Lyle and Erik Menendez, sentenced to life in prison since 1996, may now be getting a second chance at freedom and Gen Z may be the reason why. The murder of the Menendez parents and subsequent trial divided the nation in the 1990s. Today, the Netflix series Monsters has revived interest in their case. Theseries was followed by a documentary containing clips from their trial and explaining the case in greater detail.
Even though Lyle and Erik were abused for years, the jury sentenced them to life in prison without parole. A life sentence in prison can’t be changed, yet Gen-Z has been taking this story to the moon. In 2023, teenagers all over social media hated the idea of the boys being imprisoned. TikTok users created edits in order to spark attention on the case, and have their voices heard.
Despite the recent widespread outcry of teens across the nation pleading for their release, those who were alive during the time of the original trial have a different perspective. “People see things very differently in your generation because of Netflix, because of the documentary, and see the actors that are playing the Menendez brothers. And I love how also they are referred to as the boys, I think that they are forever imprinted in our minds as the 20 something year olds that did this,” Christina Donnard, teacher of NVOT’s Crimes of the Century class said.
Samantha Mufson, a student in Donnard’s class said, “Tiktok made me feel like they were in prison for no reason, but taking the class helped me see the real reason they went to prison.”
On TikTok itself, teenager after teenager are posting edits and videos on these boys. Begging anyone or everyone to release them, and constantly romanticizing “the boys.”
But Jaclyn Hering, Detective Fiction Studies teacher, warns against this type of behavior, saying, “In my class, I teach the power of the media and how at times, the media can romanticize a criminal. Take the movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile starring Zac Efron as Ted Bundy. If you watch that movie trailer, it comes across as almost a rom-com. They also used a star like Efron to portray Bundy.”
Edits about how cute the Menendez brothers are still flooding my For You Page to this day. But is cuteness why these teenagers are asking to set them free, or is it because they actually deserve a second chance? This is a question that many people who lived through the first two trials are asking themselves. In the new netflix documentary The Menendez Brothers, prosecutor Pamela Bozanich says, “The only reason we’re doing this special is because of the TikTok movement to free the Menendi.”
Hering is uncertain about this case since there is only one side of the story. “If what the Menendez brothers claim is true, I hope if they get parole they use their freedom to help prevent others from making the same choices they made and guide people on how to seek help. I hope they come out of jail and change lives for the better. If that’s the case, then they served their time, learned a harsh lesson, and can use the remainder of their life being better people,” she said.
In the past month, new evidence has been reported: a letter to a cousin from Erik about seven months before the murder containing confessions to José’s disgusting abuse, and Roy Rossello of the boy band Menudo, came forth saying he too was abused by José Menendez. This new evidence has given the brothers a new court date scheduled for December 11, which blew up all over TikTok again. Everyone who follows this case has their popcorn ready for this day.
Mrs. Donnard said, “I never thought in a million years this day would come because they had exhausted all their appeals.”
On October 24, 2024, a new judge was appointed to review the resentencing of the brothers.
For years, the world questioned why two young boys with seemingly everything would do anything like this. Some wished nothing but death on these brothers, while others seeked freedom. So the real question is, will social media succeed in the release in the upcoming month, or will they continue their life sentence?