Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story Ending Explained

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story ends after nine episodes, and what a fantastic finale episode it is.

Following the hung jury in the first trial, the Menendez brothers were given a second chance at trial in the penultimate episode of Ryan Murphy’s true crime series, and even though their side did not receive the outcome they had hoped for, other mitigating circumstances forced their case out of the public eye.

For a brief period, the show focuses on the life of O.J. Simpson, who was put on trial in 1994 for the killings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in a somewhat abrupt turn of events. In the controversial OJ Simpson verdict that opens the show, Lyle (played by Nicholas Chavez) and Erik (played by Cooper Koch) are getting ready to go on trial again in 1995.

The television drama “dives into the historic case that took the world by storm, paved the way for audiences’ modern-day fascination with true crime, and in return asks those audiences: Who are the real monsters?”

How does the series come to an end, though? This comprehensive analysis of the last episode of Netflix’s fictionalized account of events, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

What Happens in the Boat Scene at the End of Monsters?

There’s a scene in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story where Jose and Kitty are getting ready to go shark fishing from their yacht and have a private conversation before the closing credits roll. Jose tells her she is important to him and apologizes for betraying her. He tells her to return to journalism since it will help him in his future endeavors as a senator. Even though they make the initial move to mend their relationship, Lyle and Erik stay at the back of the boat because they think their parents are planning to kill them.

Even though she wonders why their boys aren’t going with them, Jose tells Kitty to leave them alone. This scene offers a “what-if” scenario in which the family’s fate might have differed. Erik and Lyle may have moved past their misgivings and reconsidered if Jose had invited his sons to accompany them and shown that they had no malicious intent.

But after years of abuse at the hands of their parents, the two could not help but feel that their parents were determined to kill them, which is what drove them to carry out their heinous, murderous scheme.

This scene seems to be an attempt to give an unbiased account of the family dynamics and the events leading up to the murders. However, subjectively, it highlights how severely both family members damaged their relationships, making it difficult to interpret their interactions as purely friendly or hostile.

The scene makes viewers think about the brothers’ perspective. It implies that their paranoia was likely a result of the abuse they endured over the years, all the while demonstrating how the brothers mistook their parents’ intentions.

What Happens to Erik and Lyle at the End of Monsters?

Lyle and Erik Menendez are found guilty by the jury of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder, as the show’s finale reveals.

Whether they should receive a life sentence without the possibility of parole or the death penalty for their crimes is ultimately up to the jury. One juror, who firmly feels that they ought to be merciless to the siblings, collapses to the ground after suffering a heart attack.

Her replacement then encourages the other jurors to take into account the possibility that the siblings’ parents may have abused them.

The brothers are given a life sentence without the possibility of release as a result of the jurors’ mild treatment of them. Leslie Abramson, Erik’s defense lawyer, tries to arrange for the brothers to stay in the same facility.

She tries her hardest, but the two are moved to different prisons. Erik and Lyle accept their fates this way, and two separate vans transport them to different prisons.

What Happened To Eric & Lyle Menendez & Where They Are Today?

Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story concludes with an accurate depiction of the Menendez brothers’ placement in various facilities following the trial. Following their separation, both were housed apart from other prisoners and given maximum security treatment.

But Lyle found himself in the same facility as Erik in April 2018. The two brothers reportedly hugged and started crying when they saw each other because they were getting back together after a 22-year separation (via NYDailyNews).

On July 2, 1996, Lyle Menendez wed Anna Eriksson. However, the two later divorced after Eriksson discovered he was having an extramarital affair. In the visiting area of Mule Creek State Prison, Lyle Menendez wed Rebecca Sneed slightly more than two years after their divorce. On June 12, 1999, Erik Menendez also wed Tammi Ruth Saccoman.

The brothers requested a hearing in 2023 after it was discovered through fresh evidence that their father, Jose Menendez, had molested boy band member Roy Rosselló. Attorneys for the brothers think that the new evidence could reverse the brothers’ life sentence because it shows Jose Menendez was a violent man (via CNN).

