Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story: What Is The Truth Behind Netflix’s New Series? Know All About Their Parents

Kitty Menendez, mother to Lyle and Erik Menendez, seemed to enjoy a life of luxury in Beverly Hills. However, on a summer night in 1989, her sons brutally murdered both her and their father, Jose Menendez, in a case that would become one of the most notorious and sensationalized murder trials in the U.S.

What Is The Truth Behind Netflix’s New Series?

The Netflix series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” which premiered on September 19, brings this tragic story to the screen, with Chloë Sevigny portraying Kitty Menendez.

Speaking to a leading magazine, Sevigny expressed her intention to bring dignity to Kitty’s character, despite her flaws, and to empathize with her struggles as depicted in the show.

The series also features Javier Bardem as Jose Menendez, with Nicholas Chavez and Cooper Koch playing Lyle and Erik, respectively.

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Who Was Kitty Menendez?

Kitty Menendez, born Mary Louise Andersen on October 23, 1941, in Oak Lawn, Illinois, met Jose Menendez while studying communications at Southern Illinois University. Although two years older, Kitty quickly fell in love with Jose, who had come to the U.S. from Cuba on a swimming scholarship. The couple married in 1963, despite concerns from Jose’s family about his young age.

Over the years, Kitty endured deep unhappiness due to her husband’s infidelity. Vanity Fair reported that Jose was “flagrantly unfaithful,” leading Kitty to multiple suicide attempts. During the brothers’ first trial, Kitty’s former therapist, Edwin S. Cox, testified that she had become suicidal over Jose’s long-term affair, struggling with depression and dependency on drugs and alcohol.

The murders took place on August 20, 1989, at the Menendez home on Elm Drive, a 9,000-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion Jose had purchased in October 1988.

On that night, both Jose and Kitty were shot multiple times with 12-gauge shotguns. Lyle, then 21, called 911, claiming he and his 18-year-old brother Erik had just returned home from the movies to find their parents dead.

Where Are Menendez Brothers Now?

Initially, the murders were investigated as a possible mob hit, but the brothers quickly became the prime suspects. Lyle was arrested in March 1990, followed by Erik a few days later. After a series of trials, including one that ended in a hung jury, both were convicted in 1996 of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

During the first trial, the defense argued that the brothers had killed their parents out of fear after enduring years of abuse, primarily by their father but also by their mother. Lyle testified that Kitty had sexually harassed him throughout his adolescence and subjected him to physical and emotional abuse. However, in the second trial, the judge ruled that evidence of the alleged abuse was inadmissible.

Following their convictions, Lyle and Erik were sent to separate prisons and only reunited in 2018 when Lyle was transferred to the same facility as his brother. Despite numerous appeals, their convictions were upheld, and they remain incarcerated, serving life sentences.