**Trigger Warning: This article discusses sexual abuse **
Following the virality of Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story, Netflix announced the release of a new documentary on the case, dubbed The Menendez Brothers, this time told from the perspective of the show’s subjects, Erik and Lyle.
Give the discourse around the show, with fans calling out the sensationalising of storylines as well as a review of the case given the abuse the brother’s endured, the fact we’ll be hearing from Lyle and Erik in their own voices is welcomed.
Erik had already spoken out on Monsters calling its representation of his brother Lyle “horrible and blatant lies”.
In the wake of the show, a petition had also begun to free both brothers from prison, so far accruing almost 400,000 signatures. Moreover, the revived conversation around the case has led to new evidence being brought forward and subsequently a new hearing set for the brothers that could lead to a retrial.
With interest around the case not just returning to the spotlight but reaching fever pitch, here’s what you need to know about The Menendez Brothers documentary.
What Is The New Documentary On The Menendez Brothers?
The documentary from Netflix and director Alejandro Hartmann, will re-examine the Lyle and Erik Menendez case, pouring “over decades of material surrounding the crime and the subsequent trial.”
Most importantly, viewers will finally hear directly from Erik and Lyle, as well as their cousin Diane Vander Molen and prosecutor Pamela Bozanich.
“What emerges may not answer the many questions that still surround the case, but it does offer another perspective — that of the brothers themselves, provided in all-new audio interviews,” Tudum teases of the doco.
Both Erik and Lyle were sentenced to lief behind bars for murdering their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, at their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
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.
The Biggest Takeaways From The Menendez Brothers Documentary
With so many questions left from the Monsters series as well as creative liberation taken from the show’s creator, we unpack the key takeaways, facts versus fiction revealed in the new documentary.
1. Why Did The Menendez Brothers Do It?
In both Monsters and The Menendez Brothers doco, Erik and Lyle recount the horrific alleged abuse they endured at the hands of their father as the reason for their crime.
During testimonies, those close to the family revealed witness just a fraction of the abuse with one recalling the time “Jose hit Lyle with his closed fist” before confirming Lyle was just five-years-old at the time.
Lyle is then heard saying: “People who have such small contact with my father [were] saying this is the most intimidating, worst human I’ve met in my whole life. There were zero character witnesses on my parents behalf.”
2. The Abuse Between The Menendez Brothers
Lyle Menendez did admit to molesting his brother Erik while on the stand during their trial.
“I remember when he apologised to me on the stand for molesting me, that was a devastating moment for me,” Erik can be heard saying in the documentary. “He had never said he was sorry to me before.”
3. The Post-Crime Spending Spree Wasn’t What It Seemed
The Menendez brothers may have spent it lavishly following their parents murders, but Erik and Lyle set the record straight in the documentary, reasoning that it was a coping mechanism.
“The idea that I was having a good time was absurd, everything was to cover up this horrible pain of not wanting to be alive,” Erik says via phone interview. “One of the things that kept me from killing myself is I felt like I would be a complete failure to my dad at that point.”
Lyle shared similar insights, saying: “I was not enjoying myself as a playboy, I was sobbing at night, sleeping poorly, very distraught at times and kind of adrift through all those months.”
Where Can I Watch The Documentary Of The Menendez Brothers?
According to Tudum, The Menendez Brothers documentary will be available to stream on Netflix from October 7th.
Is The Menendez Story On Netflix True?
Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story on Netflix is based on true events, however creative liberation has been taken—much of which viewers and Erik have shared their distaste over.
In the first look at the new documentary we hear from the brothers first hand.
“Everyone asks why we killed our parents,” one of the brothers says off camera before adding: “maybe now people can understand the truth.”
“What happened that night is very well known, but so much hasn’t been told.”
Watch the full trailer below.
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
