Like something out of a horror story, Wisconsin police have revealed that a 15-year-old boy murdered his mother and planned the crime after watching the TV series about the Menéndez brothers, released last year on a streaming platform.
The series Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menéndez, directed by Ryan Murphy and starring Nicolás Alexander Chavez, Cooper Koch, and Javier Bardem, premiered on Netflix in 2024. It revisited the harrowing case of José and Kitty Menéndez’s murder in 1989.
Through dramatization, raw storytelling, and even moments of dark humor, the show explored the lives of Lyle and Erik Menéndez and the circumstances that led them to kill their parents in the late ’80s. It shed new light on one of the most controversial criminal cases in U.S. history.
Teen Inspired by the Menéndez Brothers to Kill His Mother
As disturbing as it sounds, authorities in Wisconsin recently reported that 15-year-old Reed Gelinskey was inspired by the Menéndez brothers’ case when he decided to take his mother’s life.
According to police reports, Gelinskey—who struggled with depression and anxiety—claimed that his decision was influenced by a scene in which the Menéndez brothers killed their parents with a shotgun. He was recently seen via Zoom from a juvenile detention center.
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The crime took place on March 4. That night, Gelinskey hid his sleeping pills and asked his mother for help finding the medication. As she searched, he struck her on the head with a weight.
When he realized she was still alive, he stabbed her five times—three times in the chest and twice in the neck. As she asked, “Why?” he reportedly responded, “Because of pain.” He had also planned to kill his father but was unable to find the right weapon. The victim has been identified as Suzanne Gelinskey.
Racine County District Attorney Patricia Hanson told FOX’s WITI:
“This was an extremely violent yet premeditated crime. He is inherently dangerous. His original plan was not to attack just one victim, but two.”
Reed Gelinskey’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12. Reports indicate that he confessed to the crime as soon as police arrived at the scene.
This article was originally written in Spanish by Carla Martell in Cultura Colectiva.
