Ryan Murphy has caught some criticism for his depiction of the Menendez Brothers in his new Netflix series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, but he thinks the show has helped the brothers.
On Thursday, October 3, a court hearing was set for Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989.
The new hearing could potentially lead to a retrial or resentencing of Erik and Lyle as Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón considers new evidence that they were allegedly molested by their father.
Murphy previously told Variety that he wasn’t intending to become an “advocate” for the Menendez brothers. “I believe in justice, but I don’t believe in being a part of that machine,” he said at the time. “That’s not my job. My job as an artist was to tell a perspective in a particular story. I feel I’ve done that, but I wish them well.”
However, Murphy was thrown into an unexpected position as his Netflix show about the brothers opened the door for a possible resentencing.
“We gave them their moment in the court of public opinion. Basically, we did give them a platform,” Murphy shared. “I think they can be out of prison by Christmas. I really believe that.”
The Menendez brothers have also found a supporter in Kim Kardashian, who published an essay on Thursday demanding Erik and Lyle be released. Kardashian and series star Cooper Koch (who portrays Erik) previously visited the siblings in prison in San Diego in September.
“[Kardashian] knew a lot about the case, and she grew up with it,” Murphy stated, noting how he showed Kardashian the series about a month before the Netflix premiere. “But she didn’t know about a lot of the sexual abuse, and she immediately became very interested in helping them.”
“So many people are now interested in the case and it speaks to me about the power of television and what it can do. It can shine a spotlight on something and it can illuminate dark corners,” Murphy added.
If a retrial goes ahead, Murphy told Variety that he’d be interested in expanding the series to follow up on the Menendez brothers story.
“I think what I would be interested in doing, if Nicholas [Alexander Chavez] and Cooper would agree to do it, is maybe one or two episodes that continue the story,” the American Horror Story creator stated.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Streaming, Netflix
