Erik Menendez expresses that Ryan Murphy's "Monsters" series contains numerous "overt fabrications."
In a court of law, Edmund and his elder sibling, Lyle, were found guilty of the lethal shooting incident that took place in 1989, involving their parents, Katty and José Menendez. Currently serving life sentences for these murder charges, they claim they acted in self-defense, citing a lifetime of physical and emotional torment inflicted by their father as justification. In a social media post shared by his wife, Edmund Menendez expressed his dissatisfaction with the Netflix series, co-created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, labeling it as "destructive."
"I thought we had surpassed the falsehoods and detrimental depictions of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle based on the numerous unfounded and arrogant lies prevalent in the series," Menendez penned down. "It's disheartening to admit, I believe Ryan Murphy can't be this oblivious and inaccurate about the facts of our lives, leading me to question his intentions."
The debated series, comprised of nine episodes, delves into the crime from various angles, such as examining the brothers' relationship and the allegation that the murders were motivated by financial gain.
"It's disheartening to realize Netflix's inaccurate portrayal of the events leading to our crime has taken several steps back - towards the past when the prosecution built a narrative hinging on the belief that males are not sexually abused and that males respond to trauma differently than women," Mendendez wrote. "Why should facts not suffice? Let the truth prevail as the truth. How disheartening to know that one influential individual can undermine decades of progress towards exposing childhood trauma."
Murphy and Brennan have yet to comment on Menendez's post publicly.
During a panel discussion discussing the series' first episode, Murphy said, "The show is more interested in exploring how monsters are created rather than born," according to Netflix. "We try not to pass judgment on that, as our goal is to comprehend why they made the choices they did rather than the choices themselves."
"Ultimately, the truth of what transpired remains a mystery, accessible only to the two individuals serving time in prison at the moment," Brennan added.
The second season of "Monsters" debuted recently, following "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story." Edmund Menendez, now 53, and Lyle Menendez, 56, are currently serving their sentences at a correctional facility nearby San Diego, California. Their legal team argued in a petition last year that the case should have a new trial based on recent evidence.
"Violence should never serve as a solution, an answer, or a justification," Menendez wrote. "I hope it is remembered that violence inflicted upon a child results in countless harmful and concealed scenes behind the glitz and glamour, rarely exposed until tragedy strikes everyone involved."
"Despite being incarcerated, Edmund continues to express his disapproval of the entertainment industry's portrayal of his life, finding the Netflix series 'Monsters' to be destructive and inaccurate."
"In his social media post, Edmund expresses his disappointment over the series, stating that it has taken steps back in portraying the events leading to the crime in a factually incorrect and harmful manner, undermining progress towards exposing childhood trauma."
