A drama TV show, TikTok, and a documentary made the Menendez brothers’ case viral, gaining traction and generating opinions.
For context, the Menendez brothers murdered their parents because they were being sexually and mentally abused. This abuse has happened since the boys were about six years old, traumatizing them for life. They finally realized they had to do something as young adults. To them, the only option to get out of their misery was to murder their parents.
While Lilly Stanis, an eighth grader, enjoyed Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, she stated, “It does not show all the real events that happened with the Menendez brothers, and their whole story is sugar-coated by the drama.”
Fans of the show have been obsessing over the actors instead of the actual message and experience that these brothers went through. This is also common in serial killer media, though. Viewers do not consider what these people did; they judge them based on their appearance. Serial killer Ted Bundy’s case is a strong example of this. People thought he was attractive, so they did not want him to be punished for his crimes. Stanis believes that this issue needs to be corrected.
Physical Ed. Teacher Gregory Keller stated, “The OJ case overshadowed the Menendez case.” He remembers first hearing about the brothers’ case on the news. He said, “My family and I would see the stuff that would come up on the news at night, like little snippets here and there, but I do not remember watching [the Menendez brothers’ case] like we watched the OJ case.”
OJ Simpson was known for allegedly murdering his ex-wife, Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. This case happened before the Menendez brothers’ second trial, and many people focused on the O.J. Simpson case instead.
The Menendez brothers’ case still had many viewers, though. Its most views came from the fact that watchers couldn’t figure out whether the brothers killed their parents for money or because they were afraid of their parents’ molestation. The jury, however, found the brothers guilty, and they were sent to jail with life without parole.
Andrew Schiff, an eighth-grade student at The Benjamin School, felt this punishment is unfair. He said, “I don’t think that they should be in jail because of everything they went through and everything that went wrong with the case.”
As the case continues to get more popular, it has been reopened and is starting to get reinvestigated. Perhaps this is because it did not get enough attention due to the OJ case.
Some people, however, don’t know the gravity of the case or what even happened. Mae Havelchiek, a seventh grader, says she doesn’t know much about the case and has only heard about it from TikTok. She said, “I’ve heard about them and seen them on TikTok because of their edit.” The edit about Nicholas Chavez, who plays Lyle Menendez, has gone viral because many viewers find Chavez attractive.
The Menendez Brothers’ case has captured the attention of many people throughout the world and the Benjamin School community, and for good reason. Their story is certainly an interesting one that anyone can investigate.
