ANAMARIA Baralt couldn't believe what she was seeing. The devoted first cousin of Lyle and Erik Menendez was aghast after watching the first episode of the Netflix smash hit Monsters, which depicted the nightmare scenario that has haunted her family for over 30 years. Anamaria's father, Carlos, was very close friends with his brother-in-law Jose Menendez, the multi-millionaire TV executive who, along with his wife Kitty, was murdered by their sons in their Beverly Hills mansion.
She remains very close to Lyle and will forever be heartbroken about the events of August 20, 1989. The yoga instructor, based outside of Seattle, has visited him countless times in prison. The 53-year-old knows him better than most, and in a world exclusive for The U.
S. Sun, she has spoken publicly for the first time about the killings that ripped her world apart. First, however, Anamaria wanted to set the record straight.
"The portrayal of Lyle as this rage-fueled, fly-off-the-handle, aggressive personality is so far off the mark of his personality," she said. "When I spoke to Lyle the other night, I said, 'I don't think I've ever heard you raise your voice.' And he agreed.
" Cooper Koch, who plays Erik in the Netflix mini-series directed by Ryan Murphy, visited both brothers in San Diego prison last weekend. Kim Kardashian was also present. Yet bizarrely, it was the first time the actor had met the person he was portraying.
Anamaria appreciates that some dramatic effect was added to boost ratings �.
