MonstersStar Cooper Koch Says He Hugged Menendez Brothers During Prison Visit

Mar. 15, 2025

Cooper Koch; Lyle and Erik Menendez.Photo:Roy Rochlin/Getty; AP Photo/Nick Ut

Roy Rochlin/Getty; AP Photo/Nick Ut

Cooper Koch, the actor who played Erik Menendez in Ryan Murphy’sMonsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,said the Menendez brothers are “upstanding individuals” after he visited them in prison.

Koch andKim Kardashianvisited Lyle and Erik Menendez at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego on Saturday, Sept. 21, according toVariety.

Koch said when he met Erik, the two men “just looked at each other, and immediately embraced. He was so kind," he said, adding, “Lyle, too.”

“I got to hug both of them and just be in their presence,” he said, per the outlet.

Kim Kardashian.Gotham/WireImage

Gotham/WireImage

However, authorities said the two brothers’ motive was greed, and cited the lavish spending spree the brothers went on after the slayings.

In 1996, three years after their first trial ended in a deadlock, the siblings wereconvicted of the first-degree murderof their parents and sentenced to life in prison without parole. TheState Law Firmdescribes a deadlock as a hung jury, when members aren’t able to come to a unanimous decision.

Koch said the brothers deserve to have a new trial.

The Menendez family.People/ABC

People/ABC

“They committed the crime when they were 18 and 21 years old, and at the time, it was really hard for people to believe that male-on-male sexual abuse could occur, especially with father and son,” he said.

“It was really hard for people to understand that the story that they were telling was true, and this theory that they killed their parents for money is just bonkers. But it was easier for people at the time to sort of swallow that story. But now, after 35 years, we have so much more evidence of child sexual abuse and male-on-male sexual abuse that I think they do deserve to be retried.”

On Friday, Sept. 20, the day after the series aired, Erikslammed the showsaying it was “rooted in horrible and blatant lies” about him and Lyle, and slammed Murphy for airing false information.

“I believe Ryan Murphy cannot be this naive and inaccurate about the facts of our lives so as to do this without bad intent,” Erik said.

Koch spoke to Erik about his dislike of the show during the prison visit, perVariety.

Erik and Lyle Menendez.Ronald L. Soble/Los Angeles Times via Getty

Ronald L. Soble/Los Angeles Times via Getty

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Koch said he ended up at the prison with Kardashian when she had lunch with his stylist and they texted him.

“It was a video of Kim being like, ‘I love you in the show. You’re so amazing,’ ” Koch said.

He said he then spoke to Kardashian who asked him “all these questions about Erik and about the brothers.”

Koch said Kardashian was planning to visit the brothers in prison and “asked me if I wanted to go with them. It all happened very quickly.”

Kardashian’s sisterKhloéand momKris Jenneralso went for the visit,Varietyreports.The group was there to talk about prison reform.

Koch said the two brothers have done a lot of good work in prison. “They’ve done so much work in their prison,” he said. “Erik teaches meditation and speech classes, and they’re doing this Greenspace project to improve the prison grounds. It was just amazing.”

source: people.com