Current:Home > FinanceErik Menendez's Attorney Speaks Out on Ryan Murphy's Monsters Show -Wealth Empowerment Zone
Erik Menendez's Attorney Speaks Out on Ryan Murphy's Monsters Show
View
Date:2025-04-19 10:25:00
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! (65)
Related
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Alix Earle Influenced Me To Add These 20 Products to My Amazon Cart for Prime Day 2023
- He had a plane to himself after an 18-hour delay. What happened next was a wild ride
- Surprise, you just signed a contract! How hidden contracts took over the internet
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Melanie Griffith Covers Up Antonio Banderas Tattoo With Tribute to Dakota Johnson and Family
- Ocean Protection Around Hawaiian Islands Boosts Far-Flung ‘Ahi Populations
- Why government websites and online services are so bad
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- Congress Urges EPA to Maintain Clean-Air Regulations on Chemical Recycling of Plastics
Ranking
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- KitchenAid Mixer Flash Deal: Take $180 off During the Amazon Prime Day 2023 Sale
- 'Barbie' beats 'Oppenheimer' at the box office with a record $155 million debut
- Kelsea Ballerini Shares Insight Into Chase Stokes Romance After S--tstorm Year
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- Denver psychedelics conference attracts thousands
- After Two Decades of Controversy, the EPA Uses Its ‘Veto’ Power to Kill the Pebble Mine in Southwest Alaska
- Climate Activists Reluctantly Back John Fetterman in Tightening Pennsylvania Senate Race
Recommendation
New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
Outnumbered: In Rural Ohio, Two Supporters of Solar Power Step Into a Roomful of Opposition
Climate Change and Habitat Loss is Driving Some Primates Down From the Trees and Toward an Uncertain Future
Reddit says new accessibility tools for moderators are coming. Mods are skeptical
The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
FTC and Justice Department double down on strategy to go after corporate monopolies
Fur-rific Amazon Prime Day 2023 Pet Deals: Beds, Feeders, Litter Boxes, Toys & More
Reneé Rapp Leaving The Sex Lives Of College Girls Amid Season 3