NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In 1989, Americans were riveted by the shotgun murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills mansion by their own children. Lyle and Erik Menendez were sentenced to life in prison and lost all subsequent appeals.
But today, more than three decades later, they unexpectedly have a chance of getting out. Not because of the workings of the legal system. Because of entertainment.
After two recent documentaries and a scripted drama on the pair brought new attention to the 35-year-old case, the Los Angeles district attorney has recommended they be resentenced. The popularity and proliferation of true crime entertainment like Netflix's docudrama "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" is effecting real life changes for their subjects and in society more broadly. At their best, true crime podcasts, streaming series and social media content can help expose injustices and right wrongs.
But because many of these products prioritize entertainment and profit, they also can have serious negative consequences. It may help the Menendez brothers The use of true crime stories to sell a product has a long history in America, from the tabloid "penny press" papers of the mid-1800s to television movies like 1984's "The Burning Bed." These days it's podcasts, bingeable Netflix series and even true crime TikToks.
The fascination with the genre may be considered morbid by some, but it can be partially explained by the human desire to make sense of the world throug.