In the official trailer for “The Menendez Brothers,” a new documentary streaming on Netflix in October, Erik and Lyle Menendez speak out for the first time in decades. The brothers were convicted of murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty, in 1996 in a trial that gripped the nation and is currently the subject of the Netflix narrative series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.”
“Everyone asks why we killed our parents,” Lyle says in an audio interview from prison. “Maybe now people can understand the truth.”
“What happened that night is common knowledge, but much has not been told,” adds Erik. “We were not the ones who told the story of our lives. Two children do not commit this crime for money.”
The official synopsis of the Netflix documentary “The Menendez Brothers” reads: “In 1996, Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of murdering their parents. The case became one of the most famous criminal cases of the late 20th century. For the first time in 30 years, the two brothers look back in their own words at the trial that shocked the nation. In extensive audio interviews with Lyle and Erik, the lawyers involved in the trial, the journalists who covered it, the jury, the family and other informed observers, acclaimed Argentine director Alejandro Hartmann offers new insights and a fresh perspective on a case people only think they know about.”
Erik Menendez recently made headlines for panning Netflix’s “Monsters,” which debuted on the streaming platform on September 19. The show is backed by Ryan Murphy and is the second installment in the anthology series “Monsters,” which began in 2022 with a season about Jeffery Dahmer (played by Evan Peters). Nicholas Chavez and Cooper Koch play Lyle and Erik Menendez in “Monsters,” with Javier Bardem as their father Jose and Chloe Sevigny as their mother Kitty.
In an online statement posted via his wife Tammi Menendez’s X-account, Erik said the drama series perpetuates “devastating character portrayals” of him and his brother. The statement also accused Murphy of having ill intentions due to the type of narrative the showrunner created.
“I thought we had moved past the lies and devastating character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle based on horrific and obvious lies that were rampant on the show. I can only believe this was done on purpose,” Erik wrote. “It is with a heavy heart that I must say that I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be so naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives to do this without malicious intent.”
The Menendez Brothers hits Netflix on October 7. Watch the official trailer below.
