On August 20, 1989, Erik and Lyle Menendez’s lives changed forever. The brutal murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, shocked the nation, and to this day the story captivates public interest. Ryan Murphy’s new hit show Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, may shed light on the case to a new generation. However, I think it misses the mark in the title of the show, which solely labels Erik and Lyle as the monsters when in reality the entire Menendez family was living in a house of horrors led by their patriarch, Jose.
Growing up, Lyle and Erik were abused by their father Jose. Starting with physically, sexually, and mentally abusing the boys, Jose wouldn’t stop. The abuse continued for Lyle from the age of six to eight, and from six to eighteen for Erik. The abuse first started with Lyle receiving massages from Jose after tennis and escalated to his father showing him pornographic movies, forcing Lyle to perform oral sex on him, and ultimately Jose raping Lyle. This is when Lyle got strong enough to tell him to stop, and it calmed down slightly. It is clear that Jose was a sick and twisted man, who was grooming his son with manipulation, violence, and incest.
Lyle was the golden child. As Erik’s older brother, he had to do everything perfectly to satisfy his father. He had to date the perfect girls, be the best at tennis, and most of all, he had to fulfill his academic career at Princeton University.
Similarly to Lyle, Erik experienced the same abuse, but even worse. According to The Menendez Murders: Erik Tells All, starting at age six, when Erik would prepare for swim or tennis matches, his father would again give massages. For swimming, Jose would hold Erik under water to build up his lung power and make sure he could be the best swimmer. Jose certainly had more than questionable teaching methods – his approach to getting the best out of his son was inhumane and revolting. In every opportunity, Jose did anything he could to exert control over his sons and his wife Kitty. He set unrealistic expectations and used manipulation and perceived love (like the massages) to continue a vicious cycle of years of abuse and intimidation.
Jose would constantly tell Erik, “Back in ancient Rome, in ancient Greece, that this is how soldiers would prepare for battle.” Jose had history books with passages outlined focusing on every detail these soldiers would do to each other, including performing sexual acts on each other to strengthen them. Erik being at the age of seven with his father doing strength training rituals, never wanted to go to battle. It calls into question why Jose treat Erik like he is much older than he actually is and use this as a way to get another form of abuse in.
As I learned more about Jose’s alleged evil acts towards his sons, I could only see a monster, not a father. I questioned what horrific and repeated behaviors could have caused Erik and Lyle to brutally murder their parents, and I wondered where their mother was to protect them throughout their childhood.
Both Lyle and Erik have expressed that their mother knew of the abuse, and it is reported that she had a history of drug and alcoholism. Kitty was emotionally unstable, often throwing dishes and lashing out in anger, almost as if she had two personalities. Family members recall Kitty shielding them from entering the hallway where Jose’s abuse took place. Kitty’s nephew, Al Anderson, shared, “You couldn’t go down there, I mean, you stayed in the living room or you did something else, but you didn’t go anywhere near the hallway.” Anderson’s reflection only solidifies how there was no one who was willing to question what was going on in that household, and were instead willing to take the easy route and look the other way.
Through this twisted childhood that took place at 722 North Elm Drive in Beverly Hills, by the time Lyle and Erik turned 18 and 22, they were emotionally damaged, angry, spoiled, confused, and misguided. Inspired by the movie, Billionaire Boys Club, Erik came up with a plan to kill their parents and remove this negative controlling force from their lives forever. He then wrote a screenplay called Friends about a wealthy young man who killed his parents for their inheritance money. We all watch movies with fictional stories, fantasies, and horrors, but what normal person thinks to himself, “This could be our reality. Let’s do this?”
At the time of the case in 1989, sexual abuse, especially with fathers and sons, was taboo and dismissed from much of the boys trial. However, with new details emerging, such as a revealing letter to an uncle, who has recently passed away, as well as the admission of Jose Menedez’s sexual abuse towards Menudo band member Andy Cano, Lyle and Erik may get released from jail before Christmas.
Make no mistake, I think Lyle and Erik had a horrible childhood that had a large influence on this violent, inhumane, and psychotic crime. I still wonder why the brothers didn’t call the police or run away from home. Murder is never the answer. Thus, rather than title the show, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, I think he should have called it, Monsters: The Menendez Family a House of Horrors.
