True crime series “Monster”: Real killer criticizes Netflix series

True crime series “Monster”
Real killer criticizes Netflix series

After the great success of the Netflix production “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”, the second season of the true crime series, which was conceived as an anthology, is now dedicated to further monstrous crimes. “Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” tells the gruesome story of the Menendez brothers, who murdered their parents together in 1989 in order to live a life of luxury off their inheritance. After their arrest, they were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

After the Netflix launch of the season conceived by Ryan Murphy, 58, and Ian Brennan, 46, on September 19, the general reviews were very positive – but for one of the original “monsters”, the depiction of the crime and its backstory caused some horror.

Disappointed statement from prison

Yesterday, September 20, Erik Menendez (53) posted a lengthy statement on his wife Tammi Menendez’s X-account, in which he accused the series’ creators of a “ruinous portrayal of character” and insinuated that they had bad intentions. In the statement, he primarily criticizes an untruthful portrayal of the emotional and sexual abuse that he and his brother allegedly suffered at a young age. In the real court case, the defense attorney for the two brothers had cited this background as a key factor in her later actions.

His statement reads, among other things: “It is sad for me to know that Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime has taken several steps back from the most painful truths – back to a time when prosecutors built a narrative based on the belief that men are not sexually abused and that men experience rape trauma differently than women.”

“Isn’t the truth enough?”

He accuses screenwriter Ryan Murphy of creating his “horrific narrative” through “disgusting and horrific character portrayals” of him and his brother. He concludes by asking the following question: “Isn’t the truth enough? Let the truth stand as the truth. How demoralizing it is to know that one man with power can undermine decades of progress in solving childhood trauma.”

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