Ryan Murphy has “a lot to say” after Erik Menendez's criticism of monsters

Ryan Murphy addresses Erik Menéndez's statement against his latest project. Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menéndez.

The 58-year-old executive producer and creator of the Netflix true crime drama defended his interpretation of 53-year-old Erik and his 56-year-old brother Lyle Menéndez and their crimes after the former sharply criticized the streamer for its portrayal of their lives.

When asked how he reacted to the statement, Murphy told Entertainment Tonight he had “a lot to say about it.”

“I find it interesting that [Erik] made a statement without having seen the show,” he continued. “I know he hasn't seen the show in prison. I hope he sees the show. I think he sees the work that Cooper Koch [the actor who plays him] did.”

The Emmy Award-winning author admitted that it must be “really, really hard” to “see your life on screen.”

“If you look at the show, I would say 60 to 65 percent of our show, both scripted and filmed, is about the abuse and what they say happened to them,” he explained. “We are very careful about giving them the opportunity to appear in court so they can speak openly about it. We present the facts from their point of view.”

Murphy revealed that he and his team spent three years researching the Menéndez brothers and their story, adding that writing about sexual abuse for television can be controversial and requires writing “from all angles.”

In 1989, Erik (Koch) and Lyle (played by Nicolas Alexander Chavez) were convicted of murdering their parents, José and Mary Louse “Kitty” Menéndez. The brothers claimed they acted in self-defense after allegedly enduring years of sexual, physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their parents.

Erik and Lyle were both ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and are currently serving their sentences.

Although the series' portrayal of the siblings is controversial, Murphy told ET that he and his team took a “Rashomon-like approach.”

“Four people were involved. Two of them are dead and two are alive,” he continued. “But what about the parents? We had an obligation to the storytellers to also bring in their perspective based on our research, which we did.”

On Friday, September 20, Erik sharply criticized the portrayal of himself and Lyle, claiming that the show did not accurately portray the trauma and violence they experienced during their childhood.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“I thought we had moved beyond the lies and devastating character portrayals of Lyle and created a caricature of Lyle based on horrific and blatant lies that were rampant on the show,” Erik began. “I can only believe this was done on purpose. It is with a heavy heart that I must say that I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be so naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives to do this without malicious intent.”

He continued, “It saddens me to know that Netflix's dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime pushes painful truths back several steps – back to an era when prosecutors built their narrative on a belief system that said men were not sexually assaulted and that men experienced rape trauma differently than women.”

Monster: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menéndez is now streaming on Netflix.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or visit www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in more than 170 languages.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.