Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is Netflix’s latest true crime offering that we think viewers are set to be obsessed with. Following the real-life story of how two brothers murdered their parents, later claiming to be victims of physical and sexual abuse, the series is set to be a hit for the streaming platform. Here’s everything to know…
When is the show being released?
The show will be on our screens on 19 September. Check out the trailer in the meantime.
What is the show about?
The synopsis reads: “[The story chronicles] the case of the real-life brothers who were convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents, José and Mary Louise ‘Kitty’ Menendez.
“While the prosecution argued they were seeking to inherit their family fortune, the brothers claimed – and remain adamant to this day, as they serve life sentences without the possibility of parole – that their actions stemmed out of fear from a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents.
© MIKE NELSON“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story dives into the historic case that took the world by storm, paved the way for audiences’ modern-day fascination with true crime, and in return asks those audiences: Who are the real monsters?”
Who is in the cast?
Javier Bardem stars as José Menendez, while Russian Doll star Chloë Sevigny plays Kitty Menendez. The two brothers are set to be played by Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch as Lyle and Erik respectively, while Nathan Lane plays Dominick Dunne and Ari Graynor plays Leslie Abramson.
© Rodin EckenrothWhere are Lyle and Erik now?
In 1996, Lyle and Erik were sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for the murder of their mother and father. The pair’s trials initially resulted in two deadlocked juries, leading to a second trial where the jury were not allowed to vote on manslaughter charges. They were both convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder.
They were initially sent to different prisons and were segregated from other prisoners until 2018. Placed in the same correctional facility but in different units, the pair were finally reunited in 2018 – 22 years after their sentencing.
© Donaldson Collection
Speaking about their sentencing in a documentary, Menendez Brothers: Victims or Villains, Lyle said: “I think looking back 34 years now on the trials, Erik and I and our family thought we were going into a manslaughter case with a district attorney that understood the traumatic impact that sexual violence creates in a person. And we ended up with the same sentence as a serial killer.”
He added to Fox Nation: “Every day we watch people parole,” Lyle tells Fox Nation. “And 34 years later, you know, Erik and I are still waiting.”
Is there a link to Monsters: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story?
The upcoming show is the next in the anthology true-crime series, which initially looked at the heinous crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer. The show is one of Netflix’s most-watched series of all time and was penned by Glee creator Ryan Murphy, who has returned for the follow-up series alongside his co-writer Ian Brennan.
