The aunt of the Menendez brothers has shared a disturbing update regarding a detail that was portrayed in the series.
Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story recreates the events of Jose and Kitty Menendez who were shot to death by their sons in 1989.
It also follows the events of the subsequent murder trials during which the siblings were eventually found guilty of murder. This includes the siblings testifying that they were sexually abused by their father, feared for their lives and as a result
One episode in the Netflix series is dedicated to the telling of this story and includes no cutaways, with one 30-minute take of actor Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez detailing the abuse. This includes Erik claiming he began to eat lemon with all his food to make it 'taste better' when his father would assault him.
Now, In an interview with Vanity Fair, Joan VanderMolen, the sister of Kitty Menendez has spoken out about her feelings on her nephews, their claims about sexual abuse and provided an update on this detail.
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Joan says that she remembers an incident when she went to visit her father in Texas with Kitty and the boys.
She said: "We had a table that fit all of us, and Erik simply refused to eat unless he had lemon. And my dad could not fathom what the problem was. No matter what my dad did or said it didn’t change.
"He had to have lemon. And it turns out that he was being assaulted by his dad."
Viewers will remember this detail being repeated in the Netflix series and his aunt says it still something he does.
Joan added: "And to this day Erik has to have his lemon. That was so ingrained in him. He couldn’t enjoy a meal without his lemon because of the assaults. You don’t get over something like that. He still needs lemon with his meals. It’s a habit now. "
The boys' aunt also claims that her daughter tried to tell Kitty that their father was abusing them but she didn't believe her.
She states that her brother is the only member of the family who hasn't been supportive of them since their conviction.
The judge for the second murder trial did not permit any evidence regarding the claims of sexual abuse and it is something that Joan still struggles to believe to this day.
She said: "Everything their lawyer said was shut dry down. [Leslie Abramson] couldn’t get anything [admitted into evidence]. It was like the abuse never happened. It wasn’t fair at all. I don’t know how the jury reached a verdict after a trial so nuts.
"I—we, the family—love Erik and Lyle. I hope our support gets them where they should be, and that’s not in prison."
The Menendez Brothers and Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story are both available to stream on Netflix now.
