Are Lyle and Erik Menendez in the same prison? Netflix ending leaves out 2024 update

23 September 2024, 19:50

Are Lyle and Erik Menendez now in the same jail? What prison are they in? Picture: Netflix, MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images

By Katie Louise Smith

Lyle and Erik Menendez were separated for 22 years before reuniting in the same prison. Here's where they are now and what the Netflix series ending doesn't include.

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Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story takes viewers right up to Lyle and Erik's guilty verdict, but it doesn't reveal exactly where the brothers are today. Are they now in the same prison, or are they still separated?

Just as the Netflix series depicts, the real life Lyle and Erik Menendez (portrayed by Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch) were, in fact, separated after their trial and sent to different prisons.

After their arrest in 1990, the two brothers ended up in the same prison and were initially able to interact before being moved to separate wings. Following their re-trial in 1996, the brothers were convicted and sentenced to life (in separate prisons) without the possibility of parole. That's where the series leaves things.

So, if you're now wondering whether or not the brothers were ever able to reunite in prison, here's your answer... 22 years after their separation, Lyle and Erik did eventually find themselves back in the same facility.

Read more: Where Are The Menendez Brothers Now? Lyle and Erik's Prison Sentences Explained
Read more: How Old Were Lyle And Erik Menendez When They Killed Their Parents?

Did Lyle and Erik Menendez reunite in jail?

Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story doesn't reveal where the brothers are now. Picture: Netflix

Are Lyle and Erik in the same prison now?

After being found guilty, the real Erik Menendez was transferred and taken to Folsom State Prison in Folsom, California, while Lyle was transferred to Mule Creek State Prison.

According to journalist Robert Rand, the brothers were not allowed to talk on the phone while in separate prisons, but they were able to write letters to each other and "would play chess by sending moves to each other through snail mail".

The brothers remained in separate prisons until 2018, when Lyle was moved to the same facility as Erik. They are both now at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego where they're being housed in separate units. Erik was first transferred there in 2013.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story trailer

What prison are Lyle and Erik Menendez in?

Lyle's transfer to Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility meant it was the first time in 22 years that the brothers had seen each other since the start of their prison sentence.

Rand, who stayed in contact with the family after covering their case, told ABC News that the brothers both "burst into tears immediately" as soon as the guard opened the door and hugged each other.

"They just hugged each other for a few minutes without saying any words to each other," Rand said. "Then the prison officials let them spend an hour together in a room."

Months after reuniting, the brothers were eventually transferred to the same housing facility and are now able to interact with each other during meal times and in the exercise yard.

Are Lyle and Erik Menendez now in the same prison? Picture: Getty

Shortly after the release of the Netflix series, Kim Kardashian reportedly met with the brothers and other inmates at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility to discuss criminal justice reform. Cooper Koch, who played Erik, joined her, alongside Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner.

Erik Menendez has recently slammed Ryan Murphy and Netflix over the "vile" and "inaccurate" lies that are portrayed in the show, including the way his brother Lyle is portrayed.

In a statement shared by his wife Tammi, Erik said: "It is with a heavy heart that I say, I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent. It is sad for me to know that Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime have taken the painful truths several steps backward."