One of the chief supporting characters in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is Leslie Abramson, an attorney whose career carried on long after her experience defending Erik on trial. Played by Ari Graynor in the series, Abramson was an experienced defense attorney in Los Angeles when she took on the Menendez case in 1993. Tenacious and effective in the courtroom, Abramson efforts to paint Erik and Lyle’s murder of their parents as the consequence of the abuse the brothers had suffered for years.

While Abramson was ultimately unsuccessful in keeping Erik out of prison, her efforts helped lead to multiple trials due to deadlocked juries. However, Abramson’s story continues far beyond what her Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story character is shown experiencing. The publicity she gained during the trial helped ensure her place in the spotlight, even while she faced questions about her methods as Erik’s legal advisor. She was even briefly tapped for another infamous Los Angeles murder case a decade later. Here is what happened to Leslie Abramson after the ending of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

Leslie Abramson Wrote A Book About Being A Criminal Defense Attorney In 1997

How Abramson Became A National Figure After The Trial Of The Menendez Brothers

Leslie Abramson career took several turns after the events depicted in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, including writing a book and taking on other high-profile murder cases. Already regarded as a gifted defense lawyer prior to taking on the Menendez case after Erik and Lyle killed their parents, Abramson national status exploded after the events of the trial in 1993. In 1997, she repurposed her experiences working within the legal system as the subject matter of a book, “The Defense Is Ready: Life In The Trenches Of Criminal Law.”

Actors Who Have Portrayed Leslie Abramson
Film/TV Show

Margaret Whitton
Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills

Julia Sweeney
Saturday Night Light

Edie Falco
Law & Order True Crime

A candid memoir of her life working as a lawyer, Abramson’s book was well-received upon release and is still available today. The publicity surrounding the trial also elicited parodies of her on Saturday Night Live and television films like Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills. In the years since, Edie Falco’s performance as Abramson in Law & Order True Crime earned the actor an Emmy nomination. However, the additional scrutiny paid to Abramson came with potential legal consequences tied to her conduct during the Menendez Brothers’ trial, resulting in a three year long investigation.

Leslie Abramson Was Investigated For Claims About Breaking Ethical Rules In The Menendez Brothers’ Retrial

Abramson Was Accused Of Tampering With Evidence, But The Case Was Dropped

Leslie Abramson almost faced legal consequences for her efforts as a lawyer for the Menendez Brothers after being accused of breaching standard legal procedure and protocol. As reported at the time by Newsweek, Abramson spoke privately with Dr. William Vicary, a psychiatrist who had previously worked with Erik. Called as a witness for the defense, Abramson requested Vicary to erase certain material from his notes that painted a dark portrait of her client. The discrepancy between Vicary’s notes as presented and in their original form was noted by prosecutor David Conn during cross-examination.

Vicary admitted he had removed certain passages from his notes after being pressured by the defense. When questioned further on the subject by the judge, Abramson argued this was protected by attorney/client privilege and cited her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Following the trial, the California State Bar opened an investigation into Abramson over claims that this was tampering with evidence. However, following a three-year-long exploration of the case, the State Bar announced there wasn’t enough evidence of her breaking ethical rules to convict, and the case was dropped.

Leslie Abramson Was Hired In 2004 To Defend Phil Spector In A High-Profile Hollywood Murder Case, But Resigned

Spector Went Through Multiple High-Profile Defense Attorneys During His Trial

The fame Abramson earned defending Erik Menendez in court moved her onto the national stage, where she would remain until she retired and her legal license expired in 2023. One of her most famous subsequent clients was another high-profile murder case, although she ultimately didn’t see the trial through as their attorney. After music producer Phil Spector was charged with the death of actress Lana Clarkson in 2003, he went through a number of defense attorneys,

Among those lawyers were other famous defense attorneys, including Robert Shapiro (who had been one of O.J. Simpson’s defense attorneys) and Bruce Cutler (who had represented John Gotti in his court cases). Abramson briefly worked with Spector in 2004, but the two butted heads repeatedly, including during a public press conference. Ultimately, Abramson resigned from the position, leaving Spector to get other legal representation until his eventual conviction for the murder in 2009. The version of Leslie Abramson who appears in Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story only represents a snapshot of the attorney’s full life.