Lyle and Erik Menendez charged into their Beverly Hills mansion on Aug. 20, 1989, firing shotguns at and ultimately killing their mother and father. The case was broadcasted worldwide due to the shocking and heartbreaking motive of the brothers, whose defense claimed years of abuse by their parents. The case remains one of the most infamous true American crime stories in history and continues to raise questions about what really happened.
The premiere of the new Netflix docuseries, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” released on Sept. 19, resurfaced the Menendez name. Netflix explores the story of the Menendez brothers in season two of the “Monsters” series, following the success of the show’s first season “Monsters: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” Lyle and Erik Menendez are played by rising stars Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch, and the father and mother of the two brothers are played by the well-known actors Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny.
The story takes place in 1989 before, during and after the murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez. Director Ryan Murphy attempts to capture the brothers’ full story, discussing their motives, such as abuse, relationships and trauma. The series follows the childhood of the Menendez brothers, throughout which they dealt with abuse from their father and mother. It also explores multiple storylines of what might have happened on the day of the crime.
The show has caught the attention of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students. Some MSD students found that watching the show made them interested and invested in the brothers’ freedom. Students have gone online to watch old interviews and video footage of the brothers’ trials to explore the topic.
“I really enjoyed the show’s story, and it definitely got me inspired to start watching the actual trials and be involved with the Menendez brothers’ freedom,” junior Joie Levine said.
Chavez, who plays Lyle Menendez, reported that Murphy and the writers had over three years to study and investigate the story for the documentary. Even with all the research, some fans are still aggravated over what they believe to be mistakes in the documentary.
“I felt that the story was not as true as some people say it was,” senior Ryan Mockenhaupt said. “I thought the relationship between the two brothers was not true at all and exaggerated the strange connection between the brothers.”
On Sept. 19, Erik Menendez’s wife, Tammi Menendez, shared a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter. In it, she wrote, “I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent.”
Erik viewed the story as inaccurate and disagreed mostly with the incestuous depiction of the Menendez brothers that Murphy added to the story. A number of MSD students believe Erik and found that the documentary failed to accurately depict the relationship between the two brothers.
“I think the relationship between the two brothers was a little exaggerated,” senior Eric Chalson said. “I think the story would have been loved the same way with or without the strange relationship between the brothers.”
In the show, Koch portrayed his character with great acting and dedication, specifically in episode five. During the episode, Erik sat in a room with his lawyer and talked for 36 minutes about the disturbing acts that took place with his father.
“Episode five was definitely the best episode to watch because of the actor that played Erik Menendez, acting and his feelings in the film,” senior Michael Cacace said.
Koch’s portrayal of Erik caused fans to take interest in the actual case and do their own research online.
“The best part about the show was definitely the cast members,” senior Madison Friedman said. “Everyone did a great job capturing the real characters during the show and made me want to explore and research what really happened during the trials.”
The acting and the resolution of the show leaves questions regarding whether the brothers deserve to be free, giving viewers a chance to form their own opinions. After all, people are still invested in their case and want to know the truth about what really happened on that day in 1989.
