Erik Menendez has spoken out following the release of Ryan Murphy’s Monsters anthology series about his life. The 53-year-old criticized the show, calling it an “unfair portrayal” of the 1989 murder of his parents, José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menéndez, a crime he and his brother confessed to committing.

On Friday, September 20, Erik published a statement on his Facebook page in which he criticized the 10-episode series and the portraits of himself and his brother. The brothers claimed that the murders were self-defense and alleged that they had suffered years of sexual and physical abuse from their parents, especially their father, José.

ForbesThe Twisted True Story Behind Netflix’s ‘Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story’By means of Monica Mercuri

“I believed that we had moved beyond the lies and the ruinous characterizations of Lyle, and had created a caricature of Lyle that was rooted in the terrible and blatant lies that were rampant on the show,” he began. “I can only believe that they did that on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say that I believe that Ryan Murphy could not be so naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives to do this without malicious intent.”

Erik continued: “It’s sad to know that Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crimes has taken the painful truth several steps back — back in time to an era when the prosecution built a narrative on a belief system that men weren’t sexually abused and that men experienced rape trauma differently than women.”

He also stated that Murphy, the creator of Monsters, “shapes his horrific story through disgusting and appalling characterizations of Lyle and me and disheartening smears.” He continued, “Isn’t the truth enough? Let the truth be the truth. How demoralizing it is to know that one man with power can undermine decades of progress in illuminating childhood trauma.”

ForbesThe Controversy Surrounding Netflix’s ‘Monsters’ – About Convicted Murderers Lyle and Erik Menendez – ExplainedBy means of Conor Murray

Erik Menendez’s recent negative reactions aren’t the only controversy surrounding the new series, which is currently the #1 series on Netflix in the US.

On September 20, Forbes reported that critics had raised concerns about some scenes suggesting an incestuous relationship between the brothers. During his 1995 review, Lyle testified that he had molested Erik when they were children. However, the series portrays their sexualized interactions as adults and as seemingly consensual acts.

A post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that was liked more than 180,000 times called the show ridiculous for portraying the brothers as an “incestuous fantasy.” Meanwhile, another post was liked more than 90,000 times and said that “making incest fanfiction out of real brothers is CRAZY.”

Another controversial moment in the series comes when journalist Dominick Dunne suggests that the brothers murdered their parents to hide their romantic relationship. Today.com reported that the real Dunne never presented this theory in his account of the trial. In his 1990 Vanity Fair article, “Nightmare on Elm Drive,” sources told him that the brothers had been sexually abused.

More than ten episodes, Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez examines the troubled Menendez family in the years, months and weeks leading up to the brutal murders, as well as the brothers’ trials that followed in the early 1990s. The first trial took place in 1993, with the duo being tried separately, resulting in two inconclusive juries.

Meanwhile, in the second trial that began in 1995, the brothers were tried and convicted together of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Prosecutors portrayed Lyke and Erik as cold-blooded killers driven by a desire to inherit their family’s wealth, while the defense argued that they were victims of physical, emotional and sexual abuse by their parents.

Erik and Lyle were convicted of first-degree murder. They were sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole and are currently serving their sentences at the RJ Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California.

ForbesWhere Are Lyle and Erik Menendez Now? New Evidence Could Get Them Out of PrisonBy means of Monica Mercuri

The brothers’ attorney, Cliff Gardner, hopes to secure their release based on new evidence. This includes a letter Gardner claims was written by Erik Menendez to his cousin, Andy Cano, in December 1988, about eight months before the crime, in which Erik discusses the sexual abuse. During the trial, prosecutors suggested that Cano lied about Erik confiding in him.

Another new development came in April 2023, when Roy Rosselló, a former member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, alleged that Erik and Lyle’s father, José, had sexually abused him as a teenager. In an affidavit filed in 2023, Rosselló said that José brought him home as a teenager in the fall of 1983 or 1984 and raped him. Rosselló also stated in the affidavit that José had sexually abused him on two other occasions.

In May 2023, Gardner filed a habeas petition, presenting the letter and Rossello’s sworn statement as new evidence that his clients’ convictions should be overturned. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told “48 Hours” that it is investigating the allegations in the habeas petition.

Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez is streaming on Netflix. Watch the official trailer below.