This article contains a discussion of sexual violence and assault.
Director Alejandro Hartmann’s new Netflix documentary, The Mendez brothersThe Mehas arrived just a few short weeks after the series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Hit the streaming service. Both offer very different stories about the shocking 1993 murder of Jose and Mary Menendez in Beverly Hills, which is finally acknowledged by their two sons, Lyle and Erik Menendez.
It was originally thought that the brothers took a 12-gauge shotgun to their parents simply to collect their $15 million inheritance, but at their trial three and a half years later, a more complicated picture emerged. Lyle and Erik said they were mentally, physically and sexually abused By their father from the age of six, and that they fired 15 shells into him and their mother only after Lyle threatened Jose with revealing their secret, and then felt their own lives in danger. According to them, this is why Lila and Eric killed their parents.
The Menendez Brothers documentary on Netflix is ​​perfect to watch after monsters
The documentary shows Lyle and Erik in a very different light
The Mendez brothers is a timely reminder that there are two sides to this tragic tale. The series settled on the idea that Kyle and Erik were cold, callous, financially motivated killers, while the documentary suggests The more nuanced conclusion that they are driven to kill by years of abuse and family dysfunction. finally, Monsters: The story of Lila and Eric Mendez supports the first-degree murder conviction that put Erik and Lyle Menendez behind bars for life without parole, and The Mendez brothers Suggests that a minimum manslaughter charge be brought.
“Both brothers testified about father’s sexual abuse”
The documentary features first-hand interviews with both brothers, but also with their LA prosecutor Leslie Abramson, who still insists “That entire defense was fabricated“; footage from the original trial in which both brothers testify to their father’s sexual abuse appears to be foreign to her, with Kyle and Erik’s emotional appearances seem heartfelt and real – Whereas they are portrayed in the series as much more calculating and manipulative, especially in scenes where, after murder, they go on a spending spree to pick up Porsches and Rolexes.
How the Menendez Brothers Differs from Netflix’s Monsters
The series and the documentary take very different views
The differences between the documentary and series are severe: in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Jose is seen as controlling and abusive, but the sexual abuse is purely emotional The Mendez brothers, It is both clear and horrible. Similarly, the series allows the testimony of their cousin Diane, which reveals that Lyle told her about the abuse as an eight-year-old, And that she approached Kitty with it but was let go. The series features highly suggestive homoerotic, incestuous scenes involving the two boys, whereas The Mendez brothers Simply shows Erik’s on-the-spot admission that Lyle molested him once.
The two productions treat OJ Simpson’s effect on the verdicts very differently. At their trial in 1993, in which the jury could not reach a verdict, it was felt that the boys’ version of events was effective; However, their second trial, which began a week after OJ’s release, saw Judge Stanley Weisberg refused to hear much of the defense’s prominent testimony of abuseresulting in a swift, unanimous guilty verdict. The series saw it as part of then-District Attorney Gil Garcetti’s re-election bid, while the documentary majored on a vengeful judge backed by a wounded justice system.
What the Menendez brothers said about Netflix’s monsters
Both brothers roundly condemned monsters
The Mendez brothers is implicit in his support for Erik and Lyle’s version of events – and still spurns the opportunity to include last year’s allegations by Ray Rosello, of boy band Menudo, Who said he was drugged and raped by Jose when he was head of RCA. The revelation prompted the current LA District Attorney to reopen the case and consider the new evidence, something both Lyle and Erik called for. Erik, in particular, has a scathing response to Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story For casting doubt on the allegations of sexual abuse.
Lyle, meanwhile, insists that in prison he became a sexual abuse counselor for other inmates, again lending support to his and his brother’s stated defense. A third trial is inevitable, and both The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and the Menendez Brothers Will have contributed to bringing him. Public opinion on the matter has shifted in recent times, With a loud and persistent “Free The Menendi” campaign in full flow on social media outlet TikTokwho is convinced that the documentary recording of the murders is the right one.
Lyle and Erik Menendez, imprisoned for murdering their parents, recount the crime and the dramatic trials in this documentary.