Current:Home > InvestErik Menendez's Attorney Speaks Out on Ryan Murphy's Monsters Show -TrueNorth Capital Hub
Erik Menendez's Attorney Speaks Out on Ryan Murphy's Monsters Show
View
Date:2025-04-13 12:10:48
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! (7)
Related
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Most in Houston area are getting power back after storm, but some may have to wait until the weekend
- Nevada can start tabulating ballots earlier on Election Day for quicker results
- Black Americans are underrepresented in residential care communities, AP/CNHI News analysis finds
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- FACT FOCUS: Trump distorts use of ‘deadly force’ language in FBI document for Mar-a-Lago search
- Trump allies face skepticism as they try appealing to disaffected Arab Americans in Michigan
- Senate confirms 200th Biden judge as Democrats tout major milestone
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- Vince Fong wins special election to finish term of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy
Ranking
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Dumping oil at sea leads to $2 million fine for shipping companies
- CDC: Second human infected with bird flu linked to U.S. dairy cows
- UPS worker tracked fellow driver on delivery route before fatal shooting, police say
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- NASA orders yet another delay for Boeing's hard-luck Starliner
- Sean Diddy Combs accused of drugging, sexually assaulting model in 2003
- Families of Uvalde school shooting victims announce $2M settlement, lawsuit against Texas DPS
Recommendation
Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
Graceland sale halted by judge in Tennessee after Elvis Presley's granddaughter alleges fraud
Former University of Arizona grad student found guilty of murder in campus shooting of professor
To cook like a championship pitmaster, try this recipe for smoky chicken wings
Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
Tamera Mowry Shares Honest Message About “Not Perfect” 13-Year Marriage to Adam Housley
Judge agrees to delay Hunter Biden trial in California tax fraud case as Delaware trial looms
Senate set to confirm 200th federal judge under Biden as Democrats surpass Trump’s pace