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The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story Cast Guide

Vaseline September 20, 2024

Following the massive success of “Dahmer,” Ryan Murphy returns to Netflix on September 19 with “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” the second installment in his true crime anthology series.

After killing their parents in 1989, the Menendez Brothers became household names in the early 1990s when their criminal trial was televised nationally. Erik Menendez’s legal counsel, led by attorney Leslie Abramson, cited self-defense against the brothers’ abusive father, José Menendez, and their complacent mother, Kitty Menendez, as justification for the killings. Pam Bozanich, a prosecutor, argued that the motive was financial gain, fueled by the Menendez Brothers’ lavish spending of the family fortune after the murders.

The first trial ended in a jury without a jury. The Menendez Brothers’ case was dropped until 1995, when they were called for a new trial. The second trial received less publicity because cameras were banned from the courtroom. After the proceedings, Lyle and Erik Menendez were found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on July 2, 1996.

Below you can see who will fill the roles of Lyle Menendez, Erik Menendez, Kitty Menendez, José Menendez and the rest of the players surrounding the infamous trial.

Jose Menendez

Image Credit: Getty/ABC YouTube

Javier Bardem plays José Menendez, an exuberantly wealthy businessman and the abusive father of Lyle and Erik Menendez. José Menendez and his wife, Kitty Menendez, were murdered by their sons on August 20, 1989.
Mary Louise ‘Kitty’ Menendez

Image Credit: Getty/ABC YouTube

Chloë Sevigny plays Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, the mother of Lyle and Erik Menendez. The Menendez Brothers’ defense argued that Kitty Menendez was an alcoholic who was addicted to drugs and who didn’t care about her husband’s physical abuse. Lyle and Erik Menendez murdered her on August 20, 1989.
Lyle Menendez

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Nicholas Chavez (“General Hospital”) plays Lyle Menendez, the older brother of Erik Menendez. The duo became household names after thousands of Americans watched their murder trial in the early ’90s. On July 2, 1996, he and his brother were sentenced to life in prison for the murder of their parents.
Erik Menendez

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Cooper Koch (“Swallowed, “They/Them”) plays Erik Menendez, the younger brother of Lyle Menendez. Before his crimes, Erik Menendez was a tennis prodigy, at one point ranked 44th in the United States. On July 2, 1996, Erik and Lyle Menendez were sentenced to life in prison for the murder of their parents.
Dominick Dunne

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Nathan Lane plays Dominick Dunne, a Vanity Fair journalist who covered the Menendez Brothers murder case extensively.
Leslie Abramson

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Ari Graynor (“Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”) plays Leslie Abramson, a Los Angeles attorney and lead lawyer for Erik Menendez. She argued that the Menendez Brothers’ crimes were justified because of the abuse they inflicted on their parents.
Doctor Jerome Oziel

Image Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Netflix | Court TV

Dallas Roberts (“Glass Onion”) plays Dr. Jerome Oziel, Erik Menendez’s therapist and personal confidant.
Judalon Smyth

Image: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images | Court TV

Leslie Grossman (“American Horror Story”) plays Judalon Smyth, a former lover and patient of Erik Menendez’s therapist Dr. Jerome Oziel. After Oziel confided in Smyth that Menendez had confessed to his parents’ murder, she reported it to the police, leading to Menendez’s arrest.
The Zoeller

Image Credit: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic | Court TV

Jason Butler Harner (“Ozark”) plays Les Zoeller, the Beverly Hills detective in charge of the Menendez Brothers murder investigation.
Carlos Baralt

Image: Kevin Winter/Getty Images | Court TV

Enrique Murciano (“The Night Agent”) plays Carlos Baralt, the uncle of Lyle and Erik Menendez and the brother-in-law of José Menendez.