The new Netflix series Monsters delves into the infamous Menendez brothers case and the brutal murder of their parents Jose and Kitty, but it may leave viewers puzzled over the ‘true’ sequence of events.
While based on real-life incidents, the show explores various perspectives from key individuals involved in the case, with some scenes featuring characters speculating about what might have transpired, rather than providing a direct representation of actual events.
A forthcoming documentary set to premiere on in October will offer a closer look at the case, including phone interviews with Erik and Lyle Menendez from prison. It is also expected to look at new evidence that arised linked to the case.
Here’s a glimpse at the timeline of events that the documentary, The Menendez Brothers, is expected to scrutinise.
Lyle and Erik Menendez are involved in the new Netflix documentary (Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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1987 – Lyle goes to college
Despite his mediocre high school grades, Lyle Menendez secured a place at Princeton University, largely due to his affluent background and tennis prowess. However, he was later accused of academic dishonesty and subsequently suspended for a year.
1988 – Erik writes a screenplay
Erik, along with his best friend, penned a screenplay about a wealthy kid who murders his parents for financial gain. This piece of information, though never submitted as evidence during the trial, is considered significant considering the eventual turn of events.
1988 – Burglaries
While Lyle was back home having been suspended from university, he participated in two burglaries with his brother, reports . They broke into homes owned by their friends’ parents and stole anything of value.
Erik initially started his crime spree with a friend but brought his brother along for the second break-in. That friend would later inform the authorities about the Menendez siblings’ activities. With Lyle set to return to Princeton, Erik took full responsibility for the crimes and, as a minor, received probation and compulsory counselling. This is when he began sessions with Dr. Jerome Oziel.
A confidentiality agreement was reportedly made so that what was discussed in the session could be shared with Jose and Kitty Menendez.
Lyle and Erik Menendez’s mug shots (Image: )
1989, July 30 – Billionaire Boys Club
Billionaire Boys Club originally aired in two parts on the American NBC network in 1987.
Inspired by real events, it tells the story of Joe Hunt, the founder of the club that shares its name with the title of the film and leads a group of wealthy young men in get rich quick schemes. It ends tragically when Hunt and a friend murder an investor and con man, Ron Levin.
Prosecutor Lester Kuriyama would eventually claim that the film’s storyline mirrors what the brothers did to their parents, and that they watched it not long before the murders occurred. The series depicts the siblings, particularly Erik, being fascinated with the concept of the film.
1989, August 19 – Shark hunting trip
As depicted in the series from various viewpoints, the Menendez family embarked on a shark hunting expedition on August 19, 1989.
While it remains unclear which account of events is most accurate, the ship’s captain confirmed that the brothers spent the majority of their time at the front of the boat, maintaining a distance from their parents.
1989, August 20 – The murder of Jose and Kitty Menendez
The day following the boating excursion, Jose and Kitty Menendez were brutally killed on August 20, 1989. At the time of the horrific incident, Erik was 18 and Lyle was 21 years old.
They used 12-gauge shotguns to shoot their parents a total of 14 times. In the immediate aftermath, they led people to believe that their parents had been targeted by the mob due to their father’s business dealings.
1989, September 1 – Erik’s confession
Less than a fortnight after committing the heinous crime, Erik confessed for the first time to his best friend Craig Cignarelli, with whom he had co-written the screenplay.
1989, October 31 – Erik contacts Dr Oziel
On Halloween in 1989, Erik, claiming to feel suicidal, reached out to the therapist he had been ordered to see following the burglaries.
Erik told journalist Robert Rand that he sought reassurance that he wasn’t a bad person, but found it challenging to explain his suicidal feelings without confessing to his actions. Oziel proposed that Erik’s brother Lyle should join them at his office for them to talk together.
November 17, 1989 – Erik’s friend informs the police
Authorities were investigating potential mob connections to the murders, but then Erik’s friend Craig Cignarelli stepped forward, revealing that Erik had confessed to him.
November 19, 1989 – Erik alters his account on tape
Following Craig’s conversation with the police, they asked him to wear a wire to capture Erik’s confession.
He complied and wore a recording device during a two-hour dinner with Erik at Gladstones. However, when the topic of the murder night was raised, Erik altered his narrative.
December 11, 1989 – Brothers recorded on tape
Almost a month later, therapist Dr Jerome Oziel persuaded the brothers to allow him to record their sessions.
They subsequently discussed the murders and the events leading up to them in detail on tape.
March 5, 1990 – Dr. Oziel’s mistress exposes the truth
Judalon Smyth, featured in the series, approached the police to inform them about the confessions and the tapes.
She first met Oziel in June 1989, when she proposed a partnership in her tape-duplicating business, which led to an affair.
The police eventually obtained a warrant to search Oziel’s home and confiscated the recordings of the Menendez brothers.
March 8 and 11, 1990 – Brothers are apprehended
Lyle Menendez was apprehended outside his parents’ residence on March 8, 1990.
His brother Erik flew home from a tennis tournament in ; he journeyed from to London, then from London to Miami, and finally from Miami to Los Angeles, where police awaited him at LAX International airport.
1991 – 1992 – Pre-trial
The series does not fully capture the lengthiness of the real-life legal proceedings that ensued. Initially, there was a pre-trial hearing to determine whether Dr. Oziel’s recordings could be admissible as evidence in the trial.
The California Supreme Court ruled that only two of Oziel’s tapes were permissible in court due to the “dangerous patient” exception. The others, including one featuring Erik’s confession to the murders, were excluded on the grounds of privileged communication.
July 20, 1993 – First trial begins
Although Robert Shapiro briefly represented the Menendez brothers, they eventually switched to Jill Lansing for Lyle and Leslie Abramson for Erik.
Shapiro would later become renowned for securing O. J. Simpson’s acquittal for the murder of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
During the initial trial, the brothers were jointly tried but had individual juries since some evidence pertained only to one sibling. The court case was transmitted live on Court TV, and both brothers alleged abuse at the hands of their father.
January 28, 1994 – First trial concludes
It was declared a mistrial as both juries failed to reach a verdict. The New York Times reported that jurors were confused about whether the alleged abuse suffered by the brothers justified their actions.
Nathan Lane as Dominick Dunne sat at a dinner table in Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story (Image: )
1995
The second trial didn’t commence until 1995, a year later. Due to financial constraints, Lyle had to hire a public defender, while Abramson continued to represent Erik pro bono.
This time, the judge ruled out the inclusion of their claims of abuse as evidence. The prosecution argued that the siblings murdered their parents for monetary gain. Consequently, the brothers were found guilty of first-degree murder.
In 1996, after another period of waiting, the brothers were sentenced. A jury had to decide if they should face the death penalty.
July 2, 1996 – Sentencing
The brothers were handed life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Initially, post-conviction, the brothers were placed in separate prisons.
2018 – Lyle is moved
However, in February 2018, Lyle was transferred from Mule Creek State Prison to Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, where his brother Erik was housed. They were reunited in April of that year.
2023 – New evidence
According to Lawyer Monthly, the brothers filed an appeal for a new hearing in 2023.
New evidence reportedly emerged, primarily from Roy Rossello, a singer and former member of the boy band Menudo, who alleges that Jose Menendez assaulted him during his teenage years.
2024 – Netflix series and documentary airs
The latest instalment in the Ryan Murphy’s Monsters series, The Lyle and Erik Menenedez Story, was launched on on September 19, 2024.
This release thrust the case back into the spotlight, and following its success, announced an upcoming documentary featuring interviews with the brothers from their prison cells. It is anticipated that they will discuss their motives for murdering their parents and shed light on the new evidence.