Joseph (Lyle) and Erik Menendez were convicted in 1996 for the first-degree murder of their parents. They are now spending life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Many people think they are innocent, given the terrible and sinister things their parents had done to them. But, others disagree saying that murder is wrong in any circumstance and that they deserve to be in prison for life.
The controversial case from over 30 years ago has returned to the spotlight of the media.
After the disappointing docu-series Monsters was released on Netflix, Lyle and Erik released a documentary to share their truths on Oct. 7.
The documentary The Menendez Brothers was not released in response to Monsters. It coincidentally came out around the same time.
Monsters was not mentioned in the documentary, but Eriks’s wife, Tammi Menendez released a statement on Twitter, urging viewers not to watch the show.
In the statement on Twitter she mentions that the Menendez brothers have said that Ryan Murphy didn’t portray the story correctly.
It was extremely over-dramatized, and Murphy made it look like Erik and Lyle were in a romantic relationship with each other, when, according to them, they were just brothers trying to protect each other.
The actors in Monsters did an astounding job with what they were given but I do not like the way Murphy made the brothers out to be.
The documentary coming out so close to the release of Monsters was a good idea.
It gave people the opportunity to truly understand the case and be able to differentiate the real and fake that was created in the docu-series.
I understand that murder is wrong, and should have consequences.
I also understand why people think the Menendez brothers should complete their lives in prison.
But their parents tortured them in the worst ways imaginable according to the documentary.
The court footage in the documentary shows the Menendez brothers feeling intense emotion, Erik sobbing while testifying, and talking about the disgusting and inhumane things that their father did to him. They apparently were failed by their father, mother, and anyone else who had any clue on what was happening behind closed doors.
They mention in the documentary that the brothers felt that the only way to escape the abuse was to murder their parents.
There has been new evidence brought to the court, which has led the case to be opened up again.
People are pleading for the brothers to be released.
In the documentary Erik and Lyle talk about how they have reflected on what they did and have had a lot of personal growth
The Menendez brothers didn’t see each other for 22 years until Lyle was moved into the same housing unit as Erik.
This documentary was Erik and Lyle’s way of finally speaking up and shutting down rumors.
The documentary shows that although they have faced hardships in prison, they have been able to make enjoyable lives for themselves.
Erik is now 53 and teaches yoga and works with terminally ill inmates. Lyle is now 56 and has worked on prison reform, something that Erik also has an interest in.
If you are intrigued by true crime and controversy or if you are someone who thinks that the Menendez brothers should stay in jail I urge you to watch and understand the case coming straight from Erik and Lyle rather than from what people on the internet are saying about it.
