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Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
Erik Menendez has released a statement imploring Netflix subscribers to boycott the latest instalment of the Monsters crime-drama series, which centres on his and his brother Lyle's 1989 murder of their parents.
The nine-part series - directed by American Horror Story boss Ryan Murphy - has already sky-rocketed to the streaming service's No. 1 spot, despite dividing viewers due to its gruesome and tragic nature.
Whilst the first, award-winning season of Monsters focused on the harrowing crimes of US serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, the second instalment tells the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez, a pair of Beverly Hills brothers who shot their parents a total of 16 times at their family home with a shotgun.
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Later, Lyle and Erik - portrayed by Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch in the show - alleged they had been subjected to years of sexual, emotional and physical abuse at their hands of their father José, played by Javier Bardem.
The brothers also claimed their alcoholic and drug-dependent mother Mary Louise 'Kitty' - played by Chloë Sevigny - knew of her husband's nature.
It wasn't until the duo began spending their inheritance extravagantly that they became people of interest in their parents' murder, and were arrested after police obtained recordings of Erik confessing the crimes to his therapist.
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As the series emphasises, the court case - which was among one of the first to be broadcast on television - became a national sensation.
Ultimately, Lyle and Erik were ultimately found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, where they have remained ever since.
Following the release of the dramatic recreation of the crimes - which has seemingly already left viewers divided - the real Erik Menendez, 53, has slammed both Netflix producers and the director for including 'blatant lies' - in particular, a 'vile' portrayal of his older brother.
"I believed we had moved beyond the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, creating a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant in the show," he penned in a statement.
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"I can only believe they were done so on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent.
"It is sad for me to know that Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime have taken the painful truths several steps backward – back through time to an era when the prosecution built a narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually abused, and that males experienced rape trauma differently than women."
Erik - who, with his brother, remains incarcerated in San Diego's Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility - went on to claim: "Those awful lies have been disrupted and exposed by countless brave victims over the last two decades who have broken through their personal shame and bravely spoken out.
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"So now Murphy shapes his horrible narrative through vile and appalling character portrayals of Lyle and of me and disheartening slander."
Erik then asked: "Is the truth not enough? Let the truth stand as truth.
"How demoralising to know one man with power can undermine decades of progress in shedding light on childhood trauma. Violence is never an answer, never a solution, and is always tragic.
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"As such, I hope it is never forgotten that violence against a child creates a hundred horrendous and silent crime scenes darkly shadowed behind glitter and glamour and rarely exposed until tragedy penetrates everyone involved.
"To all those who have reached out and supported me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."
LADbible Group has contacted Netflix for a comment.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org
Topics: Crime, Netflix, TV And Film, True Crime, US News, Menendez Brothers
Rhianna Benson