On Aug. 10, 1986 in the luxurious city of Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, CA, brothers, 21 year old Lyle and 19 year old Erik Menendez, confessed to committing the “brutal” murder of their parents Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez. After being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1996, over 20 years ago, the brothers’ case remains the talk of many on social media and news outlets.
Especially after the hit Netflix series “Monsters” starring Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle and Cooper Koch as Erik based on this true story came out on Sept. 19 of this year, the media has kept their eye on the case and further inspected its significance to criminal law today. The series is, in my opinion, an incorrect portrayal of the brothers, making them seem like villains, often mixing up the emotions of Lyle Menendez and making it seem as if he was faking his behavior during the testimony.
The director, Ryan Murphy, responsible for directing the Dahmer Series, has received backlash from fans and Erik Menendez himself for this inaccurate portrayal. In my opinion, after already receiving backlash for creating the series in the first place because of its sensitive information that has caused distress to the victims families, Murphy is not the right person to be directing these types of shows, especially ones replicating the lives of real people.
Social Media users express their opinion in the comment sections of multiple TikToks, many of them along the lines of “Free the Menendez Brothers” or “Justice for Erik and Lyle.” But, is this just a result of the many thirst traps made of the “fine” and “hot” actors who play the brothers in the show?
Thirst traps, videos or photos shared to attract the attention of the viewers sexually have been prominent on TikTok in the past few months, even though this is not a new trend. Concerns on social media about editing criminals have resulted in a phrase being added to the caption of any Menendez Brothers “thirst trap” edit: “editing the actors.” This phrase prevents the label of editing criminals into thirst traps as controversial and rather just social media finding the actor “fine” or attractive has gained the attention of thousands online, including the brothers themselves.
In 1986, the brothers’ lawyer Leslie Abramson claimed self-defense in trial, arguing that killing their parents was the only way to protect themselves. Lyle and Erik revealed that their father, a multimedia CEO, had been sexually abusing the both of them since age 6, including many different acts of rape and molestation. The brothers planned to kill their parents only after multiple situations where Erik and Lyle were confident that their parents planned to do the same to them.
While the argument about whether or not the Menendez brothers were granted a fair trial still remains to this day, the case has resurfaced after new evidence against Mr. and Mrs. Menendez arose. A new court retrial hearing set for Nov. 29, 2024 will reveal the new information related to their case, with a possibility of a change in their sentences. Multiple of their family members including Kitty Menendez’s sister are coming forward to ask for the brothers’ releases. Many, myself included, hope to see the boys free after their entire childhood was stripped from them.
I also think that the time period in which the murders occurred had a significant toll on its conclusion, seeing as in the 1980s, sexual assault had always been conformed to women and women only. The possibility that men could experience the same was out of the ordinary.
“The ruling is up to the time and situation of the trial and could vary between a case with similar concepts, but it’s all up to the judge in the end,” says Eric Reynolds, PEACE Civil Law teacher and coach of Millikan’s Mock Trial Competition Team.
In the words of Leslie Abramson, “If my clients’ names were Lyla and Erika Menendez, would that make a difference to you?” Only time will tell if the brothers will see the light of day as free men once again.
