Relatives of the Menendez brothers criticize Ryan Murphy for “grotesque shock dramas”

The extended family of Erik and Lyle Menendez has accused Ryan Murphy and Netflix of spreading “blatant untruths” in Monster, He said the show's “crude” portrayal of the brothers probably revealed more about their creator than about the infamous siblings.

The powerful statement – written by the brothers' maternal aunt, Joan Vandermolen, and released by Erik's wife, Tammi Menendez – says the family has been “victimized” by the series, which sparked heated reactions for its crude retelling of the infamous 1989 murders of the Menendez parents.

“We are virtually the entire extended family of Erik and Lyle Menendez. We are 24 strong and today we want the world to know that we support Erik and Lyle. We pray individually and collectively for their release after spending 35 years in prison. We know them, we love them and we want to bring them home,” began the statement released on Thursday.

“Ryan Murphy’s Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez is a phobic, disgusting, anachronistic, episodic nightmare that is not only full of untruths and outright lies, but also ignores the most recent exonerating revelations. Our family has become victims of this grotesque shock drama.”

The family took aim directly at Murphy, accusing him of portraying his own ego in the miniseries: “Maybe Monster is all about Ryan Murphy.”

The series received the harshest criticism for the scenes depicting an incestuous relationship between the brothers, a theory that the siblings vigorously deny.

Murphy defended his account on the grounds that it represented “the viewpoints and theories of so many people,” including Vanity Fair The author who documented the trials, Dominick Dunne, is well known. However, the Menendez family claims that Dunne's reporting is inaccurate.

“Murphy claims he spent years researching the case, but ultimately relied on exposed scribbler Dominick Dunne, who supported the prosecution and justified his slanders against us, and never spoke to us,” they said.

“The smear campaign against Erik and Lyle, our nephews and cousins, under the guise of a 'narrative narrative' is abhorrent,” they continued. “We know these men. We grew up with them since they were boys. We love them and remain close to them to this day. We also know what went on in their homes and the unimaginably turbulent lives they endured. Some of us were eyewitnesses to many atrocities that should never be witnessed.”

“It's sad that Ryan Murphy, Netflix and everyone else involved in this series have no understanding of the impact of years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Maybe it is true, Monster is all about Ryan Murphy,“ the statement continues.

The Show has reached the top of the Netflix streaming charts in several countries.

The brothers, who were sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 1996 murders, criticize the series' explicit incest scenes and depictions of the sexual abuse they suffered.

“Isn't the truth enough? How demoralizing it is to know that one man with power can undo decades of progress in educating people about childhood trauma,” Erik wrote in a post on his brother's Facebook page.

“When the prosecution built its narrative on a belief system that men are not sexually abused and that men experience rape and trauma differently than women.”

In a Facebook post, Erik also stated that anyone who has seen any of Lyle's statements “knows that Murphy has created a fictional character.”

Lyle urged viewers who criticize the show to “continue to voice their opinions.”