Relatives of Eric and Lyle Menendez, also known as the Menendez brothers, are standing up for the two men convicted of shooting their parents. He died in 1989 at his mansion in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.
Joseph Menendez, whose middle name is Lyle, and his younger brother Eric; shoot their parents Jose and Mary “Kitty” Menendez. The two were convicted of murder in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison, but have recently asked for their sentences to be commuted.
“We are virtually all of Eric and Lyle Menendez's relatives. We are 24 people strong and today we want the world to know that we support Eric and Lyle. ” the family wrote in a statement posted to X by Eric's wife Tammy Menendez. on Thursday in response to a new series about their lives and crimes. “We individually and collectively pray for their release after 35 years in prison. We know them, we love them, and we want them back together. .”
Their group statement was made in response to a new Netflix show called “Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez,” which premiered on Netflix last week.
Menendez brothers, who shot and killed their parents, slam new show for “dishonest portrayal''
Eric and Lyle Menendez listen during a trial in the 1990s. (Ted Soki/Sigma)
Monsters is billed as a “full-scale crime drama that examines the lives of the Menendez brothers, who were convicted in the brutal 1989 murder of their parents in Beverly Hills.”
But the Menendez brothers' families called it a “horrifying, gross, anachronistic, episodic nightmare full of untruths and outright falsehoods, as well as ignoring recent revelations of their innocence.” said in a statement posted on X.
“We know them. We grew up with them since they were boys.”
“Our family was the victim of this grotesque shocking drama. Murphy claimed to have spent years investigating this incident, but ultimately used it to justify his slander against us. , did not tell us anything other than relying on Dominic Dunne, who debunked the hacking in support of prosecutors,” the statement said. Read. “The assassination of our nephews and cousins, Eric and Lyle, under the guise of 'storytelling' is disgusting. We know them. We've been with them since they were boys.” We loved them and we love them to this day.'' This is the day we are close to them. ”
According to the New York Daily News, Lyle (left) and Eric (right) are seen in a recent mugshot from 2023. After years apart, they moved into the same housing unit at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego in 2018, officials said. (California Department of Corrections)
Prior to the message from his family, Eric Menendez released his own statement via Tammy on Ta.
“It's sad to know that Netflix's disingenuous portrayal of the tragedy surrounding our crimes takes several steps back from the painful truth. Prosecutors have bought into the belief system that men are not sexually abused. “It goes back to a time when we were building stories based on the fact that men experienced rape trauma differently than women,” Eric said in a statement shared with Tammy.
The Menendez Brothers: Monsters or Misunderstandings?
The Menendez brothers, Eric and Lyle, stand on the steps of their Beverly Hills home in November 1989. (Ronald L. Soble/Los Angeles Times)
Lyle's family posted other reactions to the show on Facebook.
“So these 'writers/creators' woke up in the morning, ate cornflakes, went to the office, and decided to lie about the rape victims who suffered there every day. The experts did this for money. How ironic,” they wrote on a public Facebook page on behalf of Lyle, who is in prison. “Never forget: There was more evidence of abuse at the original trial than there was a successful child abuse prosecution.”
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His family went on to describe the show as “the worst fictional miniseries I've ever seen.”
The Trial of the Menendez Brothers in Los Angeles – Lyle Menendez and Attorney: Jill Lansing. Los Angeles, March 9, 1994. (Ted Soki/Sigma)
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The brothers' lawyers have argued that they should have been convicted of manslaughter rather than murder, in which case they would have been released.
Another documentary about the brothers, “The Menendez Brothers,” is scheduled to be released on October 7th. According to a press release, the film promises to “offer an alternative perspective from the brothers themselves with all-new audio interviews.” . It will also detail the brothers' claims that they were sexually assaulted by their father.
FOX News' Michael Lewis contributed to this report.
