Netflix recently put out yet another Ryan Murphy collaboration that gained them a predictable amount of traction. Released as the second season of their “Monsters” series, it offered a fictionalized account of the infamous 1989 case involving the Menendez brothers convicted of killing their parents. The show presented varied accounts related to the tragic event of their parents’ death. Although it refrained from giving a definitive conclusion, it leaned into the side of the dead parents and portrayed the brothers as spoiled, greedy monsters. So, it received a backlash from viewers and some celebrities.
These people criticized the second season of “Monsters” for its one-sided account of the events. While some true crime aficionados loved the series, the critics criticized it for its utter pointlessness. The show added nothing to the discussion and just regurgitated known details with overt dramatization. It milked drama out of stomach-churning details from their lives. In short, it is an impressively executed torture porn with impressive acting performances that are bound to get love and recognition in the upcoming award season.
Regardless, after the growing backlash, Netflix announced a documentary to share an account of these events from the brothers’ side. “The Menendez Brothers” offers it through a collection of documented footage and testimonies.
How is ‘The Menendez Brothers’ different from Ryan Murphy’s ‘Monsters’?
Unlike Ryan Murphy’s “Monsters,” “The Menendez Brothers” offers a sympathetic look toward the brothers for the torture they faced. The film features excerpts from over 20 hours of exclusive interviews with the Menendez brothers as they serve a life sentence without parole. It follows what we have already seen in Murphy’s series but with the brothers’ voiceover. Besides the brothers, we see events through the eyes of Prosecutor Pamela Bozanic, Kitty’s sister Joan Vander Molen, the police officers, the jurors, and the author who wrote a book about the case.
In the late 1980s, Eric was in his late teens whereas Lyle was in his early twenties. They had lived their whole lives in Beverly Hills, one of the exclusive places in the country reserved for the elites. One night in 1989, they returned home to find their parents, Jose & Mary Louise ‘Kitty’ Menendez lying in their own pool of blood. Traumatized and horrified, they called the cops to report the murder. The cops showed up at the house to investigate the incident. The brothers shared details of the time they found their parents. Initially, the cops did not consider the brothers to be the suspects of this crime.
The Aftermath of the Murder
After Jose and Kitty’s murders, Lyle gave a heartfelt speech at the service, speaking highly of Jose. With Jose’s enormous influence, it may not have seemed out of character or excessive. The cops sympathized with the brothers just like others around them. The cops also did not consider the possibility of parricide in an affluent neighborhood such as theirs. At the time, they believed such crimes would not happen in a privileged, good-looking family. So, during the initial investigation, the murders were considered to be mafia hits.
Later, Lyle and Eric were seen splurging their inheritance money. Then, the cops started looking into their past shortly before Jose and Kitty’s deaths. The officers discovered shotguns connected to a friend of the brothers. They connected the dots and arrested the brothers for the murder of their parents. Through an audio recording, Lyle notes how the cops sensationalized their staged arrest. Subsequently, the media was not sympathetic toward the brothers. Many celebrity voices mocked the brothers for killing their parents for money. The documentary shows us footage of celebrities on TV shows.
Menendez Family’s Dark Past
Jose was a successful businessman revered in their close circles. He came from a privileged family in Cuba that lost its privilege after the revolution. Eventually, he met Kitty, married her, and started a family in the United States. He had a strong influence on his sons, who respected him. However, he also traumatized and abused them since they were kids. Jose forced himself onto his sons and used his domineering personality to hide his ugly side from the outsiders. Some of their close relatives saw and heard signs of this abuse. However, Kitty lied to them on Jose’s behalf to protect the illusion of their happy family.
While Jose kept harming Eric and Lyle, Kitty stayed silent about their torture. The sons also kept respecting Jose, which caused an issue in the case against them. The defense council led by Leslie Abramson initially could not trace a motive for their actions. Why would they kill their parents? Eventually, the brothers started opening up about their past and shared some stomach-churning details. So, Leslie built a case around these incidents, calling the murder an act of self-defense. Later on, Lyle’s testimony helped them build the case whereas Eric’s testimony weakened it. This eventually led to a mistrial. While the brothers were sent back to jail, neither side won the case.
The Impact of the OJ Simpson Case
Soon after the mistrial judgment in the Menendez brothers case in the mid90s, OJ Simpson was arrested on the charges of murdering his spouse. OJ was put in the celebrity side of the prison near Eric whereas Lyle was placed elsewhere. OJ’s case was widely televised including the final verdict that proved him not guilty of the crime. It received backlash from people who believed he bought his way to innocence. His release negatively impacted the Menendez brothers as the people started trusting them lesser. Still, after this incident, the brothers filed a petition to make a case for themselves.
During this time, Eric spoke in the courtroom while Lyle stayed silent. No person who previously defended the brothers against the parental abuse was present during this trial. So, the defense council’s side became significantly weaker, leading the brothers to be jailed without the possibility of parole. Over two and half decades later, the case started making rounds on TikTok.
Several users began speaking out in defense of the brothers, alleging they were victims of parental abuse. They felt bad for these brothers who were trying to escape from the torture of their parents. Despite this online movement, Prosecutor Pamela Bozanic remains firm on her stance that the brothers fabricated the stories of their abuse. She believes the brothers did everything for money.
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