Saran Chatterjee SVP, Product | realtors.com
The Menendez brothers’ infamous 1989 murder of their parents is back in the headlines with the release of “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”—a new Netflix true-crime series that dramatizes the shocking case.
In the series, showrunner Ryan Murphy revisits the brutal murder of José and Kitty Menendez, who were shot dead in their Beverly Hills, CA, home by their two sons. Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch star as Lyle and Erik, while Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny portray José and Kitty. The series covers events leading up to the murders, the police investigation, and the brothers’ widely publicized trial.
Lyle, then 21, and Erik, then 18, were living at home with their parents when they committed the murders. They later claimed self-defense due to alleged abuse by José.
The real-life Menendez "murder house" still stands today but is not featured in the series. Instead, a lookalike property a few miles away was used for filming. The actual mansion was sold for $17 million just before the series' release. Built in 1927 and redesigned in 1984, it features seven bedrooms, nine baths, a pool, balcony, game room, guesthouse, and tennis court. Telecommunications executive Sam Delug owned it since 2001 when he bought it for $3.7 million.
Despite interior updates over time, the exterior remains similar to when the Menendez family lived there. The property continues to attract interest from tour buses and onlookers.
Standing in for the Menendez home in "Monsters" is a Mediterranean house from 1925 located in Hancock Park. It features five bedrooms, five baths, dining room, living room, den, library, and guest quarters. According to Realtor.com®, this house last changed hands in 2001 for $2.25 million.
This property has also appeared in other productions like Paramount+'s “Why Women Kill,” where it stands as a fictional Pasadena estate.
###
Alerts Sign-up