How does Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story end? Netflix finale explained

The ending of Monster Season 2, officially titled Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, is a dour scene, flashing back to one of many turning points before the brothers shot their parents dead in 1989. 

It’s worth noting that everything that happens in the Netflix true crime series is true, whether that be from witness accounts, allegations, audio recordings, or court transcripts. 

Co-creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan spent years researching the many disturbing details about the Menendez case, which resulted in two of the most highly publicized trials in US history. 

Ultimately, the jury ruled in the prosecution’s favor, finding the brothers guilty of first-degree murder. But Erik and Lyle Menendez are now fighting their case, maintaining their actions resulted from a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents. Warning: spoilers ahead!

The final scene of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

At the very end of the new show, parents Jose (Javier Bardem) and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez (Chloë Sevigny) have taken Erik (Cooper Koch) and Lyle (Nicholas Chavez) out for a fishing trip, unaware that their sons are planning their murder. 

Netflix

As was revealed amid the trial, on the day before Jose and Kitty’s murders, they chartered a boat to go shark fishing. The captain of the boat claimed there “wasn’t much interaction” between the couple and their sons. 

He said Erik and Lyle stayed together at the front, despite getting cold and wet. According to defense attorney Leslie Abramson (Ari Graynor), they were afraid to be near their parents as they were scared of being killed. 

However, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story depicts an alternative explanation as to why they were separated. While Jose apologizes to Kitty for having an affair, saying he “chased the wrong things,” Erik and Lyle are planning their parents’ murders. 

“You’re not chickening out, are you? You bought the guns,” asks Erik, to which Lyle replies, “No. Let’s f**king do it.” 

The prosecution is “out for blood”

Prior to this, the final Episode 9 of Monster Season 2 takes viewers to 1995, at the time of the Menendez brothers’ third trial. Unlike the first two, which resulted in hung juries, Erik and Lyle were tried together and it wasn’t televised.

Netflix

By this point, the public perception of the brothers has started to shift. OJ Simpson’s trial has taken over the news, they’ve become a laughing stock in pop culture, and Leslie is causing a ruckus in the courtroom, only strengthening the prosecution’s case. 

But even more significant is how the judge decides to only allow the jury to deliberate on murder charges and not the lesser charge of manslaughter, and their ability to testify on the abuse they allegedly suffered was restricted. 

Significantly, as Leslie points out, after OJ Simpson’s acquittal among another series of losses, District Attorney Gil Garcetti is “out for blood… they need a win and they need it now.”

Adding to their troubles, in Episode 8, we learn that Lyle has jeopardized their entire case after agreeing to let writer Norma Novelli record their conversations. He believes she’s helping him write a book, which could help fund the defense. 

However, in a tense exchange during their pre-trial meeting, Lyle’s attorney, Jill Lansing (Jess Weixler), points out that Norma has taken charge of the book and is releasing it herself.

And they contain some damning statements, including that he’s been “practicing crying” and the idea to “blackmail” Dr. Jerome Oziel, the controversial therapist who secretly recorded the murder confession.

Lyle’s actions cause friction between the brothers, who get into a fight before the third trial. When proceedings begin, they are cooked by prosecutor David Conn (Paul Adelstein). Just as it happened in real life, he paints a picture of Erik and Lyle being cold-blooded killers who were motivated by greed. 

Even though Leslie repeatedly objects throughout, her requests are constantly shut down by the judge. After they’re found guilty of first-degree murder, the judge announces just two sentencing options: life in prison without parole or death. 

The Menendez brothers’ new life

Netflix

While the jury deliberates, one of the jurors suffers a heart attack. After she’s rushed to hospital, a new juror joins the team and makes a compelling argument about the alleged abuse the brothers both suffered at the hands of Jose and Kitty. 

“If there’s even the slightest chance that what they said is true, I’ll tell you right now, I’m not gonna be the one responsible for taking their lives, because I think that would be a huge mistake,” he says.

After three days of deliberation, the brothers are sentenced to life in prison with parole. Later, as Erik discusses his decision to appeal, the prison priest tries to help him come to terms with his situation, saying, “Your life is in here now.”

He and Lyle are then moved from jail to prison, only they’re going to separate facilities. As we know in real life, they weren’t reunited until 2018, when their request to carry out their sentences together was granted. 

As the officers drive them to their destinations, they see each other through the window and smile, suggesting that despite everything they’ve gone through, they still love one another. 

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is streaming on Netflix now. For more true crime news, read about the most shocking moments in Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter, whether Brenda Bowman was ever arrested, and how to watch the Huw Edwards documentary in the US.