Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is the number one TV show on Netflix right now. It retells the infamous murders of José and Kitty Menéndez, who were killed by their sons in 1989.
Lyle and Erik were partly apprehended due to their therapy sessions with Erik’s psychologist, Dr. Jerome Oziel, who became a controversial figure during the trial because of his scandalous affair. But where is he now? Find out here…
Who is Dr. Jerome Oziel?
Like in the show, the real Dr. Oziel was bound by doctor-patient confidentiality and unable to discuss his patients outside of sessions. This allowed Erik and Lyle to discuss murdering their parents with him freely in sessions that he recorded.
However, Dr. Oziel broke this confidentiality by telling his mistress at the time, Judalon Smyth, what the brothers had done. After their breakup, Smyth informed the police about the brothers’ role in their parents’ murder, leading to their arrest.
Dr. Oziel in Court
It was eventually ruled that the tapes of conversations between the brothers and Dr. Oziel were admissible evidence in the case and were a major reason the pair were convicted.
Although this breached doctor-patient privilege, Lyle violated the privilege by threatening Dr. Oziel, which voided their confidentiality agreement.
© YouTubeDuring the trial, Smyth testified for the defense to discredit Dr. Oziel, claiming that he had taped the sessions because “he needed to get them to say incriminating things on a tape so we would have the tape to protect us.” She said he told the brothers he was doing it to “prove to a jury that, you know, they were remorseful or whatever.” It also transpired that Dr. Oziel’s license was on probation at the time of the sessions because a patient had done construction work on his house, which he failed to disclose.
The brothers told the therapist they wanted to kill their parents to put their mother “out of her misery” and because their father committed infidelity. Later, the brothers claimed their actions were due to years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their father, which they did not disclose to their therapist.
Losing his license
The trial reportedly damaged Dr. Oziel’s reputation and career. According to the LA Times, he faced state disciplinary hearings, with the Consumer Affairs Board of Psychology charging him with “a variety of offenses” in 1997, including sharing confidential information with Smyth. He was also charged with other offenses, such as supplying Smyth with drugs and assaulting her.
Dr. Oziel surrendered his license before the court case. His lawyer stated: “It just made no sense to come back to California and spend many thousands of dollars defending a license he doesn’t use in a state he doesn’t reside in,” while maintaining that Dr. Oziel denied engaging “in any improprieties.”
Where is he now?
In an email to Vanity Fair, Dr. Oziel dismissed his connection to the trial, writing: “This case was over 30 years ago. I moved on a couple of months post-trial. My life is very satisfying, and it has no connection to this trial.”
According to The Tab, Dr. Oziel now works at the Marital Mediation Centre in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The website description reads: “The field of Marital Mediation focuses on improving marriages through mediation as an alternative to divorce. While not all marriages can or should be saved, many couples are happier staying together if they can resolve certain issues.”
