One of the most notorious true crime stories involves the murder of Kitty and Jose Menendez; their two boys, Erik and Lyle, were charged with the murder, and the new Netflix show “Monsters” captures the chilling details of their story.
The new Netflix show Monsters follows the story of the Menendez brothers and how they murdered their parents. On the outside, the Menendez family was a happy and wealthy family that was very well known in their hometown of Beverly Hills.
Jose Enrique Menendez was born in Havana, Cuba, on May 6, 1944. At age 16, he moved to the United States to have a better life and attend college to get an education. He attended Southern Illinois University, where he met Mary Louise “Kitty” Andersen. They fell in love and got married in 1963. They then moved to New York City, where Jose attended Queens College for an accounting degree.
Five years later, Joseph Lyle Menendez was born on January 10, 1968, in New York. Two years later, Erik Galen was born on November 27, 1970. The family lived in New Jersey for many years and attended Princeton Day School.
The family later moved to Beverly Hills because of Jose’s new job as a corporate executive. Erik attended Beverly Hills High School and was known for his outstanding tennis skills. Lyle attended Princeton University but was put on probation for poor grades and later was suspended for plagiarism.
Both boys were skilled tennis players ranked highly for their age divisions. Their dad was a very passionate man who got angry if the boys didn’t meet his expectations. He would scream and yell when the boys lost a match. He paid a lot of money for the best of the best coaches, and so he would get outraged when they didn’t play well.
The show does talk a lot about the abuse that the boys went through and how it affected them. An article published on Varitey.com talks more about that.
In the show, Lyle fights with his mom about wanting to marry his girlfriend, Jamie. When his mother disapproves, things get heated, with much screaming and fighting. A few days later, Erik was watching a movie where the kids killed their parents, and that sparked an idea in his head. He called Lyle into the room and said he wanted to do that to his parents. They soon made a plan and followed through with it. On the night of August 20, 1989, Kitty and Jose were watching a show in the den of their house when the boys walked in, each holding a shotgun. They then went and buried the guns and called 911 and said that someone killed their parents.
Throughout the show, we go from the “present” to flashbacks of the terror of the boys’ lives. The show follows how they were found guilty of the murders and what they did after the initial 911 call. It is very captivating and definitely a binge-worthy series. It is a bit graphic and unsuitable for young eyes and ears, but if you are into true crime and documentary-type shows, this should be on your list for next to watch.
