Ryan Murphy returned with another haunting true crime story: Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez were born to the aristocrats Jose and Kitty Menendez. Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18 years old when they were charged and arrested for the murder of their parents.
Jose was a major entertainment bigwig who made it to the top after escaping Cuba to the United States for a better life at 16 years old. His was a classic rags-to-riches story which eventually led him to college. That’s where he met Kitty or ‘Mary Louise Anderson’ - the love of his life.
Here’s where Lyle and Erik’s origin story really begins: the duo quickly became parents to the brothers and lived harmoniously in a lavish abode in Beverly Hills. Erik grew up with a passion for tennis and gradually transitioned to play the sport as a national player.
While Erik was the athlete, Lyle went on to become the brains of the family and got into Princeton University. Sadly, he was expelled. Nobody would’ve fathomed the thought that these two boys would be the ones to murder their parents in cold blood.
While murder can never be justified, Murphy dives deep into the claims of molestation made by the brothers back in court in 1989 when they killed their parents. So what led to the boys killing their own parents? Was it out of pure rage as the evidence in court suggested or is there a darker and more twisted story in Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
What crime did Erik and Lyle from Monsters Season 2 commit?
It was a regular evening in Beverly Hills when residents were startled by the sirens of cops and the sound of yellow police tape outside the mansion of a bloody scene within. August 20, 1989, the couple Jose and Kitty were engrossed in their usual television show, blissfully unaware of their fate in the living room.
Per multiple police reports, the boys walked in, armed with 12-gauge shotguns, and gunned their parents down in the living room. Both Jose and Kitty were defaced as a result and were also shot in the knees. The Menendez brothers had shot their parents within proximity of them and fled the scene (as they revealed later).
Before confessing, the Menendez brothers claimed they were out to indulge in the festivities of Santa Monica and were at a movie right before. When they returned around 11: 47, they claimed to have found their parents dead in the living room and Lyle alerted authorities immediately.
Police wasted no time and immediately began running checks on their alibis, neighbors, potential enemies, and such. Neither Lyle nor Erik was under the radar until after their therapist’s tapes revealing their confession to the murders came to light.
When questioned about the motive for killing their parents, the Menendez brothers claimed their father Jose had been molesting them and abusing them mentally, physically, and sexually since they were young boys - their mom Kitty and a few cousins were well-aware and were silent about it all for these years.
The Menendez brothers were on trial between 1993 to 1996, where the matter was revisited. However, murder was the primary focus of their trial resulting in the court not leaning towards the charge of mental, physical, and sexual abuse. Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez story will explore the same.
What was The Menendez Brothers' sentence from Monsters Season 2?
Jose and Kitty Menendez were aristocrats living in Beverly Hills. The deceased couple first locked sights at the University of Southern Illinois. Shortly after, they got married and decided to set up a home on the East Coast.
Soon after, Jose bagged a job at a prestigious entertainment company leading him to amass great wealth - enough to afford a luxurious mansion in the most expensive neighborhood in the world.
Since gaining fame in the society they were in, the late couple did everything they could to keep their lives from the looking glass blemish-free. Even as parents, they ensured their children would receive the best education and saw their son go to an Ivy League college.
However, the Menendez brothers claim it was all a facade. In reality, they were nothing as they presented themselves to be per the brothers - a claim they maintain to date.
The Menendez brothers from Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, are currently serving out their sentence at the Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
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Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story will be available to binge on Netflix from September 19, 2024.
Stay tuned to Soapcentral for more true crime related articles about The Menendez brothers and more!
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