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Lyle and Erik Menendez continue to serve life sentences in prison for the brutal murders of their parents on August 20, 1989, when the brothers—then 21 and 18—shot and killed them in their family’s Beverly Hills mansion.
Thirty-five years later, Ryan Murphy‘s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story—now streaming on Netflix since September 19—rekindled interest in the Menendez brothers, who were initially not seen as prime suspects. This changed when Judalon Smyth, the mistress of the brothers’ psychologist, Dr. Jerome Oziel, reported to police that Erik had confessed to the murders during therapy.
Here are 5 things to know about the person who led to the arrest of Lyle and Erik, now 56 and 53, respectively.
Smyth Had an Affair with the Menendez Brothers’ Therapist
Smyth met married Oziel in June 1989 while running a tape-duplicating business, and proposed they sell tapes of him discussing psychology. They began an affair, and Judalon even moved in with Jerome and his wife, Laurel, for a few months during their relationship, according to the Los Angeles Times. Laurel claimed that Jerome was honest with her about the affair, but also stated that they felt “held hostage by this woman in our own home.”
Smyth Is Responsible for the Menendez Brothers’ Arrest
Erik confessed to his psychiatrist, Dr. Oziel, who then shared the information with Smyth. However, it wasn’t until Oziel ended his extramarital affair with Smyth a few months later that she went to the police and revealed what she knew about the confession. When she informed the police, she disclosed that Erik had admitted to the murders during therapy and that there were audiotaped recordings of the confession. The brothers were arrested in March 1990, leading to a multi-year legal battle over the admissibility of Oziel’s recordings.
“I never thought I believed in evil, but when I heard those boys speak, I did,” Smyth told investigative journalist Dominic Dunne in 1990.
Oziel’s testimony became crucial in the trial, despite challenges related to doctor-patient confidentiality. He claimed the brothers had threatened his life, which allowed his testimony to be deemed admissible.
Smyth Testified on Behalf of the Defense
Smyth testified that Jerome had persuaded the Menendez brothers to tape a session because “he needed to get them to say incriminating things on a tape so we would have the tape to protect us.” She also claimed he told Erik and Lyle that a recording would demonstrate their remorse over killing their parents.
Smyth initially claimed she was listening on the other side of the office door, as Oziel had allegedly instructed her to eavesdrop during the brothers’ discussion about killing their parents. However, during the trial, she testified that she had not directly heard them admit to the murders. Smyth asserted that Oziel had brainwashed her into believing she had heard those things.
Smyth Later Spoke Out Against Oziel
Smyth filed two lawsuits against her former lover, claiming he had allegedly assaulted, raped, and forced her to take prescription drugs, according to the Los Angeles Times in 1993. She later testified that she believed Oziel was planning to kill her, prompting her to go into hiding for her own protection.
Smyth Broke Her Silence After 25 Years in 2015
Smyth refused to give interviews until she spoke about the scrutiny surrounding her testimony in the true-crime docuseries Murder Made Me Famous.
“It was a little confusing for me the way the media was,” she said. “I really didn’t understand the attack I was going to come under for doing the right thing.”