Before the O.J. Simpson trial, the murder trial of Lyle and Erik Menendez was the most prominent legal circus of the ’90s. In 1989, the Menendez brothers murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. The brothers initially escaped suspicion before the authorities closed in on them. At the eventual trial, the Menendez brothers admitted to committing the murders, but they claimed that they did so out of fear of their father, Jose. They also accused Jose of sexually abusing them. At the time, the brothers were not believed by the general public or the jury. But a new trailer for Peacock‘s true crime miniseries, Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed, suggests that the show has info that could lead to the brothers walking free.
What changed? First you need to know what Menudo is. Unless you grew up in the late ’70s or early ’80s, you may not have realized that Menudo was a very famous boy band that was comprised of five kids as young as nine years old. The link to the Menendez brothers is that one of Menudo’s former members has come forward with claims that he was raped by their father, Jose Menendez. This may be some of the strongest confirmation of the Menendez brothers’ accusations against their father.
During the trial, prosecutors completely disregarded the very idea that the Menendez brothers could be raped because they were male. It was also established that the Menendez brothers spent a great deal of their parents’ money in the months after their murders. That was enough to convince the jury to sentence them to life in prison.
Can this documentary really get the Menendez brothers a new trial or even help them be released from prison? It’s a long shot at best. But stranger things have happened within the realm of true crime. Viewers will be able to judge for themselves when Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed premieres on Peacock on May 2.
