This story has been updated to include new information.
The story of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who shot and killed their parents in 1989, can’t be told without the therapist, Jerome Oziel, who heard their confessions and plays a central role in Season 2 of the Netflix anthology series Monster.
“The Walking Dead” actor Dallas Roberts plays the notorious therapist in “Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story,” which premiered Thursday. The anthology series’ second season depicts the brutal murders of the Menendez brothers and their parents on Aug. 20, 1989, in their Beverly Hills, Calif., home.
During the brothers’ trial, Lyle and Eric claimed that years of abuse led to the murders of Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez. The brothers were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Who is Jerome Oziel?
Oziel was the former therapist for Erik and Lyle Menendez and was a key witness in their trial, hearing them confess to killing their parents.
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According to the Los Angeles Times, Oziel testified in court that he became the target of the investigation after authorities suspected Eric was involved in two robberies that took place in Calabasas in 1988. During his first hearing, Oziel said the brothers confessed to the crimes against him after several months of trial.
During cross-examination, the defense tried to question Oziell’s credibility by focusing on his alleged affairs with women, The Times reported.
Oziel, a graduate of Arizona State University, earned a doctorate in clinical psychology and lived in South Carolina for two years before moving to California, the Times reported. While living in Beverly Hills, he opened a private practice and lectured at the University of Southern California. As a therapist, he was considered an expert on a variety of phobias and sex-related disorders.
What happened to Jerome Oziel?
Oziel testified that the Menendez brothers threatened his life but ultimately did not harm the therapist.
On January 3, 1997, the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Board of Psychology revoked Oziel’s therapist’s license after the state board accused him of engaging in sexual conduct with patients and violating confidentiality, The Times reported. Oziel denied any wrongdoing.
He no longer lives in California.
“It just didn’t make sense for him to come back to California and spend thousands of dollars to defend a license he wasn’t using in a state he didn’t live in,” his lawyer previously told The New York Times.
How to watch “Monsters: The Story of Like and Erik Menendez”
All nine episodes of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story are available to watch on Netflix.
Cast of “The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez”
Javier Bardem (as Jose Menendez), Chloe Sevigny (as Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez), Nicholas Chavez (as Lyle Menendez), Cooper Koch (as Erik Menendez), Dallas Roberts (as Dr. Jerome Oziel), Nathan Lane (as Dominic Dunne), Ari Graynor (as Leslie Abramson), Leslie Grossman (as Judalon Smith), Jason Butler Harner (as Les Zoller), Enrique Murciano (as Carlos Balart)
Contributor: Taylor Eardley