Top Menendez Media Picks

The past 30 years have produced a plethora of Menendez news stories, documentaries, dramatizations, podcasts, articles, and books!

Sadly, almost everything produced in the ’90s is heavily prosecution-biased, serving only to perpetuate the “greedy rich kids” narrative. (The first two movies were produced DURING the first trial — how accurate could they have been?) More recently, media creators have drawn heavily on popular material that was easily searchable on the internet and still full of errors and bias. They do not devote enough time to the case to get all the facts right and to convey the full, accurate picture of what really happened. They do not take the defense seriously; do not address the injustices of the second trial; and do not take into consideration changing laws and increased awareness of brain development and the psychology of abuse.

But there are exceptions! And it’s getting better all the time! This list is, fortunately, growing!

My intent isn’t to include everything out there, it’s to narrow it down for you a bit if you only have time for the best.

I haven’t included everything in which I appear as a first trial juror, either, because it doesn’t all make the cut!

Here's a list of the best #MenendezMurders books, shows, podcasts, etc., from my personal first-trial juror's perspective. Share on X

Here are my favorites:

Best Books

Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror

by Hazel Thornton

The Menendez Murders

by Robert Rand

 

Best Documentaries

The Menendez Brothers

(Netflix, October 2024)

34 years later, Lyle and Erik tell their stories via telephone interviews from prison.

 

Menendez Brothers: Victims or Villains

Menendez Brothers: Victims or Villains dcg-mark-poster

(FOX Nation, March 2024)

Four 30-min episodes all about how the media shaped the public narrative of the case in the 90s and how unfair the second trial was.

While you’re there, don’t miss the two-episode panel discussion: The Menendez Brothers: Monsters or Misunderstood?

 

Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed

(Peacock, 3 episodes, May 2023)

In which Roy Rossello, former Menudo boy band member, accuses Jose Menendez of abusing him.

 

Menendez Brothers: Misjudged?

(Investigation Discovery ID, 2 hrs. August, 2022)

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Erik Tells All

(5-part A&E series, December 2017)

 

Best Dramatization

Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders (NBC, 8 episodes)

This is the ONLY dramatization worth watching. All of the 2-hour movies are prosecution-biased and none of them tells the whole story. They do not take the defense seriously, nor do they include the second trial and explain how unfair it was. LOTC takes its time. It really does require 8 episodes to tell the whole story! (And the story isn’t over, either…)

If you want to know which actress is playing Juror Hazel in Episodes 5, 6, and (most importantly) Episode 7, click here to view my photo album!   Why LOTC is Menendez “Miracle #1”   How LOTC affected me personally

 

Best Podcasts

These podcasts are the best, not just because they include me, but because they feature experts in the fields of law, psychology, domestic violence, crime scene analysis, and criminal profiling.

Host Laura Richards

The Crime Analyst

Menendez Murders (series)

Episodes 146-147: Guest Juror Hazel Thornton

Episodes 148-149: Guest Professor Ann Burgess

Episodes 150-151: Guest Reporter Maggie Freleng

Real Crime Profile Podcast

Hosts Jim Clemente, Laura Richards, and Lisa Zambetti

Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed (series)

Parts 1-3 = Episodes 439-441

Part 4 = Episode 442 = Interview with Menendez Juror Hazel Thornton

Parts 5-6 = Episode 444-445

 

Host Jeremy Schwartz

American Criminal

The Menendez Brothers — 4 semi-dramatized episodes that sound like a mini-audiobook

The Menendez Brothers: Juror #9 — March 28, 2024 interview with Hazel Thornton

 

Hosts Jessa Nicholson and Nick Goetz

Getting Off Podcast

(Currently available on Spotify. Click link for free episode descriptions.)

Episodes 86 & 87 (hosts Jessa & Nick)

Episodes 93 & 94 (with guest Hazel Thornton)

Episodes 125 & 126 (with guest Robert Rand)

 

Onward with Rosie O’Donnell

This is Rosie’s September 2023 interview with Lyle Menendez. If you are short on time, and/or up to speed on the case, go ahead and skip to the 37-minute mark. The rest, my favorite part, is all about Lyle’s accomplishments in prison and his hopes for the future. You can hear the difference in his voice when he’s talking about the future. Who wants to rehash the past over and over and over and over and over?

Complete First Trial Courtroom Videos

CA v. Menendez (1993) – Court TV Trials on Demand (released in 2020)

It’s hard to believe that, after all these years, people — many of whom hadn’t even been born yet in 1993 — are now watching the entire first trial, to which I had a front row (OK, second row) seat!

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Best Websites

MenendezJuror.com — Hazel Thornton

MenendezMurders.com — Robert Rand

 

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