‘Monsters: Who was the Menendez brothers’ therapist?

Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story has reignited interest in the brothers’ shocking murder trial that captivated the nation in the early ’90s.

Lyle and Erik Menendez grew up in a wealthy family in Beverly Hills, California. Their father, Jose Menendez, was a successful entertainment executive, and their mother, Kitty, was a homemaker. From the outside, they seemed to have it all – but behind closed doors, the brothers claimed they suffered years of abuse at the hands of their parents.

On the fateful night of Aug. 20, 1989, the brothers brutally slaughtered their parents in an orgy of violence in the den of their palatial home. Jose was shot point-blank in the back of the head, while Kitty was shot across her body multiple times. Police initially suspected the murders were committed by the mob, but their story quickly unraveled. Central to the unraveling of their motive and the subsequent trial was the role of their therapist, Dr. Jerome Oziel.

Dr. Jerome Oziel was a Beverly Hills psychologist who became entangled in the case because Erik Menendez, the younger of the two brothers, was one of his patients. The relationship between Erik and Dr. Oziel would prove to be pivotal in the case. After the murders, the brothers lived a life of apparent normalcy and lavish spending, which soon began to raise suspicions. The twist came when Erik, overwhelmed by guilt, confessed to the murders during a therapy session with Dr. Oziel. Lyle, upon learning of his brother’s confession, also became involved, and both brothers ended up confiding in Dr. Oziel about the details of the crime.

However, the confidentiality typically afforded in a therapist-client relationship was breached when Dr. Oziel, fearing for his own safety as he claimed the brothers had threatened him, confided in his mistress, Judalon Smyth. Smyth, in turn, went to the police with recordings she had secretly made of the brothers discussing the murders during their sessions with Dr. Oziel. These recordings eventually led to the arrest of Erik and Lyle Menendez.

Post-trial life of Dr. Oziel

Originally receiving his doctorate in clinical psychology from Arizona State University in 1972, Oziel moved from South Carolina to Beverly Hills, where he established a private practice. His academic pursuits also led him to teach at the University of Southern California (USC). Despite his achievements, Oziel’s career faced major setbacks. In 1997, he was stripped of his psychology license after accusations surfaced from a state panel, which claimed he broke confidentiality rules and engaged in inappropriate relationships with female patients. Oziel, however, has consistently denied these allegations, insisting that he did not voluntarily surrender his license as a result of these accusations. 

After his license was revoked, Oziel moved away from the spotlight of psychological practice in Beverly Hills to a quieter life in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here, he has reinvented himself professionally, now working at the Marital Meditation Center.