Current:Home > MarketsErik Menendez's Attorney Speaks Out on Ryan Murphy's Monsters Show -ProfitQuest Academy
Erik Menendez's Attorney Speaks Out on Ryan Murphy's Monsters Show
Johnathan Walker View
Date:2025-04-06 16:14:57
Erik Menendez’s longtime attorney is speaking out amid the success of Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix drama.
While Leslie Abramson—who represented Erik in the 1990s when he and his brother, Lyle Menendez, were tried for the 1989 murder of their parents—is depicted as one of the brothers’ most staunch defenders in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, the retired defense attorney revealed she had no desire to watch the series.
“That piece of s--t I heard about? No,” she said in a video published by Entertainment Tonight Oct. 9. “I don’t watch any of those.”
“I will make no comments about my client,” she added. “None whatsoever.”
The 81-year-old—who is played by Ari Graynor in the anthology series—said she also opted not to watch the previous dramatization of the case, 2017’s Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders, in which she’s portrayed by Edie Falco. (The actress later received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for the role.)
Leslie did, however, give a written statement about the brothers—who are both serving life sentences without parole—in the new documentary The Menendez Brothers, also streaming on Netflix.
“30 years is a long time,” she said in an email shown in the doc. “I’d like to leave the past in the past. No amount of media, nor teenage petitions will alter the fate of these clients. Only the court can do that and they have ruled.”
The release of Monsters helped fuel renewed interest in the brothers’ case, as social media users have called for their convictions to be overturned. Most recently, they’ve zeroed in on the emergence of potential new evidence which could support the brothers’ allegation of physical and sexual abuse by their father, José Menendez.
Kim Kardashian, who visited the Menendezes at their San Diego prison in September, wrote in an essay published by NBC News that the brothers deserve a new trial.
“I have spent time with Lyle and Erik; they are not monsters,” the Kardashians star said in the op-ed. “They are kind, intelligent, and honest men.”
“I don’t believe that spending their entire natural lives incarcerated was the right punishment for this complex case,” she added. “Had this crime been committed and trialed today, I believe the outcome would have been dramatically different.”
Cooper Koch, who played the role of Erik in Monsters and accompanied Kim on her visit, also spoke out in support of the brothers.
“They committed the crime when they were 18 and 21 years old,” he told Variety last month, “and at the time, it was really hard for people to believe that male-on-male sexual abuse could occur, especially with father and son.”
He continued, “I really do hope that they are able to get paroled and have an amazing rest of their lives.”
E! News has reached out to lawyers for Erik and Lyle Menendez for comment but hasn’t heard back.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (8)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Gaza conditions worsen following Israeli onslaught after Hamas attack
- Los Angeles hit with verdict topping $13 million in death of man restrained by police officers
- Bills RB Damien Harris released from hospital after neck injury, per report
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Natalee Holloway Case: Suspect Expected to Share Details of Her Death 18 Years After Disappearance
- Georgia’s cash hoard approaches $11 billion after a third year of big surpluses
- Colorado court upholds Google keyword search warrant which led to arrests in fatal arson
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- 'Devastating': Colorado father says race was behind school stabbing attack on Black son
Ranking
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- U.S. to settle lawsuit with migrant families separated under Trump, offering benefits and limiting separations
- Medicare enrollees can switch coverage now. Here's what's new and what to consider.
- Jada Pinkett Smith Reveals Why She and Will Smith Separated & More Bombshells From Her Book Worthy
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Putin begins visit in China underscoring ties amid Ukraine war and Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- Medical expert testifies restraint actions of Tacoma police killed Washington man
- Israeli officials identify 2 Hamas leaders it says are responsible for attack, backed by Iran
Recommendation
Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
Chris Evans confirms marriage to Alba Baptista, says they've been 'enjoying life' since wedding
Ja'Marr Chase Always Open merch available on 7-Eleven website; pendant is sold out
Medicare enrollees can switch coverage now. Here's what's new and what to consider.
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
Medicare enrollees can switch coverage now. Here's what's new and what to consider.
Five snubs from the USA TODAY Sports men's college basketball preseason poll
Travis Kelce Has a Home Run Night Out With Brother Jason Kelce at Philadelphia Phillies Game