Monster’s Nicholas Alexander Chavez ‘glad’ on Menendez brothers’ case review

Nicholas Alexander Chavez has shared his thoughts on the renewed investigation into the Menendez brothers’ case following the emergence of new evidence after what he describes as a previously unfair trial.

The young actor, who portrayed Lyle Menendez in the Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, expressed his relief in an interview with People that the District Attorney's office is revisiting the case with an "open mind."

"What I feel 100% confident saying is that they didn't have a fair chance at a second trial. The judge didn't allow any evidence of sexual abuse to enter into the second trial," he says, referring to the 1996 trial of Erik, now 53, and Lyle, now 56, related to the 1989 murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez.

Chavez, 25, emphasised that the trial focused solely on whether the brothers killed their parents, noting, "They never argued that in court. They were only ever trying to explain why." He believes the second trial did not do justice to their case, as critical evidence was excluded.

"The fact that we're coming back to this case, to at least re-examine it properly, is a really, really good thing," said Chavez, who was previously unaware of the infamous case until he auditioned for his part. "And I am very glad for that."

His comments follow Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón's announcement that his office is considering new evidence submitted by Erik and Lyle's defence lawyers last year.

The renewed interest in the brothers' case has been closely linked to the recent premiere of Monsters on Netflix, which reignited public discussion surrounding their story.