Milan Dosanjh
Contributing Writer
In 1989, Erik and Lyle Menendez murdered their parents in their Beverly Hills home. Prosecution argued that their motivation was greed; however, during the trial, the brothers claimed they acted out of desperation after enduring years of sexual and emotional abuse from their father. Their claims were consistently disregarded by the jury in two separate hearings, the first trial leading to a hung jury. In the retrial, the judge overruled that the defense wasn’t able to argue self-defense, resulting in the removal of the evidence of sexual violence. In 1996, Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Echoing true stories like the Menendez case, the genre of true crime, notoriously known for flipping tumultuous real-life events into a dramatized form of entertainment, have been all the rage this past decade. The spotlight only lures the attention of parasocial fanbases who romanticize the portrayals of the victims in these docuseries, resulting in the astounding amount of popularity surrounding these cases — all for the wrong reasons. The catalyst for this boost in exposure of true crime entertainment comes with the release of the new season of Ryan Murphy’s “Monster” docuseries, dramatically portraying the infamous Menendez brothers and their story behind the murder of their very own parents. The issue with the explosive popularity enshrouding the docuseries is that it becomes a form of entertainment for ravenous fans, erasing the factuality of the actual case, and blurring the line between what is real and what is not.
The true crime docuseries “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” has been flooding social media — and not necessarily in a positive way — ranging from TikTok edits about the brothers in court to the obsession around Ryan Murphy’s new muse Nicholas Alexander Chavez and his dramatized portrayal of Lyle Menendez. Platforms like TikTok became filled with content of the brothers, and some creators even partook in cosplay. The videos are paired with songs from the docuseries, and others showcase fan-cam edits of the actors. “Oh yes, I’ve seen THE edit,” Sofia Wagner, a Santa Barbara City College first-year student studying child development, told The Bottom Line, referring to a viral TikTok edit of Chavez portraying Lyle Menendez.
Evident in these edits and trends, the social media exposure has overshadowed the chilling courtroom testimonies and the controversy behind the Menendez Brothers case. The docuseries incorporates dishonest depictions of the case, reinforced by 24 of Erik and Lyle Menendez’s relatives speaking out about the false portrayals of the brothers. Consumers of the docuseries are absorbing these imperfect depictions, resulting in a messy interpretation of the case, with social media only worsening the truth behind dramatized victimhood. As said by Erik Menendez on his social media, “Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime have taken the painful truths several steps backward.”
Unfortunately, the pattern of dramatizing real cases for entertainment doesn’t only apply to the Menendez case. Murphy’s first “Monster” docuseries “DAHMER” centers around the Jeffery Dahmer case and the seventeen people he murdered. According to Murphy, he had no intention of ever reaching out to those involved in the case, and claimed that they should be grateful to have their case retold. Murphy reinforces that any protest against his work is considered a “faux outrage” in an interview with the TODAY Show, regarding Erik Menendez’s response to their Menendez docuseries.
Different from the dramatized docuseries, Netflix has also released the documentary “The Menendez Brothers.” This documentary features testimonies from the Menendez brothers via prison phone calls, underlining the amount of research and diligence that went into the project. The documentary provides a stark differentiation from the dramatized “Monster” docuseries project. Each brother offers insight on the motivations behind their crimes, making this form of media more trustworthy, as it is accompanied by first hand sources.
This is where the turning point for the case took hold. The brothers were viewed as stone cold killers, but new evidence and attention to the trial enforces new perspectives. While the docuseries connected the brothers, through their dramatized characters, with a younger audience, the documentary presented detail directly from the brothers and professionals involved in the trial. With the new generation perceiving this information comes a new perspective on male sexual abuse and how it is very much real, solidifying the sentiment that it must be treated so out of respect to the victims and their testimonies. Audiences who retrospectively view the trial upon learning about the case present questions and concerns towards the harsh sentencing and advocate for legal reform.
This solidarity can be applied to the same “fandom” of “The Menendez Brothers” — it all translates to the support and messages that these fans spread. Despite the forms of advocacy clearly being invasive to some degree, they draw attention to the motivations and truths of the case, leaving viewers wanting to learn more. In the documentary, Lyle Menendez responds to this support: “The followers who are younger that are on that sort of TikTok social media generation, they really have tremendous hope. I’m willing to float along on their hope and we’ll see what happens.”
The social media attention, docuseries, and various forms of advocacy have all led to the latest decision from the Los Angeles district attorney, George Gascón, who on Oct. 25, declared that he recommends a resentencing to the judge. “It’s time to recognize the injustice they’ve suffered and allow them the second chance they deserve,” says the brothers’ cousin, Anamaria Baralt. “Now we stand, both sides of the family united, sharing a new bond of hope.” The hearing date is set for their habeas corpus petition filed last year, and it will potentially result in a resentencing in November — just in time for the holidays and for the family to celebrate Erik’s birthday, who are anticipating the brothers’ return.