If there are two trials that paralyzed the world in the 90s, those were those carried out by the Menendez brothers accused of ending the lives of their parents, and the OJ Simpson accused of being responsible for the death of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and his friend Ron Goldman . Although these two cases are linked by the atrocity of the crimes, now the new Netflix series Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez created by Ryan Murphy the same one that shaped the series American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson has uncovered an intra-story hitherto unknown to many and which is none other than the supposed friendship that both brothers forged with the American football player. But what is true and what is not in all this?
© Getty ImagesThe truth is that Lyle and Erik did meet OJ Simpson, but what is not true is that their first meeting took place behind bars. The Menéndez brothers and Simpson met in the mid-70s, when he was one of the stars of the Buffalo Bills of the NFL. Lyle and Erik’s father, Jose Menendezwas at the time a Hertz car rental executive (later a Hollywood executive) and helped sign an endorsement deal with the famous athlete.
There was such a connection between them that the business ties gave rise to a much closer relationship and Simpson was even invited to the Menendez home on occasion, as he told the magazine. People one of the two brothers, Lyle, who recalled how he once played in the backyard of his house with the soccer player and how both he and Erik had some balls signed by him.
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© Getty ImagesMore than a decade later, Lyle met Simpson in a Los Angeles restaurant with his Princeton University tennis teammate, however at that time neither of them imagined that their lives would turn upside down and that the The next time they would see each other would be serious in prison.
When everyone met again in the men’s central prison from Los Angeles County, it was the Menéndez brothers who decided to approach Simpson to offer him some guidance, since they had already been incarcerated for more than four years and found themselves preparing a new one. trial after the first had been declared void.
© GettyImagesIn a 2006 interview with Larry KingErik recalled the hours before Simpson joined him behind bars. “I was watching the chase on TV, that infamous chase. And they had me clean his cell a few days before… They knew he was going to jail… before he knew it.” Erik told King that shortly after the chase ended, “he came walking down the hallway, chained and handcuffed with about 15 officers. And he said, ‘Hi, Erik.’ And then we had numerous conversations over several weeks and months”. Erik came to know Simpson as “a happy, charming person.”
Among the advice that Erik gave to the athlete according to the lawyer’s book Robert Rand of 2018 The Menendez Murders is the one in which he warned him of the constant scrutiny of the media and public opinion that was coming and advised him to avoid talking about his case with other inmates or guards.
© GettyImagesBut this wasn’t the only thing he taught him, as believing Simpson was guilty of the murders, Lyle suggested he take a plea deal and offered him advice on the difference between murder and manslaughter charges. “I told him I thought the public would understand,” Lyle said, according to The Menendez Murders although Simpson was too concerned about his reputation to consider admitting his guilt. “I expressed my concern that the lawyer Robert Shapiro would not allow him to tell the truth. I told him that I knew that it obviously had not been planned and that he had lost his mind in a fit of passion,” said the eldest of the Menéndez brothers.
Although Simpson and the Menendez brothers became close during their time in prison, and were aware of the privileged treatment that the American football star received, their paths soon parted due to their respective verdicts.
So while Simpson found not guilty of double homicide on October 3, 1995, Lyle and Erik were convicted of murdering their parents and sentenced to life in prison without parole..
© Getty ImagesDespite their final verdict, the brothers have continued to fight for a new trial. His lawyers have been “optimistic” about his possible release after filing a petition in May 2023 citing new evidence in the case, including allegations of sexual abuse against his father by Roy Rossellóa former member of the Puerto Rican boy band Slightwho claimed that José raped him in the 1980s. Additionally, the letters have also attached a letter that Erik wrote to his cousin, Andy Canodescribing the abuse months before her parents’ deaths.
For its part, OJ Simpson passed away in April 2024
