**Trigger Warning: This article discusses sexual abuse **
The second season of Ryan Murphy’s anthology series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, has dropped and much like its predecessor based on the Jeffrey Dahmer story, it swiftly had audiences talking—albeit with a huge caveat.
The latest season of the Netflix crime-drama explores the real-life case of Lyle and Erik Menendez, the Beverly Hills brothers who were sentenced to life behind bars for killing their parents, Mary Louise (better known as Kitty) and José Menendez.
Exactly how much of the story is fact versus fiction has come into question just days into its premiere after Erik Menendez spoke out about its release.
We explore the discourse around Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, below.
Is Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story Based On A True Story?
In short, yes, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is based on the real-life crime and case involving the Menendez family.
José and Kitty Menendez were killed on August 20th, 1989 after they were shot multiple times in their Beverly Hills home.
Following the incident, their two sons, Erik and Lyle were arrested and charged with their murders. During their first trial in 1993, Erik’s lawyer Leslie Abramson alleged the men, who were just 18 and 22 respectively at the time, committed the crime out of fear for their lives due to years of abuse from their father and neglect from their mother.
After their first trial failed to make a decision on their conviction, a second trial in late 1995 found both Erik and Lyle guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced them to life without parole.
What Is The Controversy Surrounding Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story?
Due to the abuse suffered by the brothers at the hands of their father, José, many fans online are drawing parallels between the Menendez case and that of Gypsy Rose Blanchard.
There has also been talk about how accurate the show’s portrayal is, with Erik Menendez calling the show out as ‘dishonest’.
Releasing a statement to his Facebook page, with the help of his wife, Erik slammed the series, writing: “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.”
He went on to say, “It is sad for me to know that Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime have taken the painful truths several steps backward — back through time to an era when the prosecution built a narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually abused, and that males experienced rape trauma differently than women.”
Much of the discourse and commentary online has supported this comparison with people calling for their release, similar to that of Gypsy.
Did Kim Kardashian & Cooper Koch Visit Erik Menendez?
Given her work with the American correctional system and prisoner reform, as well as previous connection with Gypsy Rose, it’s somewhat unsurprising to hear that Kim Kardashian paid a visit to the prison where Erik and Lyle are held.
The reality star wasn’t alone either, joined by one of the stars of the show, Cooper Koch who plays Erik, as well as sister Khloe and mother Kris.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Cooper revealed he had an ’emotional’ meeting with the man he’d portrayed on screen.
“We walked in the [prison’s] gymnasium, and the first person that I saw was Erik. And we locked eyes, and he smiled and I smiled, and we hugged each other. And it was really, really powerful and emotional. It was an amazing experience,” he said.
The actor also revealed the pair discussed the show and his statement condemning its portrayal: “I spoke to him about his statement,” Koch told THR.
“And, you know, I just told him that I understand where he’s coming from. I feel for him. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have the worst parts of your life be portrayed on television in this fictionalized, dramatized way, you know, and so I just told him that I stand with him. I understand how that must feel and that it’s really difficult.”
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
