooper Koch playing the brothers.

While true crime and fictionalised adaptations of murderers (like Murphy’s Dahmer) is often criticised, people are taking umbrage in particular with the two characters – who are supposed to be brothers – kissing in multiple scenes, appearing naked together, and putting their fingers in each other’s mouths.

There is also a homoerotic scene where Erik is seemingly flirting with a fellow inmate while in the prison showers.

This is raising questions about the brothers’ relationship and whether either or both of them are actually gay.

Are the Menendez brothers gay?

Pamela Bozanich, a prosecutor in the Menendez brothers’ trial, reportedly once said: “We knew Erik was gay and having oral sex with the inmates.”

However, there is no evidence suggesting that Erik did anything sexual with his fellow inmates or whether those acts had a bearing on his sexuality.

Erik was previously asked about his sexuality in a 1996 interview with journalist Barbara Walters. He denied any suggestion that he was gay and there is nothing to suggest that he is even bisexual.

Back then, Lyle was involved with a woman named Anna Eriksson, who he eventually married and divorced, and there was no suggestion that he was gay.

Lyle later married Rebecca Sneed in 2003.

Additionally, whether or not the brothers were gay, there is zero evidence to suggest that they had incestuous relations with each other.

Does Erik Menendez have a wife?

Short answer, yes. Erik is married to Tammi Menendez and they have been married since 1999.

They began corresponding via letters while Erik was in prison, with Tammi previously telling MSNBC that the “relationship moved forward” from there when they eventually met.

“I didn’t set out to have a relationship with Erik; it’s something that happened,” she said.

How did the Menendez brothers get caught?

Initially, Lyle and Erik were not suspects and they were never swabbed for gunshot residue or even detained by the police after the murders.

As in the Netflix series, the brothers went on a spending spree using their inheritance in the months after the murder and it was this that led to the police taking a closer look at them.

The prosecution argued that the brothers killed their parents for money but they said it was after years of abuse.

While the police were doing that, Erik began to feel immense guilt and trauma. He then confessed about the murders to their therapist, Dr. Oziel, who broke patient-confidentiality by telling his then-mistress Judalon Smyth.

Eventually, Smyth took the evidence they had gathered (including notes about the confession) to the police, leading Lyle and Erik’s arrest.

Who defended the Menedez Brothers?

Leslie Abramson was the defence attorney for the Menendez brothers.

She argued that the brothers should be tried for manslaughter rather than murder as they had suffered abuse at the hands of their father and therefore acted in self-defence.

However, this defence did not work and the judge ruled out any evidence relating to abuse.

In 1997, Abramson wrote a memoir about her career as a defence attorney and discussed the trial of Erik and Lyle in particular.

Are Lyle and Erik Menendez still in prison?

Both brothers are still in prison as they were given a life sentence without parole.

Originally, the brothers were incarcerated in different prisons. Lyle was sent to Mule Creek State Prison while Erik was sent to the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility.

In 2018, Lyle was transferred to the same prison as Erik. They have been there together ever since.

Are the Menendez brothers on death row?

No, the Menendez brothers are not on death row. Though California does have the death penalty, they were given a life sentence without the possibility of parole after their trial.