Did Lyle Menendez really wear a hairpiece? What role did it play

Netflix's miniseries “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” has reignited interest in the case and trial that captured public attention in the 1990s.

The series is a fictionalized retelling of the murders of José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez by their sons Lyle and Erik Menendez in August 1989 and the second part of Ryan Murphy's “Monsters” anthology, which began in 2022 with the release of “Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story.”

The series follows the lives of Lyle Menendez and Erik Menendez, played by Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch respectively, up to the murder and subsequent trial. The many complex aspects of the case left behind years of speculation, theories and controversy, making it one of the most notorious cases in true crime history.

The show's creators, particularly co-creator Ryan Murphy, have been criticized for inaccuracies in the series, including repeated claims that the show is full of “lies” from the Menendez family.

Separating fact from fiction, the public became interested in the reality behind Lyle Menendez's alleged baldness and wearing of hairpieces. Wondering what's true and what's questionable? Here's what we know.

What is happening in the scene?

In “Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story” the scene takes place at the dinner table.

In it, 20-year-old Lyle Menendez tells his parents that he wants to marry his girlfriend, and the family gets into an argument when they tell him that he is too young to get married.

When Lyle points out that his parents, José Menendez (Javier Bardem) and Kitty (Chloë Sevigny), married at the same age, Kitty rips off his hairpiece in a fit of rage, revealing an almost completely bald head underneath.

Embarrassed, Lyle runs to the guest house to put it back on, followed by his brother Erik. In the television version, the two grow closer at this moment, confessing the abuse they suffered at the hands of their father and pledging to support each other.

In the course of the series, this is one of the final triggers for the murder.

Fact versus fiction: Did Lyle Menendez wear wigs?

Lyle Menendez did indeed wear hairpieces, which he admitted in his own testimony at trial. As Menendez described on the witness stand, he and his mother argued about it five days before the brothers killed their parents.

He told the interviewing attorney that the argument “definitely had something to do with my hairpiece at some point,” and claimed that during the argument his mother “got out of control, waving her arms and screaming.” At one point he also said, “She grabbed my hairpiece and just ripped it off.”

He described in detail how he attached and wore the hairpiece, saying it was attached to the skin using a solvent glue. He said it was painful when his mother ripped it off because you had to use “that blue chemical” to get it to come off properly.

“(My brother) didn't know I was wearing a hairpiece,” he said. “I was totally embarrassed in front of my brother.”

He later testified that he began losing his hair around age 14 and that his father suggested the toupee. Several reports and the account of events in the book The Menendez Murders by Robert Rand claim that Menendez was preoccupied with his hair loss and that his father told him a full head of hair was important to his success at Princeton and beyond.

He also reportedly had to shave his head to properly attach the toupee, which Vanity Fair says is worth more than $1,450 (more than $3,000 today). He is said to have owned several expensive pieces. Hairpieces are not allowed in prison, and recent mug shots of Menendez show him completely bald. He was not allowed to wear the piece behind bars during the trial, but was allowed to do so in court.

While the Netflix series shows that Menendez was almost completely bald on his head at this point in his life, witness testimony and “The Menendez Murders” suggest that he was suffering from hair loss at the time rather than being completely bald.

Why was this important?

Depending on who you ask, the hairpiece incident may have been one of the final moments that led to the murder of José and Kitty Menendez.

According to the brothers' statements and “The Menendez Murders,” Erik followed his brother to the guest house, where he had the toupee reattached after his mother ripped it off in real life.

There, the two allegedly complained about the secrets they kept from each other, and Erik confessed that his father had sexually abused him, an accusation both brothers made against José throughout his trial. They allegedly hatched a plan for Erik to move away with his brother when he went to Princeton to study.

The allegations of abuse, which the brothers said went beyond sexual abuse, played a central role in the trial and were frequently cited by the defense. Ultimately, however, both were found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

What is happening in the scene?

Fact versus fiction: Did Lyle Menendez wear wigs?

Why was this important?

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