At the moment, the chatter around the incarcerated Menendez brothers is inescapable. The TikTok generation is championing their release on the video platform along with reality TV star and entrepreneur, Kim Kardashian.
On the back of Netflix’s true crime anthology series, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”, the streaming platform has dropped the documentary feature, “The Menendez Brothers”.
For those in the dark about one of the biggest murder cases in the US in the late ‘80s, Lyle and Erik Menendez were found guilty of killing their parents, José and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez, at their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989.
If the series left you captivated, Alejandro Hartmann’s documentary, which features insightful interviews with Erik, 53, and Lyle, 56, revisits the events around tragedy through video footage, news clips, interviews with key individuals connected to the case and family photographs.
The brothers are serving life sentences without parole.
Lesley Abramson, Jill Lansing and Dr Jermone Oziel declined to be interviewed for the documentary.
In Abramson’s email correspondence, she said: “Thirty years is a long time. I’d like to leave the past in the past. No amount of media, nor teenage petitions, will alter the fate of these clients. Only the courts can do that and they have ruled.”
Interestingly, this is the first time in 30 years that the brothers gave a joint interview.
The film opens with the 911 call. The authorities arrived at the crime scene on Sunday, August 20, 1989, to find a blood-splattered scene reminiscent of a scene from a horror movie.
In reports, the police called the attack “savage”. Despite 25 shotgun blasts, no shell casings were found at the scene.
The brothers weren’t tested for gunshot residue nor were their cars searched.
Erik said: “So much hasn’t been told, Not speaking out doesn’t help us anymore.”
He admitted that he couldn’t believe they weren’t arrested that night.
Not having his father there to manage his life saw Lyle spiral out of control with expensive shopping sprees and bodyguards.
On the flip side, Erik admits to being suicidal. In the documentary, they opened up about their interactions with Oziel.
Erik explained that he confessed to the murders during a walk with his shrink.
Lyle weighed in on how Oziel wanted them on tape and exposed his blackmail attempt.
In the first trial, the character witnesses supported the Menendez brothers' claim of sexual abuse by their father. They called José a monster.
During the court case, it was also revealed that Lyle sexually abused Erik.
Erik said: “I remember when he apologised on the stand for molesting me, I was devastated. He had never apologised to me before.”
The documentary captured the hype around the case with talk show hosts like Oprah Winfrey and Jay Leno discussing it.
There’s also a 1996 interview with Barbara Walters.
The first trial ended with a hung jury.
In the second trial, where they were convicted, no cameras were allowed in the courtroom.
Key witnesses were not allowed to testify on behalf of the brothers. The jury had to decide between first-degree murder or not.
Amid unpacking how the brothers spent their time behind bars, there’s also mention of OJ Simpson’s arrest and how it eclipsed the Menendez case.
The documentary ended with an update on their case.
“In May 2023, Erik and Lyle filed a habeas petition seeking to vacate their murder convictions in light of new evidence. On October 3, 2024, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon announced that his office is reviewing and will make a decision on whether it warrants a re-sentencing or retrial.”
Unlike the TV series, which is a compelling retelling of their story, the documentary allows the Menendez brothers to take ownership of their story.