Talk about a tough day for the Menéndez family. Talia Menéndez, daughter of Erik Menéndez, isn’t holding back her feelings. She’s asking celebrities to step up and show some support.
This comes right after her dad, Erik, was denied parole. The California Parole Board made their decision on Thursday, August 21. They pointed to several rules Erik broke during his 35 years in prison as the reason.
Talia, who Erik adopted after marrying Tammi in 1999, quickly reacted on Instagram. She posted a fiery message: "How can my father be a threat to society? Three years of denial? All hell will break loose!"
In another post, Talia called out famous people. She said these stars had supposedly supported Erik, 54, and his brother, Lyle, 57, before. But now, they’re silent about Erik’s parole being denied. "Where are the celebrities who ‘advocated’ for them?" Talia wrote. "It has been TOO SILENT."
There’s one bright spot in her message, though. Talia highlighted actor Cooper Koch. He played Erik in the Netflix true-crime show, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. According to Talia, Cooper is one of the few stars who has stayed in touch with her family through these parole hearings. Lyle’s hearing is coming up on Friday, August 22, by the way.
Talia shared her gratitude for Koch. "The only one I can say has been checking in on my family is Cooper, and we adore him," she explained. She didn’t hold back on others. Talia criticized those who visited the prison to film their show "without background checks" but are now quiet. She added a sharp jab: "You despise me beyond measure. Just admit you’ve lost interest and move on."
Koch, who is 29, has always been open about his support for the Menéndez brothers. They were given life sentences without parole back in 1996. This was for the 1989 murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menéndez. At trial, both brothers said they acted in self-defense. They claimed their father had abused them as children.
Cooper’s connection isn’t just for show. In September 2024, he and Kim Kardashian even visited the brothers in prison. Since then, Cooper and Erik have become quite close.
When the brothers became eligible for parole in May, Cooper was thrilled. They had been resentenced to 50 years to life. "I’m so grateful that happened," Koch shared at the time. He told Variety that Erik was very excited. "And Erik too; I spoke with him yesterday and he’s very excited," Koch mentioned.
The Emmy-nominated actor also shared Erik’s hopes for the future. Erik planned to help other prisoners looking for parole if he got out. "He’s going to be an advocate for other people who have life without parole," Koch said. "His life will revolve around making changes in the prison system and that seems wonderful to me."
However, Erik’s hopes were dashed when the parole board denied his release on Thursday. The lead parole commissioner, Robert Barton, stated Erik "had not been a model prisoner." NewsNation reported that Barton listed several issues. These included bad behavior with visitors, drug dealing, and misusing state computers.