The story of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who shot their parents in 1989, cannot be told without therapist Jerome Oziel, who heard their confessions and plays a central role in Season 2 of the Netflix anthology series “Monster.”
“Walking Dead” actor Dallas Roberts plays the disgraced therapist in “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” which hit theaters Thursday. The second season of the anthology series tells the story of the Menendez brothers and the brutal murder of their parents in their Beverly Hills, California, home on August 20, 1989.
During the brothers’ trial, Lyle and Erik argued that years of abuse led to the murder of José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez. The brothers were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Who is Jerome Oziel?
Oziel is the former therapist of Erik and Lyle Menendez, who heard the couple’s confessions to the murder of their parents and served as a key witness in the trial.
In court, Oziel testified that he was wanted after officials implicated Erik in two burglaries in Calabasas in 1988, according to the Los Angeles Times. At the first trial, Oziel said, the brothers confessed to their crimes after several months of questioning.
During cross-examination, defense attorneys attempted to question Oziel’s credibility by focusing on an alleged affair he had with a woman, the Times reported.
Oziel, a graduate of Arizona State University with a doctorate in clinical psychology, lived in South Carolina for two years before moving to California, the Times reported. While in Beverly Hills, he opened a private practice and taught at the University of Southern California. As a therapist, he was considered an expert on various phobias and sexual disorders.
What happened to Jerome Oziel?
Oziel testified that the Menendez brothers threatened to kill him but ultimately did nothing to harm their therapist.
On Jan. 3, 1997, the Department of Consumer Protection’s Psychological Board revoked Oziel’s license as a therapist after a state panel accused him of engaging in sexual conduct with patients and violating confidentiality rules, the Times reported. He admitted no wrongdoing.
He no longer lives in California.
“It just didn’t make sense to come back to California and spend many thousands of dollars defending a driver’s license that he doesn’t use in a state where he doesn’t reside,” his lawyer previously told the Times.
How to watch Monsters: The Lyke and Erik Menendez Story
All nine episodes of “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” premiered on Thursday, September 19.
Cast of “The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”
- Javier Bardem as Jose Menendez
- Chloë Sevigny as Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez
- Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez
- Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez
- Dallas Roberts as Dr. Jerome Oziel
- Nathan Lane as Dominick Dunne
- Ari Graynor as Leslie Abramson
- Leslie Grossman as Judalon Smyth
- Jason Butler Harner as Les Zoeller
- Enrique Murciano as Carlos Baralt
Contributors: Taylor Ardrey
