Netflix: The Menendez brothers at the center of a major controversy

Number 1 on the Netflix charts, the sequel to the series Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez has been heavily criticized since it was put online, for distorting reality around the two brothers who are victims of sexual and psychological violence from their father.

the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez distorted?

After the hit Dahmer in 2022, Netflix has done it again this year by offering its subscribers season 2 of Monsters, a series centered on the most horrific massacres committed in the United States. Ryan Murphy is focusing this time on Menendez brothers Erik and Lyle, sentenced to life in prison after murdering both of their parents in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. Suspected a few months later, the brothers were eventually arrested by police following the seizure of recordings of sessions with psychologist Dr. Oziel.It is through this material in particular that Netflix has articulated its story. But have Ryan Murphy and his teams gone too far to embellish their story? Over the course of the 9 episodes of Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez,The two brothers can be seen having some intimate relations. A shower taken together and a kiss exchanged are enough to alert the viewer to the incestuous nature of their relationship. But the problem is that these exchanges would be pure invention. According to Robert Rand, an expert on the Menendez case and author of the book The Menendez Murders published in 2018, the two brothers have never had any sexual relations.

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Erik Menendez criticizes Netflix and Ryan Murphy

“I don't believe Erik and Lyle Menendez were lovers. I think it was a fantasy that was born in Dominick Dunne's mind,” he said. “There were rumors during the trial about Erik and Lyle having a strange relationship, but I believe the only physical contact they had was, as Lyle said at trial, when he was 8 years old and he 'played' with him, like his father José had done with him.”

Earlier, following the release of the series, Erik Menendez reacted to the “disastrous” portrait of his brother drawn by Netflix and Ryan Murphy. “I thought we were past the lies and disastrous portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature […] rooted in the horrific and blatant lies that run rampant throughout the show. I can only believe they were done on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say Ryan Murphy cannot be so naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives that he does so without any ill intent.”

It was his wife Tammy who posted a lengthy message on X, repeating her husband's words from the San Diego prison in California, where he is serving his sentence.

Erik's response to the Netflix's series.#NetflixMonsters #Netflix #RyanMurphy pic.twitter.com/Xz1waxA2u3

September 20, 2024

These horrific lies have been dismantled and exposed by countless brave victims over the past two decades, who have overcome their personal shame and bravely spoken out. So now [Ryan] Murphy is crafting his horrific narrative through vile, appalling portraits of Lyle and me and disheartening slander. How disheartening to know that a man with such power can undermine decades of progress in shining a light on childhood trauma. Violence is never an answer, never a solution, and it is always tragic. That is why I hope we never forget that violence against a child creates a hundred horrific and silent crime scenes, obscured by glitz and glamour and rarely exposed until that the tragedy penetrates all the people involved.”

For your part, if you are fans of the series, you can already discover which criminal will be at the center of season 3.