Monsters Season 2 True Story: How Accurate Is The Ending To Lyle & Erik’s Real-Life?

Unexpectedly, Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story includes some of the smallest specifics from the actual events. For example, Lyle Menendez appears in court wearing his father’s shoes in the first storyline. This alludes directly to when Lyle mentioned at his parents’ funeral that his father told him he would never be able to fill his shoes (via CBS News). He joked, “Guess what? “While still wearing his shoes. Today, I’m walking in my dad’s shoes.

The Netflix series seems to portray almost everything accurately, even when it comes to the horrific nature of the main crime—from the brothers’ weapons to their actions and dubious spending patterns following the murder. The Menendez siblings were not initially thought of as suspects because the police were certain that the mafia was responsible for the killings, as depicted in the show. The brothers were initially detained in different prisons while awaiting trial; this is one thing the show seems to change.

The Netflix true-crime series also stays away from depicting the lengthy legal wrangling surrounding the use of Dr. Ozeil’s tapes as proof of the crime. The Menendez brothers killed their parents only in self-defense because they were afraid their parents were planning to kill them, according to the defendants’ arguments, even during the actual trial.

The show also appears to accurately shed light on several relevant perspectives during the real crime trial, devoid of providing viewers with a one-dimensional picture of the murderous night and the brothers’ motivations.

Who Are The Real Monsters in the True Crime Series on Netflix?

During a Netflix event, Ryan Murphy disclosed to an IndieWire audience that, when he was developing the Netflix series, he was more curious to learn and examine “how monsters are made, as opposed to born.” The show achieves this goal by putting forth multiple competing theories regarding the main killings.

Certain story beats support the notion that Lyle and Erik’s father molested them sexually, while other story beats highlight the inconsistencies in their account. The program also clarifies that the prosecutors’ and defendants’ personal prejudices kept them from seeing things.

Even in its closing scene, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story portrays how the Menendez brothers are convinced their parents want to kill them because of how they have been treated in the past.

On the other hand, the parents seem oblivious to what is going on in their sons’ heads.

By shifting the viewer’s perspective with each new episode, the Netflix show intentionally refuses to conclude who the real monster is since only the Menendez brothers can know the truth. As a viewer, one can only draw judgments based on the evidence provided in the series.

Will There Be A Monster Season 3?

Season three of Monster has already been announced. It will center on Ed Gein, who was placed under remand to a mental health facility following his admission that he had killed two women, as reports have confirmed. Ed Gein, like the murderers from the Netflix series’ earlier seasons, had a big influence on popular culture. He inspired numerous horror movie characters, including Leatherface, Norman Bates, and Buffalo Bill.

Monster season 3 will have to follow the same narrative path as Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story and refrain from drawing any objective conclusions since much information regarding the scope of Ed Gein’s crimes depends on forensic extrapolation.

In Monster season three, Charlie Hunnam—best known for his role as Sons of Anarchy’s Jax Teller—has been cast as Gein. Hunnam has the skill and versatility to play the American killer in the third season of the Netflix series despite the part being very different from what he typically does on big and small screens.

About Monster Season 2

In the second installment of the Monster anthology series, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan tackle another high-profile case that captivated the nation in the ’90s. Coming to Netflix on Sept. 19, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story tells the story of two brothers who killed their parents on Aug. 20, 1989, and the events surrounding the brutal slayings. (Both were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Created by Murphy and Brennan, the first iteration of Monster, DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story premiered in 2022 and chronicled Jeffrey Dahmer’s (Evan Peters) gruesome murders between 1978 and 1991. DAHMER was a record-breaking success on Netflix, reaching 1 billion view hours in its first 60 days. The 10-episode series is only one of four series, including Stranger Things and Squid Game, to achieve such a milestone. Hot off the first iteration’s success, Monster was picked up for two additional installments of following notorious figures who left their mark on society. Here’s everything you need to know about Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.