Before the Cops, The Menendez Brothers’ Therapist Jerome Oziel Knew What They Had Done – See How It Ended His Career
- The brothers were not suspected at first, and only after seven months of investigation, thanks to Jerome Oziel, did their crime come to light.
- The brothers were undergoing therapy to deal with the trauma during which Erik confessed to murdering his parents.
- During the pivotal criminal case, the defense lawyer tried their very best to discredit Oziel and present him as an unreliable and unprofessional therapist.
Ryan Murphy’s latest installment in the Monster anthology series has every true crime fan in a chokehold. The series, much like Jeffrey Dahmer’s story, outlines the life and crimes of a killer, or in this case, two killers. Much like the name suggests, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story revolves around the Menendez Brothers and their horrific crime of killing their parents back in 1989.
The high-profile case caught everyone’s attention as it went to trial and everyone wanted to figure out the whys and hows of the situation. The brothers were not suspected at first, and only after seven months of investigation did their crime come to light.
Menendez Brothers’ Therapist Jerome Oziel Played a Key Role in their Conviction
The Menendez family included parents Jose and Kitty Menendez with brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez. They lived an idyllic life on the surface of it all until the veil lifted and the cruelty of the situation became apparent to everyone. The Netflix series decodes the entire situation that led to the Menendez brothers taking such a drastic step.
Citing reasons of constant abuse and disrespect by the parents, the brothers killed them on August 20, 1989. Jose and Kitty were shot in their Beverly Hills Mansion. At the same, nobody suspected Lyle and Erik to be the murderers since they looked and behaved innocently. However, after seven months of investigation, it came to light that they were the ones who mercilessly shot their own parents.
The brothers were undergoing therapy to deal with the trauma during which Erik confessed to murdering his parents. Dr. Jerome Oziel was their therapist but it was his mistress at the time, Judalon Smyth, who tipped off the police on the Menendez brothers’ crimes. Smyth learned of their involvement from Oziel, who broke client-therapist confidentiality and even told his mistress about the audio tapes that could prove them guilty.
When Oziel ended the extra-marital affair, Smyth perhaps felt frustrated and went to the police with the sensitive information. Subsequently, Oziel was invited to take the stand and gave the crucial testimony that led to the brothers being arrested and convicted. He further claimed that they threatened his life so he couldn’t come forward earlier.
What happened to Jerome Oziel?
During the pivotal criminal case, the defense lawyer tried their very best to discredit Oziel and present him as an unreliable and unprofessional therapist. They revealed that Oziel had affairs with his patients and even went as far as manipulating them to get his way. Smyth also testified how she felt brainwashed by Oziel who also allegedly gave her drugs.
Oziel lost his license to be a practicing therapist in Los Angeles since he breached the client-therapist confidentiality rule that is adopted in very high regard in the community. Moreover, the allegations of him having inappropriate relationships with female patients further tarnished his reputation. The last time the media kept track of Oziel, it was found that he was living in Alberquerque as Jerry Oziel.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is streaming on Netflix.
