A new Netflix drama about two brothers who killed their parents has caused controversy after it was criticised by the real-life men it is based on. Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story was released last week and shot to the top of Netflix's streaming chart. The show stars Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez as the two brothers, and Javier Bardem and Chloe Sevigny as their parents.
It is the follow-up to the first Monsters series which focused on US serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The show was created by Ryan Murphy, the director, writer and producer behind series including Glee, Pose, The Watcher, Feud, American Horror Story, Hollywood and Ratched. Lyle and Erik Menendez are two brothers who killed their parents on 20 August 1989.
Jose and Kitty Menendez were shot multiple times at close range at their mansion in Beverly Hills. The brothers, who were 21 and 18 at the time, initially told police they found their parents dead when they arrived home. The pair were eventually tried for the murders, first individually, with one jury for each brother.
However, both juries were deadlocked, resulting in a mistrial, and the pair were later tried again together. The brothers claimed they committed the murders in self defence after years of alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse. They said they feared their father would kill them after they threatened to expose him.
But the prosecution argued they wanted to kill their parents in order to inherit their money. During their.