Dr. Jerome Oziel, a central figure in the Menendez case, is portrayed by Dallas Roberts in Netflix’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story – but what happened to the therapist after the trials?
The second season of Ryan Murphy’s Monster centers on the 1989 death of Kitty and Jose Menendez, the highly publicized trials that followed, and the Menendez brothers’ involvement.
Lyle and Erik were both sentenced to life in prison for the murders, but in real life they’re fighting to have their convictions vacated, alleging years of psychological, physical, and sexual abuse at the hands of their parents.
Oziel was a major part of the Menendez brothers’ conviction, having recorded their confession to the murders and later being accused of manipulation by former patient and mistress Judalon Smyth.
Dr. Jermone Oziel is now Dr. Jerry Oziel
Although the former therapist has kept a low profile since the case, he’s now going by Dr. Jerry Oziel and working for the Marital Mediation Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
According to the company’s website, it provides sessions for couples in order to improve “marriages through mediation as an alternative to divorce.”
When it comes to choosing a marital mediator, it says, “The background and experience of a mediator, the geographical location, the mediator’s hourly rate, and the experience of the marital mediator are all important considerations.
“There is also the intangible personal ‘fit’ between mediator and the clients which promotes a successful marital mediation.
Prior to this, in 2017, it was revealed that Oziel had been hosting relationship, marriage, and sex seminars in Portland, Oregon. Bustle shared an excerpt of his website, which has since been deactivated, that reads:
“Dr. Oziel also focuses on seminars for single, widowed, or divorced women and mother/daughter seminars that provide extensive practical advice on how to deal with men in hundreds of situations in which women tend to make major mistakes.”
When the outlet reached out to him for comment, he said his “seminars have 100% approval/satisfaction ratings,” and that he’s writing “several books” and has “a large number of business interests having nothing to do with the seminars.”
Why was he so controversial?
Dr. Oziel became a highly controversial figure in the Menendez case due to his complicated and ethically questionable role as the brothers’ therapist, as well as his relationship with witness Judalon Smyth.
Oziel had been carrying out therapy sessions with Erik, and after the 1989 killing of their parents, the younger Menendez brother confessed to the murders.
Prior to their arrest, Oziel ended up telling his mistress and former patient Smyth, which in itself is contentious due to the fact that therapists are strictly prohibited from romantic relationships with their patients.
They are also legally and ethically bound to keep their patients’ information confidential. Oziel went on to record a number of sessions with Erik and Lyle, with Smyth later informing the police about the tapes.
While Oziel claimed he was threatened by the brothers, an allegation that allowed for the confession tape to be used in court, the defense argued he was manipulative.
This was supported by Smyth, who went from tipping off the police to being a witness on the defense team. She dismissed her previous actions by alleging she was “brainwashed” by Oziel.
The defense argued that Oziel recorded their sessions to gain control over the situation, and had used the tapes to blackmail them.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
The testimony regarding Oziel and Smyth’s dysfunctional relationship further complicated the therapist’s credibility, all of which led to questions about the integrity of the evidence he provided.
Perception has changed
In the present day, many followers of the true crime case believe Oziel’s involvement actually helped Erik and Lyle in the first trials.
“In my opinion Oziel actually helped the brothers in a weird way. His credibility was completely destroyed on the stand and he was proven to be, in my opinion, a narcissistic man who was always in control and was using the brothers for his own gain,” said one on Reddit.
“Just the fact that Erik confessed to him while being suicidal is enough to show you that Erik wasn’t some cold hearted sociopathic killer. He felt remorse and guilt to the point where he wanted to end his own life.
“Oziel’s actions after hearing this confession are confusing to say the least. He then asks Lyle to come in so they can discuss what Erik has told him (even though this should still be confidential) then goes on to insinuate that Lyle was behaving in a ‘threatening’ manner and even threatened to kill him.”
“Keep in mind Oziel has to say he was threatened at the time so he wouldn’t lose his license (it’s the only way to justify him tape recording and breaking confidentiality),” they continued.
The Redditor finished by saying, “The tapes are something that are explained during the trial but one thing I found significant in the tapes is that Erik says ‘we had no other choice’, which suggests that the brothers thought they were in imminent danger.”
Another wrote, “Both brothers on the Oziel tapes say themselves that money was not a motivating factor and there was evidence and testimony which suggested the brothers thought they were already out of the will over a year before the murders.”
“In one of these tape recordings Dr Oziel is annoyed that Judalon has gone to the police and is heard saying ‘there’s 14 million dollars involved here’ and you can infer what he probably meant by that,” added a third.
“Dr Oziel also would have lost his license for revealing patient secrets so I think it’s possible he came up with this fear he had of the brothers to protect his license.”
They finished by saying, “If you want to learn more then I recommend checking out his testimony and cross examination from the first trial. The prosecution didn’t call him as a witness in the second trial and you can probably imagine why.”
Oziel lost his license
Dr. Oziel’s conduct not only became a focal point of the trial but also led to lasting damage to his career, as he eventually lost his psychology license to practice.
In 1997, the LA Times reported that after he was “accused by a state panel of breaking confidentiality rules and having sex with female patients,” he “surrendered his license to the state Department of Consumer Affairs’ Board of Psychology.”
Oziel’s attorney Bradley W. Brunon claimed at the time that there was no wrongdoing, and that he simply didn’t renew his license due to his location.
“It just made no sense to come back to California and spend many thousands of dollars defending a license he doesn’t use in a state he doesn’t reside in,” Brunon told the outlet.
For more on Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, take a look at the Menendez family’s response to the incestuous scene, why a premiere photo is facing backlash, and learn more about the case by reading what legal experts say about the brothers’ appeal case.