Featured Image Credit: Netflix/MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Crime, Netflix, TV And Film, True Crime, US News, Menendez Brothers
Mia Williams
Topics: Crime, Netflix, TV And Film, True Crime, US News, Menendez Brothers
Warning: this article mentions sexual abuse which some readers may find distressing.
A new Netflix series has revealed how much the Menendez brothers inherited after murdering their parents.
The murders committed by the Menendez brothers were two of the most chilling ever recorded in American history.
A new Netflix series has now delved even deeper into the details of the case, unpicking the minds of the infamous brothers.
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Viewers are given an insight into the trial, after it was the first of its kind to be televised.
On August 20 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez entered their family mansion in Beverly Hills, and shot their parents José and Kitty Menendez.
Ever since the murders, it has been wide-spread belief that the brothers committed the horrific crime to gain access to their wealth of inheritance.
However, director Ryan Murphy uncovered that the boys had been the victim of abuse at their hand of their father, throughout their childhood.
The series aims to explore whether the pair really were just cold-hearted killers, or whether their actions were as a result of the abuse they suffered.
After killing their parents, Lyle and Erik called 911 pretending to have stumbled across the crime scene.
But in the days after their murders, the brothers seemed to be living an extremely lavish life with the wealth they had inherited.
They purchased expensive sports cars, Rolex watches, and they even invested in a restaurant, which ultimately led to the police questioning their true intentions.
They were finally arrested in March 1990, after Erik confessed the ordeal to their therapist, who had recorded the sessions.
There are nine episodes in the series, each looking into a different part of the process in excruciating detail.
When it comes to how much the brothers inherited, Lyle and Erik got a fortune of approximately $14 million (£10.4 million) after killing their parents, but the wealth didn't last very long.
The money quickly went on the abundance of legal fees, settlements, and expensive costs that come with a high-profile trial.
As well as this, California law forbids convicted murderers to profit from their crimes, meaning the two never fully inherited their parents estate.
Lyle and Erik are still serving their life sentences, and were only reunited in 2018 for good behaviour.
Prior to this, they had been kept apart in different prisons.
Monsters is available to stream on Netflix now.