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Erik and Lyle talk from prison

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for “The Menendez BrotherS”, now streaming on Netflix.

Weeks after the hit Netflix series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” debuted, the streamer has released a new feature-length documentary about the brothers, the crime and the trial that shocked the world.

Directed by Alejandro Hartmann, “The Menendez Brothers” chronicles the 1989 murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez by telling the story of their sons, Lyle and Erik. The brothers spoke to the filmmakers from prison, and numerous other family members and people who appeared in the trial also contributed to the documentary.

The biggest moments and revelations from the documentary are detailed below.

*Hearing the actual 911 call – The real-life source material of the investigation and trial – including the initial 911 call, crime scene photos, interrogation tapes, and video and courtroom footage – is essential for people now obsessed with the case, and also allows the seeing an impressive scope of research that went into ‘Monsters’.

*In their own words — While the performances in “Monsters” are powerful, nothing beats hearing Lyle and Erik talk about the murders in their voices. Hartmann has plenty of tape showing both brothers individually as they go through the crime and its aftermath.

*Beverly Hills Police — It is interesting to look at the bias initially applied by the Beverly Hills Police Department who responded to the 911 call. Pamela Bozanich, the prosecutor in the first trial, said: “They found the two brothers in front of the house. They were hysterical, they exaggerated. But the police were very nice to them. They were not initially treated as suspects by investigators,” adding, “Beverly Hills is a different kind of police station. They have much better customer service for their citizens.” Ultimately, police were skeptical that the brothers had anything to do with the neighborhood murders, but Bozanich said emphatically, “Statistically, if you committed a domestic homicide, you would be an idiot cop if you didn’t take other family members into account .’

*Erik agreed – “There should have been a response from the police. We would have been arrested. We had no alibi. Gunpowder residue was all over our hands. Under normal circumstances they will give you a gunpowder residue test. We would have been arrested immediately.”

*Erik says his shopping spree after the murder of his parents was intended to combat suicidal thoughts — “The idea that I had a good time is absurd. Everything was to cover up this terrible pain of not wanting to live,” he said.

*Kathy Griffin’s cringe jokes — When the brothers were arrested, the media frenzy over the case began. An awkward clip showed comedian Kathy Griffin doing a talking head segment during a show and saying, “Oh, come on, they’re so cute.” They’re too good to go to jail! Wow! I know they don’t exactly have a solid case, okay. Lyle spent some money the week after the murders. He got a pair of Rolexes and a $70,000 Porsche. But you know what? Sometimes you just have to treat yourself.”

*The jury may have known too much at trial – Betty Oldfield, juror in the first trial, said: ‘I was already well aware of the details, of the fact that I had read everything in newspapers and magazines, even though they would have preferred you not to.’

*The media coverage of attorney Leslie Abramson was sexist — She was described in news clips from the documentary as the “small, brash, smart woman with the in-your-face style” and a “4’11” Little Orphan Annie look-alike (who weighs) 104 pounds of pure dynamite .”

*OJ Simpson connections — At one point, Lyle mentions that Jose was the head of Hertz rental cars and hired Simpson as a spokesperson in their commercials. Later, Lyle reconnected with Simpson in the county jail following his arrest for murder, and some consider Simpson’s acquittal the beginning of the cultural firestorm that caused the brothers to lose their second trial.

*This chilling quote from Lyle – As for discussing his child abuse in court: “I would much rather lose the murder case than talk about our past and what happened.”

* Extended family members were aware of Jose’s abuse — The patriarch’s violent behavior toward his boys was not limited to private moments. Diane Vander Molen, Lyle and Erik’s cousin, said, “One time Jose put Lyle on a counter and asked Lyle to jump off, and he was going to catch him. As Lyle did so, Jose pulled away and dropped him to the ground, telling him that you can never trust anyone.

*Jose’s reputation as a bad man preceded him – “I couldn’t find anyone who could say anything nice about Jose Menendez except his secretary,” Bozanich said. “And everyone else had nothing but horrible stories about him and what a monster he was. The loss of Jose Menendez in my mind was a real plus for humanity.”

*Erik’s drawings about the abuse and murder — In one of the most moving parts of the documentary, defense expert Dr. Ann Burgess shows illustrations she had Erik make to help him cope with his father’s abuse and the murders. “I spent most of my time interviewing Erik,” she said. “He loved his parents. He said, “Ten seconds later I regretted what we did.” One of the techniques I use, especially with children but also with people who have committed a crime, is that I ask them to sign it. It is a non-leading way of obtaining information. I also did that with Erik, I said: ‘Let’s start with the week before.’ He did about 12 or 14 frames. It was a mini Rorschach to have him draw it, and I think it was helpful for him to be able to put it on paper because he hadn’t really talked about this. The drawings are then shown, containing phrases such as “Come back, you son of a bitch” and “I’ll never let you touch my little brother again.”

*Media cruelty during the trial — The documentary features a montage of talk show appearances and late-night spots mocking the brothers, including frequent comments on Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show.” The Menendez family was saddened by the segments, with Kitty’s sister Joan Vander Molen saying, “I called into Jay Leno’s show once to protest that they were making fun of them.” And that’s all they did: they just made fun of them. I was told we were now public property and they could do whatever they wanted.”

*The first jury turned into a battle of the sexes – Hazel Thornton, a juror in the first trial, said she felt they might not be able to reach a verdict quickly, saying: “My worst fear came true when we made the mistake of doing a show of hands. All the men raised their hands in favor of first-degree murder, and none of the women raised their hands. So I knew we were in for a battle, a battle of the sexes.” She added: “I think the men had a very difficult time accepting that a young man could be abused by his father, and the women were more empathetic in understanding issues of abuse.”

*Hearing from other survivors of childhood sexual abuse — Lyle spent much of his time in prison receiving letters from other victims of abuse and sexual assault. “I started receiving a lot of letters from other victims and I started connecting with their own experiences because they were similar to mine. There were a lot of people, professional people. I mean, I got letters from police officers, civilians, educated people, international people who had experienced this. They just gave me a little courage, because they basically said that they never, a lot of them, never talked about it, never had a voice to talk about it, and always felt a sense of shame and secrecy. The prisoners came to me with their own stories, because they saw me as a safe place to release all that pain. In that way, I was a kind of confessor, and it’s kind of ironic that I would be the one who would end up dedicating my life in prison to issues with sexual abuse survivors. I could never have predicted that.”

*The brothers appreciate the scores of TikTokers who believe their story… – “The younger followers of that TikTok generation really have tremendous hope,” Lyle said. “Young people have taken the time to find out what happened, and they understand it in a way that older people don’t. I feel more hopeful when society seems to understand sexual abuse even better.”

*…but not everyone is a fan — Bozanich doesn’t mince words at the end of the documentary, delivering this meta-message: “The only reason we’re doing this special is because of the TikTok movement to free the Menendi. If that’s the way we’re going to handle things now, why not just take a poll? You present the facts, everyone can vote on TikTok, and then we decide who gets to go home. Your beliefs are not facts. They’re just beliefs. And by the way, you TikTok people, I’m armed. We have guns all over the house. So don’t bother with me.”

Watch the trailer for the documentary “The Menendez Brothers” below.