Criminal psychologist makes chilling prediction after watching Menendez brothers series

Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.

As viewers of The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story attempt to 'unpick' the fact from the fiction from the comfort of their sofas, one criminal psychologist has issued a chilling prediction on how the controversial series may distort fans' perception of both murder and sentencing.

For those out of the loop with Netflix's latest addition to Ryan Murphy's eerie Monsters franchise, the drama tells the story of the real-life brothers who, back in 1989, murdered their parents José and Kitty Menendez after what they claim was years of sexual, emotional and physical abuse at the hands of their father.

Lyle and Erik shot the duo at close range with a shotgun at their Los Angeles home, yet initially managed to pin the crime on the mafia.

It wasn't until a tape-recorded confession that Erik subsequently made to his therapist was seized by police that the pair ended up behind bars.

The series - which has massively divided viewers - recounts the murders, as well as the televised court case that followed, which became a national sensation.

As we say, however, not everyone is thrilled by the disturbing drama, and as such, one criminal psychologist has issued a warning about the impact that sensationalised true-crime recreations could have on viewers perception of how crime is handled by the judiciary system.

The Menendez brothers were sentenced in 1989 (Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images)

Psychological scientist Dr Julia Shaw - who is behind vital research in criminal behaviour and the potential existence of inherent evil - exclusively told Tyla this week that, though she personally enjoys drama, she predicts these such shows pose risks for the future of sentencing and the perception of justice.

The globally-renowned expert - who also presents chilling ITV series Killers Caught On Camera - began by telling us: "I like drama. The good and bad thing about drama is that you can really lean into the excitement of a crime.

"The bad aspect is that it can sensationalise crime."

Asked directly about the Menendez case, she went on to claim she 'definitely' believes the series has the potential to influence the way that viewers think about the global judicial systems currently in place to punish killers, she called out so-called 'armchair detectives'.

Dr Julia Shaw issued a warning about true-crime drama recreations (Supplied)

"I think [true crime recreations] are already swaying people’s opinions," she began. "I think that creators of true-crime and fictional crime shows are absolutely having an impact on the way we think catching criminals works and how justice should work and what prison sentences should be."

Dr Shaw continued: "One thing I struggle with a lot in my true crime work is people inserting the word ‘only’ before discussing the length of a criminal’s sentence.

"They’ll say, ‘This person only got 15 years’, and every time, my reaction is ‘What do you mean, 'only'?. Even if a person did terrible things, the sentencing is related to a much more complex picture of that person, as it should be."

She went on to explain that the potential of these such shows to turn viewers into 'couch warriors' contradicts the central goal of making society safer, as opposed to locking everybody up.

"They’re sitting there, feeling like they should be judging these criminals, and it’s having the opposite effect of empathy.

Dr Shaw made a chilling warning about true crime dramas (MIKE NELSON / Contributor)

"There’s one side where you’re trying to empathise and relate to the people that commit these crimes, but there’s another side where you think, ‘Well, given these peoples’ life circumstances, a long prison term is unjust’, or ‘They shouldn’t be in prison at all.'"

Dr Shaw continued: "But those at home will never know the full extent to what happened or what was said in the trial, necessarily.

"They’ll never know all the details, the lawyers who’ve worked for years to make sure the case was well-researched, and so, audiences need to be careful not to think they have a better understanding of a case, just because a one-hour long episode claims to tell the whole story."

As we say, however, as well as her expertise in criminal science, Dr Shaw is known for presenting Killers Caught On Camera - the third series of which just landed on the True Crime channel.

"The show is as it suggests," she explained, letting viewers in on what they can expect. "It's camera footage of people committing crime, including the moments before and after murders are committed.

"What you get is a real insight into how people live their lives, and because quite a lot of these cameras are inside people's homes or are dash-cams, the individuals involved aren't thinking about the footage as something that's going to be made publicly available.

"So, you get a real insight into people's lives that you would never get otherwise, which is really interesting for me as a psychologist because I go on to analyse some of that in the show."