The Menendez brothers, Erik and Lyle, convicted of murdering their parents in 1989, may soon receive clemency thanks to renewed public interest sparked by Ryan Murphy’s scripted series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and Netflix’s documentary The Menendez Brothers.
The defense team submitted a clemency request on October 28.
Murphy’s series shed light on the brothers’ traumatic experiences, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their father.
This exposure has generated widespread sympathy and advocacy for their release. Murphy reflected on the response at a Netflix FYC panel:
“I thought [the episodes] were incredibly powerful… What it did about raising and asking questions about sexual abuse was very, very powerful. And I think, love it or not, there’s a movement with young people who want to talk about that in a way that wasn’t available in 1989.”
Kim Kardashian, a vocal advocate for prison reform, has publicly supported the brothers’ release after meeting with them in prison. Murphy shared:
“Kim Kardashian called me a month before the show came out and asked to see it… She instantly got involved, and the DA and the governor’s office were flooded with reactions from people who had big opinions about the show.”
The series’ impact stems from its thought-provoking portrayal, thanks in part to Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch’s performances as Lyle and Erik. Chavez noted:
“I wasn’t familiar with the story until I got the audition… It was an ongoing journey in terms of what we were able to learn and then marrying that with the scripts.”
Murphy emphasised the importance of safety on set, particularly when tackling sensitive topics. Koch praised co-star Ari Graynor for her support during a pivotal episode:
“There’s absolutely no way I could have done it without her… She held such beautiful space for me, and she became Leslie, which I think allowed me to be Erik.”
