The Menendez Brothers were back in court Friday, April 11, for a hearing on their pending resentencing petition — and were joined by a familiar face.
Cooper Koch — who portrayed Erik Menendez in the Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story — was spotted walking into court in Van Nuys, Calif., Friday morning along with a number of the convicted killers’ family members, who were there to support the brothers’ bid for resentencing.
Koch grew close with the brothers while portraying Erik and has voiced support for their resentencing petition.
Lyle and Erik Menendez are serving life terms for the 1989 shotgun murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home.
The brothers insisted they killed their parents because they feared for their lives. They claimed Jose sexually abused them for years while Kitty knew and did nothing to stop the abuse.
Having spent 35 years behind bars, the brothers filed habeas corpus petitions to re-evaluate their sentences, which the last Los Angeles District Attorney, George Gascón, said he would support.
But Gascón lost reelection last year to Nathan Hochman. Then, last month, Hochman announced at a press conference that he wouldn’t recommend resentencing for the Menendez brothers because he didn’t believe they “exhibited full insight and complete responsibility for their crimes.”
The brothers, he said, “failed to meet the requirements” to show they are not a danger to society.
Hochman’s decision to block the brothers’ release has angered their family members who claim the district attorney has a “personal bias” against the brothers’ bid for release.
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They were convicted in 1996 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. They are currently both housed at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego.
Earlier this year, Hochman delivered the first blow to the brothers’ chances of release when he opposed a habeas corpus petition filed by the pair in 2023. The petition focused on sexual abuse allegations by Roy Rosselló, a Menudo boy band member, against Jose, whom he claims raped him in the 1980s and a letter Erik purportedly wrote to his now-deceased cousin Andy Cano describing his father’s alleged sexual abuse prior to the murders.
Erik and Lyle also have a potential pathway to release with Governor Gavin Newsom who announced that he asked the California parole board to review whether the brothers are risks to the public if they go free.
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.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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