The new Netflix ‘true’ crime drama, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, has reignited interest in the horrific murders of Kitty and Jose Menendez, which took place over three decades ago and led to a protracted trial.
The series not only revisits the gruesome events but also offers multiple perspectives from key figures involved in the case.
These include witnesses such as Dr Jerome Oziel, the psychiatrist who recorded the brothers’ confession, and Dominick Dunne, the Vanity Fair reporter who penned numerous articles on the ensuing drama.
The show also features the defence lawyer who represented the Menendez brothers and crafted a crucial strategy that almost resulted in their acquittal for murder.
Ari Graynor portrays Leslie Abramson in the series. Viewers may recognise the actress from films like The Disaster Artist and Whip It, reports .
Erik Menendez (L) and his brother Lyle (R) listen during a pre-trial hearing (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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Who is Leslie Abramson?
Leslie Abramson is a criminal defence attorney and author, born in Queens, New York, in 1943. She graduated from UCLA Law School and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1970, establishing her career well before representing the Menendez brothers.
Abramson was previously married to a pharmacist, with whom she had a daughter, Laine, but they divorced in 1969. She later married LA Times reporter Tim Rutten.
She made her mark in 1988 when she defended 17 year old Arnel Salvatierra, who had shot his father three times. Abramson argued that Salvatierra was abused by his father, leading to a conviction of voluntary manslaughter rather than first-degree murder. He was acquitted in 1989 and received five years probation.
In another high-profile case in 1990, Abramson secured a not guilty verdict for Dr. Khalid Parwez, a gynaecologist accused of murdering and dismembering his 11 year old son amid a custody dispute.
At the peak of her career, the LA Times reportedly called Abramson a “4-ft-11, fire-eating, mud-slinging, nuclear-strength pain in the legal butt.” In 1996, she told The Washington Post: “My role model is Joan of Arc, and anyone else who’s been burned at the stake.”
Regarding Leslie Abramson’s involvement in the Menendez brothers trial, the series hints at but may not fully clarify that during the first trial, the brothers were tried together but with separate juries. Abramson represented Erik Menendez while Jill Lansing represented Lyle.
Both lawyers employed the same defence strategy, arguing imperfect self-defence based on the belief that their parents would kill them if they didn’t act first, and alleging that the brothers endured physical and sexual abuse from their father.
In 1995, a second trial commenced for the Menendez brothers who, by then, had exhausted their financial resources. Leslie Abramson took on Erik’s defense pro bono, while Lyle was represented by public defender Charles Gessler.
Erik Menendez with his attorney Leslie Abramson (Image: Soqui Ted)
This time around, they were barred from using abuse allegations as evidence.
The siblings faced trial together once more, this time before a single jury, and were ultimately convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. During the trial, Dominick Dunne penned an article, lauding Abramson as “fearless and tough” and dubbing her the “most brilliant Los Angeles defence lawyer for death-row cases.”
As for Abramson’s bond with the Menendez brothers, it was reported that they grew quite close during their work together. Dunne even suggested, as depicted in the series, that Abramson affectionately referred to them as ‘adorable’, although Abramson herself has never confirmed this.
In a 1996 interview with The Washington Post, Abramson expressed her views on the brothers: “I’ve represented people charged with murder for twenty-seven years, and these guys just don’t measure up to anybody else I’ve ever represented. These are not murderers. These are troubled kids in a very difficult and grotesque home environment, and they cracked.”
Abramson also voiced her disdain over the possibility of the brothers being incarcerated in separate prisons, condemning it as “exceedingly cruel and heartless.”
Where is Leslie Abramson now?
Abramson penned a book about her career called The Defense is Ready: Life in the Trenches of Criminal Law in 1997.
Some questions were raised about Abramson’s conduct following the trial. She apparently asked a defence witness to remove some material from their notes but she believed that information to be privileged. The State Bar of California ultimately decided not to investigate further.
In 2004, she represented American musician Phil Spector who was facing murder charges after the fatal shooting of actress Lana Clarkson. However, Abramson quit from being Spector’s representation due ethical reasons and conflict between them and Spector would go on to be convicted of murder under a different defence lawyer.
Where is Leslie Abramson now?
Court records from 2007 reveal that Abramson parted ways with her husband Rutten, though they purportedly continued to share a warm bond until Ruttens passing in 2022.
Thousand Oaks Acorn, a local newspaper from the Californian city, noted that Abramson retained her formidable edge years into her practice. In a 2021 case where she defended investment banker Craig Noell, she dismissed the notion of her client breaching probation as “a big fat nothing” and branded it “a tempest in a teapot”.
She assisted Noell in being acquitted of attempted murder, and commented on the prosecutor, saying: “I mean, people lose cases. I’ve been practicing for 50 years. I can’t tell you how many I’ve lost,” adding, “You survive. You grow up. You move on.”
In a 2015 speech given at Thomas Jefferson School of Law to support female lawyers, Abramson expressed her views: “What I think is something necessary to be a great criminal lawyer is something I think women already have. A desire to understand people and human relationships.”
Abramson, who did not participate in the series and generally maintains a low profile these days, is believed to have had an active legal licence until 2023. As she is 80 at the time of writing, it appears Abramson is relishing her well-deserved retirement.