‘Monsters’ Revisits Dominique Dunne’s Murder During Menendez Brothers Season: What to Know
Netflix's Monsters reexamined Dominique Dunne's brutal murder while exploring her father Dominick Dunne's connection to the Menéndez brothers’ infamous case.
During the seventh episode, which was released on Thursday, September 19, the audience learns about why writer Dominick Dunne (Nathan Lane) was personally affected by Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik Menéndez's (Cooper Koch) murdering their parents.
"My ex-wife and I had two daughters before Dominique, but they both died in infancy. That made Dominique our miracle daughter — our angel. We always assumed she would bury us. That's the way it is supposed to be," the fictional Dominick explained as footage of his daughter being taken off life support was shown. "I was convinced that would be the most difficult moment of the entire ordeal and our entire lives. But I was wrong. Far worse was watching the trial of [her murderer] John Sweeney and how the defense tried to make him out to be the victim."
Dominick covered the Menéndez murder trial in 1993 after the brothers were accused of killing their parents, José and Kitty. Erik and Lyle were initially tried separately as they alleged that years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse caused them to shoot their mother and father.
See How the ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ Cast Compares to Real-Life Counterparts
The case ended in a mistrial after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision. A retrial began in 1995, Erik and Lyle were tried together. They were ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole.
On the show and in real life, Dominick covered the high-profile trial for Vanity Fair while grieving the loss of his daughter. Seven years before the Menéndez brothers killed their parents, Dominique was strangled by Sweeney. She fell into a coma and died five days later. Sweeney was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and served three and a half years in prison.
"That's why I never believe a word that comes out of a defense attorney's mouth," Lane as Dominick added during a scene in Monsters. "[They will do anything to help their client]. Even if it means desecrating the memory of the real victims, which is like murdering them a second time."
Keep scrolling for a breakdown of Dominique's case and where Sweeney ended up after being released from prison:
Who Was Dominique?
The late actress was the youngest child of Ellen Griffin Dunne and Dominick. She made her onscreen debut in Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker before scoring roles on Family and Breaking Away. She was catapulted into fame after starring in the 1982 horror film Poltergeist as Dana. The last roles she filmed before her death later that year were The Shadow Riders and CHiPs.
What Was the History Between Dominique and Sweeney?
The pair started dating in 1981 after they met at a party. Dominique and Sweeney moved in together weeks later, but their relationship faced a lot of issues. According to Dominique's loved ones, they would frequently argue, and in August 1982, Sweeney's physical abuse resulted in handfuls of hair being ripped from her scalp. Dominique ran to her mother's house and Sweeney followed her. He demanded to be let inside before Ellen threatened to call the cops on him.
Dominique and Sweeney reconciled days later. In September 1982, they had another argument where Sweeney tried to strangle hair before a friend stepped in. Sweeney denied trying to kill Dominique, who left their shared home. Dominique subsequently ended the relationship after the incident and remained in their house while Sweeney moved out.
How Did Dominique Die?
In October 1982, Sweeney showed up at Dominique's house while she was running lines with costar David Packer. Dominique agreed to speak with him on the porch, but after some strange noises, Packer ran out to see Sweeney kneeled over Dominique's unconscious body.
Sweeney admitted to the police when they arrived that he killed Dominique and tried to harm himself as well. In his statement, Sweeney recalled arguing with Dominique but claimed he didn't remember what happened or how he ended up strangling her.
Dominique, who was placed on life support, never regained consciousness due to oxygen deprivation. Her parents took her off life support after doctors confirmed there was no brain activity.
What Was the Outcome of Sweeney's Trial?
Sweeney was arrested and charged with attempted murder, but after Dominique's death, the charge became first-degree murder. Sweeney, who pleaded not guilty, was later charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm after admitting to a past incident when Dominique was harmed during an argument. Sweeney, however, denied being the one to assault Dominique and instead said she accidentally got bruises on her face and body amid the fight.
During the trial, prosecution called one of Sweeney's ex-girlfriends, Lillian Pierce, to testify about how she sustained a perforated eardrum and a collapsed lung from one of his alleged assaults. Judge Katz granted the request to have Pierce's testimony ruled inadmissible, and the jury subsequently only learned about her comments after the trial.
Sweeney was acquitted of second-degree murder but found guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. He was also convicted of misdemeanor assault for the September 1982 incident between him and Dominique and ultimately sentenced to six years in prison for manslaughter, with an additional six months for the assault charge.
What Happened After the Sentencing?
Sweeney served two and a half years of his six-and-a-half-year sentence before being released on parole. He got a job as head chef at a restaurant in California before Dominique's family — including her brother Griffin Dunne — protested outside the establishment until he quit and moved out of Los Angeles.
Griffin revealed in his June 2024 memoir, The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir, that a film extra on set previously offered to have Sweeney murdered in jail. Griffin considered it for 24 hours but ultimately said no.
According to Dominick, a private investigator was initially hired by the family to keep track of Sweeney. The last they heard he continued to work as a chef under the name John Maura, but Dominick eventually stopped requesting updates.
Before his death in 2009, Dominick wrote about Dominique’s murder trial for Vanity Fair based on diaries he kept throughout the ordeal. He was originally a Hollywood producer known for films such as 1970’s The Boys in the Band and 1971’s The Panic in Needle Park. In addition to covering the Menéndez trial, Dominick wrote about the O.J. Simpson trials in 1995 and Phil Spector's trial in 2007.
Dominique's mother, Ellen, and activist Marcella Leach, whose daughter Marsalee Nichols was murdered in 1983, cofounded the nonprofit organization Justice for Homicide Victims in honor of their daughters.