This Ryan Murphy True Crime Series Needs Rewatching to Fully Understand Netflix’s Menendez Brothers Drama


Key takeaways

  • Lyle and Erik Menendez had intriguing connections to OJ Simpson dating back to the 1970s.

  • The outcome of the Menendez brothers’ case was influenced by the OJ Simpson murder trial.

  • The FX series, American Crime Story: The People Vs O. J Simpson, provides information on the Menendez case.

Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menéndez has been a huge hit on Netflix since its release last month, with 30 million total views and ranking in the top 10 on Netflix charts in 89 countries. Ryan Murphy’s drama series has sparked controversy with its depiction of the case, and the Menendez brothers themselves responded to some of the claims made in the series. It was a complicated case and To truly understand the background of what was really happening you need to rewatch Ryan Murphy’s FX series. American Crime Story: The People vs. O. J Simpson.

Los Angeles was literally on fire in the ’90s with the beating of Rodney King that sparked the riots of 1992. The riots continued to grow after O. J. Simpson was acquitted at his murder trial, and all of this greatly affected the Menendez case. . The Menendez brothers The documentary that arrived on Netflix on October 7 delved into the O. J Simpson connection, but Murphy’s 2016 FX drama is largely a companion piece to his most recent drama and helps paint a full picture of what was really happening during that turbulent time.

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The People Vs O. J Simpson sheds light on why the Menendez case was potentially treated as it was

The-people-vs-OJ-Simpson

American Crime Story: The People vs. O. J Simpson

Starring

Sarah Paulson, Sterling K. Brown, Cuba Gooding Jnr, Bruce Greenwood, David Schwimmer, Courtney B. Vance, John Travolta, Kenneth Choi, Christian Clemenson, Nathan Lane, Billy Magnussen, Chris Bauer and Selma Blair

Written by

Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski

Created by

ryan murphy

After the Menendez brothers’ separate trials resulted in hung juries, their joint trial was set for 1995, but there was a shocking double murder that reignited the racial divide in Los Angeles and diverted media attention from Menendez’s upcoming trial. . American NFL player, O. J Simpson murdered his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, on June 12, 1994, and this was portrayed in the Ryan Murphy drama series. American Crime Story: The People vs. O. J Simpson. Menendez’s retrial was due to begin in October 1995, and this coincided with the end of the Simpson case. O. J Simpson was acquitted, and this was widely considered a major blow to the Menendez case.

If it does not fit, you must acquit.

There is a lot of politics involved in the DA’s office, and Gil Garcetti was reeling after Simpson’s loss and needed a high-profile victory, and the Menendez brothers’ case provided them with the perfect opportunity. A hung jury ended up turning into a resounding jury vote to convict, so what changed? O. J SImpson is the simple answer. Just as the beating of Rodney King was responsible for the acquittal of O. J Simpson, in turn, The Simpsons Circus Trial and the final acquittal led to the conviction of the Menéndez brothers. It’s all a domino effect, but that doesn’t mean the Menendez brothers didn’t deserve what happened to them: they killed their parents in the most brutal way, but they were definitely treated more harshly because of what was happening in Los Angeles at that time. time. .

Key timeline

  • January 1994: Both juries are deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict in the Menendez trials.
  • June 1994: O. J Simpson murders Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman
  • October 1995: O. J Simpson is acquitted of the murders
  • October 1995: A new trial of the Menéndez Brothers begins, with a single jury.
  • March 1996: The jury convicts both brothers of first-degree murder.
  • July 1996: The brothers are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

O. J Simpson is described as being on good terms with the Menendez brothers in Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menéndezand it turns out they had ties going back to the 1970s. His father, José Menéndez, reached an agreement with O. J Simpson to work on Hertz rental car advertisements. O.J also played ball with the Menendez brothers when they were little kids and autographed soccer balls for them. Two decades later, and Lyle and Erik Menéndez reunited with OJ Simpson in the Los Angeles County men’s jail as the three awaited their upcoming trials.

OJ Simpson

O. J Simpson Key Facts

  • After his acquittal, the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman won a civil case against him and he was ordered to pay more than $30 million in damages.

  • Simpson wrote a book called “If I Did It” that was a “hypothetical” confession.

  • He was convicted of armed robbery and sent to prison in 2008, but was released on parole in 2017. He died in April 2024.

The Menendez brothers had been languishing in jail for more than four years when Simpson was shaken after being arrested for the double murder of his wife, Nicole Simpson Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Erik Menendez has been outspoken about how he believes the Simpson case affected the verdict in his trial, and he is not alone in this.. The brothers are seeking a new trial and may get one due to the publicity surrounding their case. O. J Simpson died in April 2024 at the age of 76.

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