Menendez brothers break their silence in new Netflix documentary

If this were all a script, it would be considered unbelievable, we think after watching the trailer for the documentary, which aims to present the Menendez brothers' version. On 7 October, Netflix will release the film, giving voice to Erik and Lyle nearly 30 years after the conclusion of their trial.

The Menendez brothers' story remains one of the most notorious crimes in the United States to this day. On 20 August 1989, Erik and Lyle shot their parents in their mansion in Beverly Hills. Initially, no one suspected them of the murder. Investigators circled theories about the mafia due to the substantial wealth of the Menendez family. The brothers confessed to their psychologist, who then told his lover. And so it came to light that the sons had murdered their father and mother. The trial lasted several years, concluding in 1996, with the brothers being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

On 19 September 2024, the series "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story," created by Ryan Murphy, debuted on Netflix. The production quickly became a hit. After the first weekend of streaming, it ranked at the top of Netflix charts in 56 countries, including Poland and the United States. No wonder they decided to strike while the iron was hot and release another instalment of this story. The streaming platform has just announced that on 9 October, it will release a documentary about the brothers, in which the Menendez brothers will share their version of events. They will speak for the first time in 30 years.

"Everyone asks why we killed our parents. Maybe now people can understand the truth. What happened that night is very well known, but so much hasn’t been told," say Lyle and Erik in the documentary trailer.

In the short preview, we also see that, in addition to the brothers, the prosecutor who participated in the trial will also speak.

"Two kids don’t commit this crime for money and there’s people that believe I shouldn’t spend the rest of my life in prison. We would much rather lose the murder trial than talk about the sick secrets of the family," the Menendez brothers announce, and the creators heighten interest in the case, emphasising that this is the first time in 30 years that the brothers will present their version. The question is, can they be shocked by anything else that wasn't revealed during the 1990s trial when they claimed they had been sexually abused for years by their father and psychologically tormented by their mother?

Ryan Murphy's series attempted to show the case's complexity, though, as mentioned in the review, it only partially succeeded. Erik Menendez wrote a letter criticising the production. Hopefully, the documentary will be more than just an attempt to profit from a popular topic.