What happened to Menendez brothers’ therapist Dr. Oziel and where he is now
Following Netflix's controversial release of the second instalment to the Monsters franchise, viewers of The Lyle and Erik Menendez story have been left with countless questions about the real life case.
Amongst their burning concerns is where the brothers' real therapist, Dr J Oziel, is now, and whether or not he's still licensed to practice psychiatry.
Who are Lyle and Erik Menendez?
Back in 1989, the Beverly Hills brothers - that have inspired director Ryan Murphy's latest true-crime drama - violently murdered their parents José and Mary Louise 'Kitty' Menendez at their home.
Claiming to have been away from the property at the time, Lyle and Erik said they'd returned home from the movies to find their parents in such a state, and alleged that it was likely the mafia behind the brutal shotgun killings.
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In the weeks that followed - despite the pair going on to extravagantly spend the hefty inheritance that had been left to them - they remained out of the suspicions of the police.
That was, until Erik Menendez arranged an appointment with his therapist, Dr Jerome Oziel - portrayed by Dallas Roberts in the show - to whom he confessed to the crimes after lifting the lid on the nightmares he'd been suffering since that fateful night.
Erik claimed he and his brother had acted in self-defence, having suffered years of sexual, physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their father, all the while their mother knew and did nothing.
What was Dr Oziel's part in the case?
As both police reports and the Netflix series show, Lyle Menendez was devastated to hear of his brother's confession, though Oziel promised the pair that he was bound by his patient confidentiality not to inform the police, but only if he could record their sessions.
By this point, however - fearing his life was in danger - Oziel did reveal to one individual what he knew, his mistress Judalon Smyth.
Smyth was another patient at Oziel's practice, though the pair were also embarking on a love affair.
The Menendez family secret was only exposed when Oziel called off the affair, however, inspiring a heartbroken Smyth to inform the police of what she knew.
After raiding the psychiatrist's home, they discovered the tapes, which would subsequently be used as a means of convicting Erik and Lyle.
Both Oziel and Judalon were called upon as witnesses in the televised court case - which became a national sensation - after which the brothers were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Where is Oziel now?
Following the case, Oziel was stripped of his license after the California Board of Psychology determined that he'd wrongfully shared information about the Menendez brothers with his then-girlfriend.
He was also accused of sexual misconduct, being that Smyth was also a client.
In 2017, however, the real Oziel gave an interview in which he claimed he 'did not surrender' his licence due to this controversial aspect of the case.
Speaking to Bustle, he insisted: "I had phased out of my practice because I had a major business offer that was highly lucrative and moved to be the CEO of a large business in another state a year and a half prior to the surrender.
"No agency ever found I did a thing that was improper or wrong."
In the years that followed, however, Oziel changed his name to Jerry and moved from Los Angeles to New Mexico, where he now works as a marital mediator.
Topics: Netflix, TV And Film, Crime, True Crime, US News
Rhianna Benson