The trial of Lyle and Erik Menéndez – together known as the Menéndez brothers – drew massive public attention when it happened in the 1990s and continues to do so until today. It has been explored in several media formats, from the fictionalized version of the tale to the documented ones. The story of the brothers who got sentenced to life for killing their parents has continued to resonate with the public, more so based on the brothers’ plea defence.
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However, Erik Menéndez believes that the lessons learnt from their case was catapulted decades back by Ryan Murphy’s series and he’s not happy.
Erik Menéndez Accuses Ryan Murphy Of Having “Bad Intent” Over His Portrayals Of The Menéndez Brothers in His Documentary
It’s a story that doesn’t want to get old no matter how many times it’s been explored and parodied in popular culture. Perhaps it’s because of the emotional abuse story that comes with it or due to the wealth of the family, but even in 2024, we’re still exploring the decades old case.
In reaction to Ryan Murphy’s ‘Monsters,’ Erik, who together with his elder brother Lyle killed their parents with multiple gunshot wounds, has issued a statement from prison, writing: “I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show. I can only believe they were done so on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent.”
He continued: “It is sad for me to know that Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime have taken the painful truths several steps backward,” he continued. “Back through time to an era when the prosecution built a narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually abused, and that males experienced rape trauma differently than women.”
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Erik Menéndez Pleads For the “Truth To Stand As the Truth” In Lengthy Statement From Prison
After spending 22 years in different prisons, Lyle and Erik were reunited in 2018 and now spend their time at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. They were 21 and 18 respectively when they killed their parents.
In Erik’s statement, he expressed deep pain at the portrayals of both him and his brother in the Netflix series, saying that he thought the “lies” have been debunked over the years.
“Is the truth not enough? Let the truth stand as the truth. How demoralizing to know that one man with power can undermine decades of progress in shedding light on childhood trauma. Violence is never an answer, never a solution, and is always tragic,” he wrote.
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“As such, I hope it is never forgotten that violence against a child creates a hundred horrendous and silent crime scenes darkly shadowed behind glitter and glamor and rarely exposed until tragedy penetrates everyone involved. To all those who have reached out and supported me, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story’ is currently streaming on Netflix.
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