This Netflix miniseries from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan does not definitively conclude that Lyle and Erik were abused but it does lend some real credence to their claims. Murphy himself told Entertainment Tonight that “if you watch the show, I would say 60-65% of our show center around the abuse, and what they claim happened to them. We do it very carefully and we give them their day in court, and they talk openly about it.”
While Monsters can’t offer up a final answer on the topic of the Menendez’ motive, it does at least raise the question again in a compelling way. With that in mind, we thought it might be time to take a look at that question ourselves. With Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story as a jumping off point, here is everything we know about the Menendez Brothers’ true motive and whether their claims have merit.
Other sources consulted for this piece include: This Reddit thread compiled by u/kimiashn, CNN’s Court TV archives, and trial footage.
Lyle Menendez’ Hair Loss Could Be Evidence of Abuse
Younger viewers experiencing the Lyle and Erik Menendez story for the first time have been captivated by one element in particular: Lyle’s hair loss. As depicted by Monsters‘ Lyle actor Nicholas Alexander Chavez, the real life Lyle Menendez wore a hairpiece so expensive and realistic that his brother supposedly didn’t even realize it was a wig until his mother snatched it off Lyle’s head five days before the murders.
No definitive explanation has ever been offered up as to why Lyle began to lose his hair at an unusually young age (reportedly around age 16). None of the other men in the Menendez family appear to have experienced premature balding, suggesting that it wasn’t a hereditary condition. It’s been well-documented, however, that stress can contribute to hair loss at any age, including stress related to sexual trauma.
Lyle’s hair loss as a symptom of abuse was brought up by the defense during his trial. Expert witnesses, including Dr. Ann Tyler, also pointed to behaviors like hypersexualization, sensitivity to touch, and acting out as evidence of Lyle having been abused. Expert testimony is not first-hand evidence and should be weighed appropriately. Additionally, it was thoroughly established that both Menendez boys experienced significant levels of stress due to their overbearing father in general, so Lyle’s hair loss could be attributed to that and not sexual abuse.