The connection between Lyle and Erik Menendez and a real-life Hollywood tragedy has been elucidated.
“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” premiered on Netflix earlier this month, quickly capturing the audience’s attention.
Following up on “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” the second season delves into the Menendez Brothers’ case, spotlighting Lyle and Erik.
The brothers were found guilty of killing their parents in their Beverly Hills, Los Angeles home in 1989.
José Menendez, 45, and his wife Kitty, 47, were shot 16 times with shotguns.
During their trial, the brothers claimed they were victims of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse by their parents. However, prosecutors asserted that the motive was financial gain.
A jury ultimately convicted Lyle and Erik, sentencing them to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” recounts the brothers’ narrative, with episode seven drawing significant viewer interest.
This episode reveals how writer Dominick Dunne was personally affected by Lyle and Erik’s actions.
As footage shows Dunne’s daughter being taken off life support, a fictional representation of Dunne states: “My ex-wife and I had two daughters before Dominique, but they both died in infancy. That made Dominique our miracle daughter — our angel. We always assumed she would bury us. That’s the way it is supposed to be.”
“I was convinced that would be the most difficult moment of the entire ordeal and our entire lives. But I was wrong. Far worse was watching the trial of [her murderer] John Sweeney and how the defense tried to make him out to be the victim.”
Dominick Dunne reported on the high-profile Menendez trial for Vanity Fair while coping with his daughter’s death.
Seven years prior, Dominique Dunne was strangled by her then-partner Sweeney, leading to a coma and her subsequent death five days later.
Sweeney was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for voluntary manslaughter.
Nathan Lane, portraying Dominick Dunne in “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” says in the series: “That’s why I never believe a word that comes out of a defense attorney’s mouth.”
“[They will do anything to help their client]. Even if it means desecrating the memory of the real victims, which is like murdering them a second time.”
Before her tragic death, Dominique had begun to establish herself in Hollywood, appearing in films such as “Poltergeist” and “The Shadow Riders.”