Where Is Leslie Abramson, the Menendez Brothers' Attorney, Now?

On Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Ari Graynor plays one of the series’ most fascinating characters: Leslie Abramson, the Menendez brothers’ attorney. Though the Netflix show centres on Lyle and Erik—who murdered their parents in 1989—it’s hard not to notice the tough-as-nails Abramson.

Of course, she didn’t shy away from defending the boys. When they identified themselves as victims of sexual abuse, she believed them—and prepared them to talk about it in court. During their trial, the prosecution argued that Lyle and Erik had other motives for the attack and tried to downplay the psychological effects of sexual assault. Still, Abramson was steadfast in her defence. She didn’t think the Menendez brothers were as monstrous as people assumed. After working on their case, she wrote a book called The Defense Is Ready: Life in the Trenches of Criminal Law.

Graynor is the latest actress to play Abramson, but the defence attorney has been portrayed before. Edie Falco took on the role in 2017’s Law & Order True Crime. At the time, The Wrap asked Abramson how she felt about being turned into a TV character. Her response? “Oh boy, I have nothing to say. Absolutely nothing. Goodbye.”

Abramson did not work on Monsters and has not commented on the show. Here’s everything you need to know about her fascinating career.

Abramson attended law school at UCLA and spent six years working as a public defender before taking on more high-profile cases. According to Vanity Fair, in her heyday, she was considered “the most brilliant Los Angeles defense lawyer for death-row cases.” In 1990, Abramson got Dr. Khalid Parwes acquitted after he was accused of strangling and dismembering his child. Eight years later, she negotiated a manslaughter charge for Arnel Salvatierra, a seventeen-year-old boy who killed his father. Abramson argued that he was a victim of child abuse.

By the time she worked for the Menendez brothers, she had built quite a reputation. The Los Angeles Times described her as a “4-ft-11, fire-eating, mud-slinging, nuclear-strength pain in the legal butt.”

When Abramson was hired to represent the brothers, she believed they were victims of abuse and defended them with vigour. In 1996, she shared her opinion of Lyle and Erik with The Washington Post. “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. “These are not murderers. These are troubled kids in a very difficult and grotesque home environment, and they cracked.”

After the trial, Abramson’s ethics were called into question. The New York Times reported that she asked Dr. William Vicary, a defense witness, to remove material from his notes during Erik’s trial. She believed the information was privileged, but her request raised a few eyebrows. Ultimately, the State Bar of California opted not to investigate. Sandi Gibbons, a spokesperson for the district attorney, said, “We reviewed the relevant transcripts and have concluded that this office should not investigate this matter.”

After two trials, Lyle and Erik were sentenced to life in prison. Abramson didn’t agree with the verdict, calling it “exceedingly cruel and heartless” at a press conference. According to the Los Angeles Times, she argued that Jose and Kitty Menendez “practically pushed their sons to kill them.”

Abramson is retired. She has two children—a daughter from her first marriage and a son she adopted while working on the Menendez brothers’ case. In 2001, Abramson and her husband, Tim Rutten, reportedly moved into a home outside Los Angeles. They eventually divorced, and Rutten died in 2022.

These days, she tends to stay out of the public eye but in 2015 delivered a speech in support of female lawyers at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. “What I think is something necessary to be a great criminal lawyer is something I think women already have,” she said. “A desire to understand people and human relationships.”