Twenty-eight years after their conviction by the courts, the Menéndez brothers will be entitled to a new hearing. A legal case that fascinates Netflix subscribers, but also a certain Kim Kardashian.
Undisputed master of horror, Ryan Murphy has the gift of telling stories that obsess us. After having imagined the cult horror anthology American Horror Story, the filmmaker created the Event with Monsters, a Netflix series that focuses on the "monstrous criminals who have marked our society".
Since its arrival on the catalog on September 19, the second season has been in the Top 10 of the most-viewed series on the platform. A dazzling success, which could have repercussions in the very real case that occurred in 1989.
Serial controversies
This second chapter focuses on Erik and Lyle Menéndez, two brothers tried in 1996 for having killed their parents, seven years earlier. Sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole, the latter had admitted their crimes but justified their actions by the abuse committed by their parents for years.
Now aged 53 and 56, the Menéndez brothers maintain their version, and claim to have been sexually assaulted by their father. Their mother, aware of the situation, apparently chose not to intervene.
Monsters therefore focuses on the life of this family, and paints an ambiguous portrait of the two murderers, while addressing the issue of sexual assault. Outraged by the first episodes of the series, Erik Menéndez expressed his discontent from the Richard J. Donovan detention center, where he is incarcerated. He claims that this show "riddled with lies" paints a "disastrous" and "caricatured" portrait of his brother.
"Damning" evidence
For his part, Ryan Murphy believes that his work is "the best thing that has happened to these brothers in 30 years because it has simply brought their case to light". Questioned by the Hollywood Reporter, he insists on the role of the fifth episode of the series, which is "basically a multi-million dollar advertisement for the re-examination of the case, which is going to happen".
Indeed, the Los Angeles County prosecutor, George Gascón, announced that a new hearing for Erik and Lyle Menéndez would be scheduled for November 29, more than 28 years after their conviction. The reason? New evidence has reportedly been brought to the case.
Particularly touched by this story, Kim Kardashian – who is taking law classes to pass the bar and is committed to reforming the American prison system – visited the Menéndez brothers in prison. In a column published on October 4 on the NBC website, the American influencer and businesswoman called for their release.
She admits that these “murders are not excusable”, but that “the trial and punishment that the two brothers received were more suited to a serial killer than to two individuals who suffered years of sexual violence from people they loved and trusted”.
“We are all products of our experiences,” she says. “They shape who we were, who we are, and who we will be. Physiologically and psychologically, time changes us, and I doubt that anyone would claim to be the same person they were at 18. » For his part, Ryan Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter that "there's a lot that can be presented as damning evidence."
"Kim Kardashian's advocacy shouldn't be underestimated," he continued. "She's taken very seriously in these cases. (...) I think they probably deserve to go to court, at least with some of this new evidence. And then it's up to the courts to decide. I hope they're fair to them."