What real-life Menendez family actually looked like compared to actors who played them in controversial Netflix series
Warning: this article mentions sexual abuse which some readers may find distressing.
Ever since the disturbing new series of Monsters landed on Netflix last week, viewers have been frantically researching what the real-life Menendez family actually looked like.
The nine-part true-crime series - directed by Ryan Murphy - tells the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who, back in 1989, violently murdered their parents José and Kitty with a shotgun at their Beverly Hills home.
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When the boys were eventually apprehended - after Erik confessed the crimes to his psychologist - their subsequently televised court case became a media sensation.
While testifying in court, the brothers broke down in tears, claiming they'd acted in self-defence after being subjected to years of emotional, sexual and physical abuse at the hands of their father.
Despite their stories being supported by members of their family, Lyle and Erik were subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
However, 30 years since their crime, the brothers have hit headlines once again after American Horror Story director Murphy revealed they'd serve as the inspiration behind a new addition to his Monsters Netflix series.
And after much anticipation, the eerie show landed last week, having since left viewers divided by the controversial portrayals of the family.
As such, many viewers have been researching what the 'real' Menendez family looked like to determine the strength of the actors' reenactments.
José Menendez
Entertainment producer José Menendez - portrayed by Javier Bardem - is understood to have met wife Kitty at university before the duo married and welcomed two children.
He was accused by Lyle and Erik of having started molesting his sons when they each turned six, turning his attention more so to his youngest when Lyle turned eight.
On 20 August 1989, he and Kitty were watching television when their sons entered the property's den and shot them with a Mossberg 12-guage shotgun.
José was shot a total of six times, including a fatal shot to the back of his head.
Kitty Menendez
Mary Louise Menendez - referred to by her family as Kitty and played by Chloë Sevigny - was a paegent queen prior to marrying Cuban boyfriend José.
She quit her teaching job after becoming a mum, and - according to her sons' testimonies - picked up a drinking and drug-taking habit when they were teenagers.
Lyle and Erik also alleged that they'd informed Kitty of their father's abuse on countless occasions, but that she repeatedly dismissed them.
She was shot a total of 10 times, including a fatal shot to her cheek.
Lyle Menendez
The elder of the two, Lyle - played by Nicholas Alexander Chavez on the show - was sent to a different California prison from his brother.
During this time, he was implemented into a support group for prisoners who'd been sexually assaulted.
Lyle also married Anna Eriksson while in prison before they split in 2001 after five years together, before marrying Rebecca Sneed in 2003.
In 2018, however, Lyle was moved to Erik's facility, and in June of this year, he earned a BA in Sociology at UC Irvine, along with 23 other inmates.
He is currently pursuing an MA degree in urban planning.
Erik Menendez
Erik Menendez - who is portrayed by Cooper Koch - has remained incarcerated at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego since he was sentenced.
During this time, Erik married his long-term pen pal Tammi Ruth Saccoman and is now step-father to her daughter.
According to reports, he and Lyle hugged and cried when they were reunited in 2018.
Topics: Netflix, TV And Film, Crime, True Crime, US News
Rhianna Benson