Menendez brothers case reignites online: The questions that keep resurfacing

Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story dives into the unsettling true crime saga of the Menendez brothers, who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1989. In the latest chapter from frequent collaborators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, Monsters revisits the tale of the two brothers accused of brutally murdering their parents, citing years of abuse at the hands of their father, José.

The nine-episode series and subsequent but separate Oct. 7 documentary, The Menendez Brothers, has taken the platform by storm, breathing new life into a case that first captivated audiences in the late ’80s — and still dominates CrimeTok. According to The Wrap, the documentary alone drew 22.7 million views, instantly becoming Netflix’s most-watched film worldwide, while Ryan Murphy’s dramatization pulled in over 52 million views in its first month.

The actual Menendez brothers trial might feel like ancient history, taking place as it did in the pre-internet era of 1993 through 1996, but these recent releases have triggered a renewed interest in the case. That, along with new evidence, has prompted the Los Angeles District Attorney to ask for the brothers’ life sentence to be reexamined so they can have a chance at parole.

So, if you’re intrigued by this notorious story, here’s everything you need to know about who the Menendez brothers are, what happened back then, and where they are now.

Who are the Menendez brothers?

Erik Menendez, left, and is brother Lyle, in front of their Beverly Hills home.
Credit: Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Lyle and Erik Menendez were born to José Menendez and Kitty Andersen, a seemingly typical power couple who met in college in Illinois before starting their family. The two moved to New York in 1963, where their first son, Lyle, was born in 1968. Erik followed two years later, arriving in 1970 after the family settled in New Jersey.

José’s ambitious career path saw him rising through the ranks at Hertz, then RCA Records, eventually landing as CEO of Live Entertainment. This promotion brought the family to Calabasas, California, in the early ’80s. But by 1988, the Menendez family relocated to Beverly Hills due to the brothers’ neighborhood burglary spree — swiping an estimated $100,000 in cash and jewelry.

During this time before the murders, the brothers alleged that they suffered physical and sexual abuse at the hands of José, a “relentless perfectionist,” and that their mother was an alcoholic who enabled the abuse. They allege that it started when they were young children with their father, who turned his attention to Erik after Lyle had turned six. An older cousin of the brothers, Diane Vander Molen, also supported their claims, telling ABC in 2017 that Lyle had told her of the abuse when he was 8, back in 1976.

Murphy’s dramatization leans heavily into this aspect of the Menendez family story, painting an unflinching picture of the brothers’ alleged trauma. However, the show’s creative liberties have sparked a backlash: Family members have publicly slammed the adaptation as “a phobic, gross, anachronistic, serial episodic nightmare,” accusing it of being a “grotesque shock drama.”

Erik also responded to the show through his wife Tammi on X (formerly Twitter).

Tweet may have been deleted

Murphy’s other series in the Monster anthology, The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, received similar complaints — especially from family members of Dahmer’s victims.

The Menendez brothers’ murder and trial

On Aug. 18, 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez purchased two shotguns from a local gun shop. Two days later, on the night of Aug. 20, they confronted their parents, José and Kitty, who were watching TV. The brothers claimed a heated argument broke out, culminating in a violent confrontation. Lyle and Erik would later argue that they acted out of self-preservation, fearing their father intended to kill them that night.

According to their accounts, the catalyst for the murders came weeks prior when Erik confided in Lyle about the years of alleged abuse he had endured. This revelation led to several confrontations within the family, with José allegedly threatening to kill them if they dared speak out. This alleged fear for their lives became central to their defense, framing the murders as a desperate act born from years of trauma and intimidation.

Erik Menendez, left, and his brother Lyle, wearing jail outfits, are led into courtroom. June 15, 1990.
Credit: Larry Davis / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Immediately after the murders, Lyle and Erik Menendez say they waited for police, convinced that the noise from the gunshots would have prompted a neighbor to call 911. When no one arrived, they took matters into their own hands, disposing of their clothes and the shotguns before heading to a festival at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium to establish an alibi.

When they returned home and found the house still undisturbed, Lyle made the 911 call himself, tearfully telling officers that their parents had been murdered and suggesting that the killings might be connected to the Mafia. Remarkably, though unsurprisingly, the responding officers failed to conduct routine procedures like testing the brothers for gunshot residue, allowing them to slip under suspicion — for a time, at least.

In the months following the murders, while police chased leads on a supposed mob connection, Lyle and Erik Menendez dove into their new multimillion-dollar inheritance with reckless abandon. They indulged in luxury apartments and high-end business ventures and splurged on Rolex watches, designer clothes, and sleek sports cars. Their lavish spending spree even put them in the public eye; the brothers were spotted courtside at a New York Knicks game, where they were inadvertently immortalized on a Mark Jackson trading card.

After spending up to $1 million in the months after the murders, police had began to suspect Lyle and Erik Menendez of a financial motive. However, family members argued their lavish spending was nothing new. Despite their newfound freedom from their parents, Erik’s guilt led him to confess to his psychologist, Dr. Jerome Oziel. When Oziel’s mistress, Judalon Smyth, learned of the confession and later split from him, she reported it to the police, resulting in the brothers’ arrest in 1990.

The first trial in 1993 captivated TV audiences as Lyle and Erik Menendez claimed they acted in self-defense, believing their lives were at risk after enduring years of abuse from their father. Their accounts were backed by family members, including cousin Andy Cano and aunt Joan Vander Molen. Although each brother was tried separately, both trials ended with hung juries, leaving the case unresolved.

In their 1996 retrial, a stricter judge limited testimony regarding the brothers’ abuse allegations. This time, the outcome was definitive: Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, resulting in life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Can Lyle and Erik Menendez be granted clemency?

Today, Lyle and Erik Menendez are serving life sentences, originally in separate prisons, though they were reunited in 2018. Both brothers are married and have filed multiple appeals over the years.

In 2023, they sought a new hearing after former Menudo member Roy Rosselló alleged that José Menendez had sexually assaulted him during his time at RCA Records. Rosselló detailed on the Today Show, after the release of the 2017 Peacock documentary Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, that José drugged and assaulted him when he was 14 at the Menendez home in New Jersey.

With this new evidence, the brothers’ lawyer argues that Lyle and Erik should have been convicted of first-degree manslaughter rather than murder — a charge that could have led to their release years ago.

In 2024, fresh evidence and renewed public interest from Netflix’s Monster series spurred Los Angeles DA George Gascón to review the Menendez brothers’ case. On Oct. 24, Gascón recommended that Lyle and Erik be resentenced to 50 years, noting that because they committed the crime under the age of 26, they should have been eligible for parole under current guidelines.

If a judge accepts this recommendation, the brothers could be free for the first time in over 25 years.