Ryan Murphy‘S Monster Series shown Erik Menendez give OJ Simpson Legal advice in prison – but did they actually know each other?

In the penultimate episode, released on Thursday, September 19, Erik is seen watching coverage of Simpson’s infamous Bronco chase. Simpson was eventually arrested and taken to the same prison as Erik, with their cells right next to each other.

“I guess it’s hard not to believe that people will stop paying attention to us and just focus on you,” Erik (Cooper Koch) admitted to Simpson (Trae Ireland). Only Simpson’s voice was heard during the cameo, and Ireland did not appear at all in the series as the deceased football star.

Erik and Lyle Menendez first made headlines in 1989 when her parents, José and Kitty Menéndez, were found dead in their home. Lyle and Erik were arrested in 1990 on two counts each of first-degree murder. Three years later, the brothers were tried separately on allegations that years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse led them to shoot their mother and father.

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The case ended in a mistrial as the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision. A retrial was opened in 1995, but most of the evidence relating to the abuse could not be used as a defence. Erik and Lyle – who were now on trial together – were eventually found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996. They continue to appeal the decision but have been dismissed.

Simpson, meanwhile, was named the prime suspect after his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were fatally stabbed outside their Los Angeles home in 1994. Simpson was eventually acquitted of murder charges in 1995 after a high-profile criminal trial, but was found liable for the deaths of Brown Simpson and Goldman after their families sued him in a civil case. The former athlete died of prostate cancer in April at the age of 76.

While Erik and Simpson’s conversation about “Monster” came as a surprise to some, the Menéndez brothers have spoken about building a friendship with Simpson while they were both behind bars. Keep scrolling to find out everything they shared about their story – which began before their respective arrests:

When did the Menendez brothers meet OJ Simpson?

In the 1970s, Lyle and Erik’s father helped secure an endorsement deal for Simpson while he was a running back for the Buffalo Bills. Simpson became a regular guest in the Menéndez household, and Lyle and Erik even received signed footballs from the NFL player.

“(José) happened to be the head of a company that did a lot of advertising, and they had the novel idea of ​​having a sports hero do it,” Lyle recalled People in 2017. “More people knew about OJ from it (the TV commercial) than anything else. “Before this happened…happened.”

He added: “OJ Simpson came to our house several times. I certainly never imagined that we would later meet in prison and be charged with murder. That’s for sure.”

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How did their individual legal issues unite them?

After Simpson’s arrest, he ended up in the same cell as Erik at the Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail. Lyle and Erik had already been incarcerated for more than four years and were awaiting retrial when Simpson was accused of being involved in the murders of his ex-wife and Goldman.

Accordingly Robert RandBook from 2018 The Menendez murdersErik gave Simpson advice on his legal strategy and how to handle the overwhelming media coverage of his trial.

“When you cry – remember those tears,” Erik wrote. “Hold them, because you cry for your children, you cry for everything you lose.”

The documentaries 2018 The Menendez Murders: Erik tells it all claimed it was Erik who put Simpson in touch with his lawyer Johnnie Cochran. For his part, Lyle also interacted with Simpson, having more than 100 conversations while they waited in the prison attorney’s office to meet with their respective attorneys. Lyle is said to have advised Simpson to plead guilty in order to accept a plea deal.

“I told him I thought the public would understand,” Lyle told Rand in an interview for The Menendez Murders. “I expressed my concern that (lawyer) Robert Shapiro wouldn’t let him tell the truth. I said I knew it was obviously not planned and that he had freaked out in the heat of passion.”

Did Erik and Lyle think that OJ’s trial affected the outcome of their retrial?

“The OJ ruling had a very negative impact on our case,” Erik said The Menendez Murders: Erik tells it all while suggesting that the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office needed a win after Simpson was acquitted. “Because this verdict was so shocking, there was a feeling that an extreme injustice had been done and that we now had to make amends with every defendant that came forward. “We were the next defendants.”

Related: What do “monsters” do wrong about the Erik and Lyle Menendez murder case?

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How was their friendship portrayed in Monsters on Netflix?

Viewers saw a conversation between Erik and Simpson after the athlete was taken to prison. Erik advised Simpson not to rely on Shapiro. Simpson, on the other hand, wasn’t actually shown on screen, the series was just shown instead Us Hear Ireland speak through the adjacent cell.

“I’ll tell you what, I won’t be here long. Because I didn’t do it. You know? Nicole hit me,” the fictional Simpson said on the show. “I get a lot of (lawyers).”

Erik advised Simpson to consider a settlement, adding: “I heard Robert Shapiro is your lawyer? I just wanted to tell you that he was also our lawyer. Actually, you should just watch out for him because he kind of messed us up. I could have stayed in London and then I probably wouldn’t have faced the death penalty. But he was the one who told me to come home.”