Lyle Menendez, one of the Beverly Hills brothers who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1989, has made a surprising call from prison to actor Cooper Koch, who portrayed his brother Erik in Netflix’s series ‘Monsters.’ According to a recent report, Menendez used a prison phone to congratulate Koch on his Emmy nomination for the role. The call highlights the complex relationship between the convicted murderer and the actor, who played his brother in the show. Menendez had been granted sentence reductions and faces a parole hearing in August.
The Menendez brothers, 57 and 54 years old, recently received sentence reductions from a Los Angeles judge. Koch showed up for at least one of their hearings during the ordeal. Initially serving life sentences with no chance for parole, they both have hearings coming up before the end of summer that could lead to their release. Separately from their sentence reductions, the brothers are seeking a new trial, alleging that evidence of that abuse had been suppressed from their second trial, which ended with convictions for both of them. That evidence includes claims from Roy Rosello, a former boy band star in the 1980s group, Menudo, who also alleged sex abuse at their father’s hands.
The bloody crime, in which the duo ambushed their parents in the living room of their mansion before blaming the mob and going on a spending spree, saw renewed attention in recent years, thanks in part to ‘Monsters’ as well as a batch of true-crime documentaries that introduced the crime and evidence that their father had been sexually abusing them to a new generation. They claimed they killed their parents in self-defense, allegedly fearing for their lives after they told their father they would expose his child sex abuse.
Their petition for a new trial is pending, and they will appear before the California parole board on August 21 and 22. The case has sparked intense public debate, with many questioning whether the brothers were truly guilty or if the judicial system failed to consider the full context of their actions. The renewed interest in their case has also led to a broader discussion about the role of media in shaping public perception of crime and justice, as well as the ethical implications of portraying criminal acts in entertainment.
Cooper Koch, who received the nod for Best Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, discussed the experience of working with Menendez during the series. ‘I know them now. I feel like they’re my friends, like my brothers,’ Koch told Variety after a 10-minute hold. ‘So it does kind of feel normal. It’ll feel way better when they’re out of there.’ The actor’s comments underline the personal and emotional dimensions of the case, which extend far beyond the legal implications. As the brothers approach their parole hearing and their legal battle for a new trial continues, the story remains a focal point in discussions about justice, public perception, and the power of storytelling in shaping our understanding of complex human behavior.