Have you heard about the Menendez brothers and their murder case? Two brothers with no criminal record until this horrific event, Lyle and Erik Menendez, serve life in prison with no chance of parole for murdering their parents. The brothers claimed they were sexually abused by their father, Jose Menendez. The prosecutors argued that the brothers killed their parents to inherit their parent’s fortune. The brothers didn’t help their case when shortly after the murder, they spent $700,000 on a shopping spree.
Even though it was said that the brothers would be spending life in prison, recently there are discussions that Attorney George Gascon may reopen their case.
These brothers have recently been a hot topic on social media, especially on TikTok. This televised 1993 trial inspired a Netflix series called “Monsters,” co-created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. The show has sparked a lot of controversy from the Menendez brothers family and the brothers themselves. 
The family of the brothers made a statement on X expressing how they felt about the show and points that they believed were wrongfully made about the brothers. Not only that, the brothers themselves slammed the show, describing it as having “blatant lies.”
Netflix’s series “Monsters” has made headlines, even reaching the Top 10 list on Netflix. This show caught the attention of many people, including the brothers’ family. According to Today All Day, the family of the brothers described the show as being “phobic, gross, anachronistic” and also said that the show had “mistruths and outright falsehoods.”
The family’s concerns extend beyond the inaccuracies; the family of the brothers objected to the use of information from the late Dominick Dunne, a writer and journalist who covered the trial. They believe that the portrayal of the brothers should be informed by their firsthand knowledge, as they witnessed the brothers grow up and know them on a deeper level. The family believes that a significant amount of the information was taken to make the brothers look like monsters.
The family closed their statement about the brothers by saying that it was sad that the producer, Ryan Murphy, Netflix and the others involved in the project did not understand how much impact this case had on them and the brothers over the years. The family attacked the producer by saying “Perhaps, after all, “Monsters” is all about Ryan Murphy.”
With all the statements that the brother’s family made, the brothers themselves had some things to say about the series. Erik Menendez made a statement about the ninth episode of the series. In his statement, Erik makes a point about the lies told about his brother. Erik’s wife, Tammi Menendez, was the one to upload a statement for Erik Menendez on X on Sept. 19.
Erik’s statement said, “I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show, I can only believe they were done so on purpose. 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 without bad intent.” 
Erik believes that the series was a “dishonest portrayal” of their crime. Erik also believes that Murphy intentionally twisted the facts surrounding their crime. Erik made a point on how Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of their crime makes them step back in time to the era of when males’ experience with rape was seen differently than that of females.
“Monsters” is an anthology series. The first season was focused around the serial killer Jeffery Dhamer, which also got a lot of controversy towards Ryan Murphy from Dhamers victims families.
After the second season had gotten even more criticism, Murphy addressed Erik Menendez’s statement while speaking with E News on the red carpet of his new show, “Grotesquerie,” stating, “I know he hasn’t watched the show. So I find that curious.” The show ‘Monsters’ was labeled as a whodunnit allowing the audience to decide who is guilty and innocent.”
Critics were brutal towards Murphy and his co-showrunner Ian Brennan for their tabloidy treatment of the tragedy that occurred. When going back and forth with the Menendez family, a statement that they said set him off to declare that the retelling of their story “Is the best thing that has happened to the Menendez brothers in thirty years.”
He has made controversial shows which would brew up a lot of disagreements between victims’ families, so he was used to the criticism. He also argues that at least the new season of the Lyle and Erik Menendez story isn’t as gruesome as the Dahmer season and that this iteration strives for a more nuanced and even-handed view of the brother’s parricide. He didn’t think that there was one “monster” responsible. He had imagined that the parents and the boys were monsters in their own ways. He felt that being unclear about who the monster was in the show would make it very interesting.
With calls to reopen their case and continued scrutiny of their actions, the Menendez brothers serve as a powerful example of the blurred boundaries between victim and perpetrator. As society continues to engage with their story and gather more information about the reopening of the case, it makes us reflect on our own narratives and reconsider our views on justice, the consequences of trauma and the complexities of human behavior.
