After the worldwide success of Dahmer on Netflix, the makers recently dropped the trailer of MONSTERS: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Termed Monsters Season 2, the upcoming crime drama is a true story based on the shocking story of Lyle and Erik Menendez. Created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan for Netflix, MONSTERS: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story features Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez, Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle Menendez, Nathan Lane as Dominick Dunne, Ari Graynor as Leslie Abramson, and more in the leading roles. Since you have landed on this page, True Scoop assumes that you have already watched the trailer and wondering about real-life Lyle and Erik Menendez, their crimes and where are they now. Below is all about Monsters Season 2 True Story-
MONSTERS: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is a true story based on 'the case of the real-life brothers convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents, Joss and 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.
Lyle and Erik Menendez Crimes
Lyle and Erik Menendez were the sons of Jose, an entertainment executive, and Kitty Menendez, a former teacher. Lyle and Erik shot dead their parents on point blank at Beverly Hills home on August 20, 1989. The brothers called 911 themselves after committing the crime saying they came home from a night out and found their parents' dead bodies. Initially, the authorities looked into the mob as potential suspects.
However, the notes from the brothers' therapist, a shotgun casing and a screenplay pointed to Lyle and Erik, whom prosecutors claimed were privileged, spoiled, and eager to cash in on their father's $14 million fortune. Lyle and Erik had three separate trials, during which they alleged that Jose (their father) was physically, emotionally, and sexually abusive and that Kitty was addicted to drugs and alcohol, physically abusive, and an enabler of Jose.
Ultimately, the brothers were each convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without any possibility of parole.
Who were Lyle and Erik Menendez?
As per reports, Lyle went to Princeton University after graduating from Beverly Hills High School in 1987. Lyle developed an interest in playing Tennis for his college. However, Lyle was reportedly suspended for plagiarism after his first semester, but he returned in early 1989 and dropped out again later that year. During his year away from Princeton, he asked his father for money for a trip to Europe with a girlfriend. However, Jose refused it, and Lyle's girlfriend paid his way.
Erik was an aspiring tennis player and had planned to attend UCLA. After the murders, he rescinded his enrollment. In 1987, he wrote a screenplay in which an 18-year-old murders his rich parents for their money.
Where are real-life Lyle and Erik Menendez now?
For more than 20 years, Lyle and Erik were imprisoned separately. Lyle in Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California, and Erik about 500 miles away at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County. The series will be released on Netflix on September 19, 2024.