The sensational 1993 murder trial of Erik and Lyle Menendez and the OJ Simpson “trial of the century” that followed were two of the biggest media events of the 1990s, when televised court proceedings caught fire. The cases even have similar origins, with gruesome murders in wealthy neighborhoods in West Los Angeles. That's why Netflix and Ryan Murphy's controversial new series, Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik MenendezIt's not surprising to find key moments from the former linebacker's closely watched trial referenced in passing and in the background: It's when Simpson appears as a character in the series' penultimate episode, moments after his arrest in 1994 following his infamous Bronco chase, that the series seems to have taken another of its generous liberties with the truth about what happened.
But with Simpson and Menendez crossing paths, it happened. While Erik Menendez was being held in a Los Angeles jail for a long time after his arrest alongside his brother for the murder of his parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, Simpson was kept in a cell next to his younger brother Menendez for a significant amount of time. In fact, what amounts to a brief conversation between the two unwitting incarcerated tabloid stars to punctuate an episode filled with legal heartaches for the titular brothers was actually a series of conversations that spanned about 10 days.
As Robert Rand writes in The Menendez Murdershis definitive book on the murders and trials (plus a new addendum detailing new evidence the author has uncovered that may help the brothers' lawsuit), Simpson and Erik Menendez knew each other before their unexpected prison meeting in June 1994. When the brothers were children, Jose Menendez was climbing the corporate ladder and for a time worked as an executive at the RCA Hertz company. Simpson famously advertised for the company, racing through an airport to his rental car at a location so popular that it may have made him more of a household name than his football career. A couple of times, Jose Menendez invited Simpson to his home, and it was there that he met the brothers when they were children.
Because the 10 days of conversations between Erik and OJ were cut down to just a few minutes in the Netflix series, many details Rand reported for a Playboy magazine article published in 1995, are not included. One of the elements of their prison friendship that was omitted: the young and somewhat street-smart Erik Menendez advised the big man OJ Simpson not to befriend the guards or befriend the prison staff, as they were not as trustworthy as Simpson apparently saw them.
“I remember Erik telling me that O.J. was just really friendly with all the sheriffs, and all the sheriffs, you know, would come with autographed pictures,” Rand said The Hollywood Reporter over the phone. “They were used to having celebrities of OJ's caliber in custody. So Erik would call me every night to give me updates, this happened today or that happened today. But I got the impression that OJ really appreciated Erik's friendship and advice.”
One key moment Rand referenced happened in prison and made it into the Netflix series: Menendez giving Simpson advice in the final seconds of episode eight about taking a plea deal in his case. While this works as a bit of a running gag and setup for the finale’s opening moment, it wasn’t Erik who gave him that advice; it was, in fact, Lyle.
“OJ and Lyle Menendez spent many hours in the prison attorney's room waiting for their attorneys or material witnesses,” Rand wrote. “During 100 hours of contact between the two inmates, the two high-profile prisoners spoke openly and exchanged dozens of letters. Lyle advised OJ to consider a plea deal, and OJ briefly considered that option, according to Lyle, but later told Menendez he couldn't do it because it would ruin his reputation and he would never work again.”
Ultimately, the show skips most of this and condenses The Simpsons arc into one short sequence, and it works when Erik suggests that this NFL star is going to be the next big media sensation: his star shines again while the Menendez story is quickly scrapped. And that's exactly what happened.