What Happened To Lawyer Leslie Abramson In Real Life After Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story

The recent true crime drama on Netflix, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, has brought attention back to the horrific killings of Jose and Kitty Menendez and the protracted trial that transpired over thirty years ago.

Furthermore, the program offers various viewpoints regarding the events from various individuals involved in the case.

Witnesses include Dr. Jerome Oziel, the psychiatrist who recorded the brothers’ confession, and Dominick Dunne, a reporter for Vanity Fair who wrote multiple pieces about the surrounding drama.

It also features the defense attorney who defended the Menendez brothers and was instrumental in formulating a crucial plan that almost resulted in their acquittal on charges of murder.

In the Netflix series, Ari Graynor plays Leslie Abramson. While fans may recognize her from previous roles in movies like Whip It and The Disaster Artist, what is the true identity of Abramson and where is she now?

Who is Leslie Abramson?

Born in Queens, New York, in 1943, Leslie Abramson practices criminal defense law and is an author. Before taking on the Menendez brothers’ case, she had already made a name for herself in the legal community as a UCLA Law School graduate. She was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1970.

In 1969, Abramson and her daughter Laine ended their marriage to a pharmacist. She later wed Tim Rutten, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times.

The 1988 case most likely established her reputation. She stood in for Arnel Salvatierra, who was 17 at the time. Salvatierra fired three shots at his dad. Abramson maintained that her client was not found guilty of the more serious first-degree murder but rather voluntary manslaughter because her client had suffered abuse at the hands of his father. In 1989, he was finally found not guilty and placed on five years of probation.

Dr. Khalid Parwez, her client, was a gynecologist who was accused of strangling and dismembering his 11-year-old son during a custody dispute; in 1990, the doctor was found not guilty of murder.

Abramson was reportedly referred to as a “4-ft-11, fire-eating, mud-slinging, nuclear-strength pain in the legal butt” by the LA Times during the height of his career. In 1996, she stated to The Washington Post, “Joan of Arc and anyone else who’s been burned at the stake are my role models.”

What was Leslie Abramson’s role in Menendez’s brother’s trial?

In the first trial, the Menendez brothers were tried together but before separate juries, as the Netflix series suggests, but which some viewers may not fully understand. Both attorneys employed the same tactic, but Abramson represented Erik, and Jill Lansing represented Lyle.

They contended that the brothers’ defense was insufficient because they genuinely thought their parents would kill them if they did not take the necessary action. They further asserted that their father had abused the brothers both physically and sexually.

In 1995, there was another trial. Abramson chose to represent Erik pro gratis because the brothers had run out of money by now. Charles Gessler was Lyle’s public defender. They were also prohibited from presenting the abuse allegations as proof.

After being tried together once more, but with a single jury this time, the siblings were found guilty and given a life sentence without the possibility of release. Abramson was characterized as “fearless and tough” and the “most brilliant Los Angeles defense lawyer for death-row cases” by Dominick Dunne, who wrote an article about the case during the proceedings.

Abramson’s relationship with the Menendez brothers

It is said that during their time together, Abramson grew close to the Menendez brothers. Although Abramson has not verified this, Dunne did indeed assert that he had heard from sources that she called them “adorable,” as depicted in the Netflix series.

“I’ve represented people charged with murder for twenty-seven years, and these guys just don’t measure up to anybody else I’ve ever represented,” she said in 1996 in an interview with The Washington Post about the siblings. They are not killers. These are disturbed children who grew up in a horrifying and challenging home, and they finally broke.

Abramson reportedly described the brothers’ potential placement in separate prisons as “exceedingly cruel and heartless.”

What did Leslie Abramson do after the Menendez trial?

In 1997, Abramson wrote The Defense is Ready: Life in the Trenches of Criminal Law, a book about her career.

After the trial, some questions were raised concerning Abramson’s behavior. She requested that a defense witness remove certain information from their notes because she thought it was privileged. Ultimately, the California State Bar chose not to conduct any additional research.

In 2004, she was employed by Phil Spector, an American record producer and songwriter who was being investigated for murder following the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson. However, due to ethical issues and a falling out between them, Abramson resigned from representing Spector, and Spector was later found guilty of murder by a different defense attorney.

Where is Leslie Abramson now?

According to court records, Abramson and her husband Rutten divorced in 2007. Nevertheless, it is said that they remained close until Rutten’s passing in 2022.

In a story published in the local newspaper for the California city, Thousand Oaks Acorn, Abramson maintained her resolve in the courtroom well into her later years.

When reporting on one of her cases from 2021, in which she defended investment banker Craig Noell, she referred to the charges against her client as “a big fat nothing” and “a tempest in a teapot.”

She said the prosecutor was upset about losing the case and that she had initially assisted Noell in being cleared of attempted murder. She remarked, “I’ve lost so many I can’t even count.” You make it through as you mature. You proceed.

“What I think is necessary to be a great criminal lawyer is something I think women already have,” Abramson said in a 2015 speech at Thomas Jefferson School of Law supporting female attorneys—a willingness to comprehend people and interpersonal relationships.

She made no contributions to the Netflix series and now mostly avoids the spotlight. At 80 at the time of writing, Abramson appears to be enjoying a well-earned retirement. Reports state that her legal license was valid until 2023.

About Monster Season 2

In the second installment of the Monster anthology series, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan tackle another high-profile case that captivated the nation in the ’90s. Coming to Netflix on Sept. 19, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story tells the story of two brothers who killed their parents on Aug. 20, 1989, and the events surrounding the brutal slayings. (Both were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Created by Murphy and Brennan, the first iteration of Monster, DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story premiered in 2022 and chronicled Jeffrey Dahmer’s (Evan Peters) gruesome murders between 1978 and 1991. DAHMER was a record-breaking success on Netflix, reaching 1 billion view hours in its first 60 days. The 10-episode series is only one of four series, including Stranger Things and Squid Game, to achieve such a milestone. Hot off the first iteration’s success, Monster was picked up for two additional installments of following notorious figures who left their mark on society. Here’s everything you need to know about Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.