• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Real-life escape plan letter Lyle Menendez wrote his brother Erik after being arrested and placed in prison

Home> Film & TV> Netflix

Updated 16:36 23 Sep 2024 GMT+1Published 15:47 23 Sep 2024 GMT+1

Real-life escape plan letter Lyle Menendez wrote his brother Erik after being arrested and placed in prison

The release of Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez story has viewers wondering what was fact vs fiction

Callum Jones

Callum Jones

The crimes of Lyle and Erik Menendez are in the spotlight again 30 years on thanks to Netflix's new series, with viewers left wondering about the apparent prison escape plan featured on the show.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story dropped on Netflix last week, the second season of the true-crime TV series that brought us Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story two years ago.

Ever since, viewers have questions over the real-life story of the brothers' crimes.

Advert

Lyle and Erik were convicted of murdering their mom and dad while at their family home in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, back in 1989.

45-year-old José, and his 47-year-old wife Kitty Menendez were sat watching TV when their sons brutally murdered them with shotguns.

The new Netflix series focuses on the shocking story, though as is the case with a lot of TV series that tell real-life events, events are dramatised for entertainment purposes.

Advert

Episode three sees Lyle and Erik arrested and put into prison for their crimes, with viewers seeing Lyle write a letter to his brother detailing a potential prison escape plan.

The Netflix series launched recently (Miles Crist/Netflix)
The Netflix series launched recently (Miles Crist/Netflix)

Indeed, in real life, during the second trial into the murder, prosecutors presented notes allegedly found in the brothers' cells.

Law enforcement apparently found multiple pages of notes, which saw discussion around moving continent taking place - although at the time, the prosecution wasn't allowed to outright label them as 'escape plans' in front of jurors.

Advert

The notes also included diagrams of an unidentified building

It was revealed in court that notes passed between the brothers in prison detailed ideas like: "Change name. Change appearance. Plastic surgeon. Need silencer. Need finances."

Erik Menendez (L) and Lyle (R) during a pre-trial hearing in 1992 ( VINCE BUCCI/AFP via Getty Images)
Erik Menendez (L) and Lyle (R) during a pre-trial hearing in 1992 ( VINCE BUCCI/AFP via Getty Images)

Despite these notes being shown in court, the judge could not determine whether they had anything to do with an actual escape plan.

Advert

While Netflix fans are for the most part enjoying the new series, Erik has released a statement via his wife Tammi Saccoman slamming the show.

It read in part: "I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show.

"I can only believe they were done so on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy [director' cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent.

"It is sad for me to know that Netflix's dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime have taken the painful truths several steps backward."

Advert

LADbible Group reached out to Netflix for comment.

Featured Image Credit: MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images/Netflix

Topics: Film and TV, Netflix, True crime, Menendez Brothers

Callum Jones
Callum Jones

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Monsters cast break silence on show's implication of 'incestuous' relationship between Lyle and Erik Menendez
  • Monsters creator Ryan Murphy addresses Erik Menendez criticism of ‘dishonest’ Netflix series
  • Menendez brothers serving life for murdering parents could be let out of prison in weeks after a 'recommendation for resentencing'
  • Monsters creator Ryan Murphy would make more Menendez brothers episodes under one condition

Choose your content:

13 hours ago
a day ago
2 days ago
  • 13 hours ago

    Netflix subscribers given days to stream ‘powerful’ mini-series before it’s pulled from platform

    'A beautiful yet harrowing show. A work of art!'

    Film & TV
  • a day ago

    Netflix has floored viewers with 97% rated true-crime mini-series many say they can't finish

    "This one literally shocked me to my core."

    Film & TV
  • a day ago

    Netflix fans are urging people to watch 'amazing' drama that's so good it went on for 15 seasons

    The well-loved series has more than 300 episodes to watch

    Film & TV
  • 2 days ago

    Controversial film with 'most disturbing' scenes is rated NC-17 but fans say is a 'must watch'

    The racy flick has both graphic scenes and full-frontal nudity but has won praise from critics and viewers

    Film & TV