True story of the Netflix series

A dramatic, realistic take on the 1989 Menendez brothers trial that shocked the nation is coming to Netflix from producer Ryan Murphy as part of his anthology series “Monster.” Last year, Season 1 of the series, which starred Evan Peters as serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, earned six Emmy nominations and a win for supporting actress Niecy Nash.

Now, “Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez” stars Javier Bardem as José Menendez and Chloë Sevigny as Kitty Menendez, along with Nicholas Chavez and Cooper Koch as their sons and killers Lyle and Erik Menendez, respectively.

It all started on the evening of August 20, 1989, when Lyle, then 21, called 911 to the Beverly Hills Police Department saying, “Someone killed my parents!” When police arrived at the Menendez family mansion in Beverly Hills, they found Jose and Kitty brutally shot to death while they were watching television. Jose was shot six times and Kitty was shot ten times. At first, investigators believed the murder was related to Jose’s business dealings at Live Entertainment and possibly mob activity.

Erik and Lyle told police that they were at the movies watching Batman when their parents were murdered. While police investigated the crime, the brothers went on a spending spree. In just six months after killing their parents, they spent $700,000 of their inherited fortune. Their purchases included a Porsche, a Rolex, a restaurant, a $40,000 investment in a rock concert, and more.

But everything came crashing down for Erik and Lyle in March 1990 when Judalon Smyth reported a tip to the BHPD. She claimed to have audiotaped confessions that Erik, then 19, had made during his therapy sessions with Dr. L. Jerome Oziel. Smyth was Dr. Oziel's mistress.

After further investigation, the evidence against the brothers began to mount. Their movie alibi could only protect them for so long. On March 8, 1990, Lyle was arrested. Two days later, Erik showed up at the airport. The brothers were accused of murdering their parents to gain their father's $14 million fortune.

The already horrific story took another turn when the trial began in July 1993. During his testimony, Lyle explained that his father and mother had both sexually abused him from the ages of six to eight. Erik followed his brother's testimony and claimed that his father had also abused him from the age of six, but that unlike his brother, the abuse never stopped. The alleged abuse ended when he confided in his brother what had happened, because the next day, they killed their parents.

On the stand, the brothers wept as they discussed the alleged abuse, explaining that as a result, they inflicted pain on each other as children. Andy Cano, one of their cousins, testified that Erik told him about his father’s abuse when he was 10 and Cano was 13. Erik asked him if it was normal for his father to give him “massages.” He then made him promise to keep the mentions secret out of fear for his father. Another cousin, Alan Andersen, testified that when he visited, José would take showers with the children and Kitty would not let him near the room during those times.

The case ended in a mistrial declared by the judge after the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision. The retrial began in October 1995. This trial focused more on the facts surrounding the murder and its brutality. The prosecution successfully challenged much of the evidence surrounding the abuse and called this defense an “excuse for abuse.”

At that trial, Lyle refused to testify. On July 2, 1996, the Menendez brothers were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In the years since their conviction, the brothers have attempted to appeal the case, but their request has been denied.

There have been other dramatic reenactments of the infamous murder, including the Lifetime film “Menendez: Blood Brothers.”

“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” is now available on Netflix.