This post contains mentions of sexual abuse and child abuse.
1. Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle Menendez
Ted Soqui / Sygma / Getty Images, Netflix
Following the murder of his parents, Lyle Menendez was the one who called 911, reportedly saying, “They shot and killed my parents.”
Six months after José and Kitty Menendez were killed, Lyle was arrested for their murder at the family’s home in Beverly Hills.
2. Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez
Netflix, Ted Soqui / Sygma / Getty Images
According to the LA Times, three days after Lyle’s arrest, Erik flew home from a tennis tournament in Israel and “voluntarily surrendered” at LAX.
During their first trial, the brothers claimed that they killed their parents in self-defense after testifying that they were sexually abused by their father and their mother knew about it.
In April 1996, Lyle and Erik were sentenced to life in prison “with no hope of parole,” per the LA Times.
And here are the brothers together:
Netflix / Vince Bucci / AFP / Getty Images
In 2018, after spending more than 20 years separated in prison, Erik and Lyle reunited. According to ABC News, the last time they saw each other was on Sept. 10, 1996, when they could see each other across a prison yard but didn’t talk. Over the years, they were able to write letters while serving their life sentences but weren’t permitted to talk on the phone.
Advertisement
3. Javier Bardem as José Menendez
Netflix, CNBC / Via youtu.be
José was an executive of Hertz Global Holdings and later RCA Records, which is when he moved his family from New Jersey to Beverly Hills.
Alongside Erik and Lyle, José was also accused of sexual assault by Roy Rosselló, a former member of the band Menudo. Rosselló, detailing his alleged assault in 2023, has allowed Erik and Lyle’s lawyers to file a habeas petition asking that their convictions be vacated.
4. Chloë Sevigny as Mary Louise “Kitty” Menéndez
Netflix, Netflix / Via youtube.com
Kitty and José got married in 1963. During their first trial, Erik and Lyle claimed that Kitty knew of the alleged abuse the boys endured at the hands of their father.
Advertisement
5. Ari Graynor as Leslie Abramson
Netflix, Nick Ut / Associated Press
Abramson was Erik’s attorney. She took the lead in defending Erik alongside Jill Lansing, who defended Lyle during their first murder trial.
In a 1990 Vanity Fair article about the Menendez brothers’ murder trials, Abramson was described as the “most brilliant Los Angeles defense lawyer for death-row cases.”
6. Nathan Lane as Dominick Dunne
Netflix, Reed Saxon / Associated Press
Dunne was a journalist who notably covered the Menendez brothers’ murder trial for Vanity Fair. He penned the notable piece titled “Nightmare on Elm Drive,” where he detailed the murders.
Author Robert Rand, who wrote the book The Menendez Murders, recently called out Dunne for creating the “fantasy” that Erik and Lyle allegedly had an incestuous relationship.
7. Leslie Grossman as Judalon Smyth
Netflix, AP Photo / Pool / Reuters
Smyth was the girlfriend of Dr. L. Jerome Oziel. Prior to Erik and Lyle’s arrests, she reportedly contacted the police and told them about the existence of recordings where the Menendez brothers “allegedly confessed to the murders of their parents,” according to Vanity Fair.
Smyth even told the police that Lyle and Erik purchased the shotguns from a sporting goods store in San Diego.
She testified at their first trial.
8. Dallas Roberts as Dr. L. Jerome Oziel
Netflix, Reed Saxon / Associated Press
Oziel was a theapist Erik and Lyle were seeing, and he was having an affair with Judalon Smyth, who told the police about the recordings where Erik and Lyle allegedly confessed to the murders.
On the tapes heard in court, Lyle was reportedly heard telling Oziel, “There was no way I was going to make a decision to kill my mother without Erik’s consent. I didn’t even want to influence him in that issue.”
The trial also apparently revealed that Oziel did not, in fact, turn the tapes over to the authorities but instead tried to extort money from Lyle and Erik by saying they should keep paying him because it would “be good for their defense” if they were ever on trial.
9. Nathen Gurrola as Andy Cano
Netflix, ABC News / Via youtu.be
Cano was the brothers’ cousin, who reportedly testified that he knew about the alleged abuse they faced, namely Erik, who confided in Andy when he was 13 years old.
In 2023, new evidence was found reportedly corroborating Erik and Lyle’s claims of abuse and killing their parents out of self-defense. A letter written by Erik to Cano in 1988 was found. Part of the letter reads, “I’ve been trying to avoid Dad. It’s still happening, Andy, but it’s worse for me now.
10. And finally, Jason Butler Harner as Det. Les Zoeller
Netflix, Court TV / Via youtube.com
Zoeller was the Beverly Hills PD detective in charge of the Menendez investigation. He also testified at their trial.
News
José Menendez was a highly accomplished disciplinarian. His sons say the truth is much darker
Javier Bardem portrays the Menendez brothers’ controversial father in the new Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. José Menendez came to the United States as a penniless teenager and was determined to succeed, demanding excellence of himself and…
This controversial series tops Netflix’s global charts: Exclusive interviews with those involved in the shocking true story of Lyle and Erik Menendez
The setting for the grisly double murder could not have been more incongruous: a balmy August evening in the exclusive enclave of Beverly Hills. José and Kitty Menendez – he a successful music industry executive, she a local socialite and…
The stars of ‘Monsters’ defend the use of incest scenes in the film: ‘Part of a drama, not a documentary’
Nathan Lane and Cooper Koch tell TheWrap their Netflix series reflects journalist Dominick Dunne’s perspective, not reality Much has been made of the incestuous portrayal of the Menendez brothers in “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.” But the actors behind the…
Other key things to note about the Erik and Lyle Menendez murder case after Netflix’s ‘Monsters’
Ryan Murphy‘s Monsters elicited a divided response about how Erik Menéndez and Lyle Menéndez‘s murder trial was portrayed in the Netflix series — but it isn’t the only show that covers the controversial case. After their parents, José and Kitty Menéndez, were murdered in 1989, Erik and Lyle became the…
Cooper Koch’s steamy bath scene in ‘Monsters’ has fans wondering if it’s real or not
Did Cooper Koch Wear a Prosthetic in the ‘Monsters’ Shower Scene? There’s a mystery that’s got everyone talking-was actor Cooper Koch wearing a prosthetic during a nude shower scene in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix, where he portrayed…
Undeniable evidence of why “Monsters: The Menendez brothers” Netflix hit series is so controversial
Ryan Murphy’s latest true-crime series recounts infamous 1989 Beverly Hills murders, but some critics say his retelling takes too many liberties with the truth “Death, sex, privilege, lies” – the 1989 murder of Kitty and Jose Menendez by their sons,…
End of content
No more pages to load