Erik Menendez Plans to Watch Cooper Koch’s Monsters Episode in Prison

Erik Menéndez desires to look at Cooper Koch‘s portrayal of him — particularly within the critically acclaimed episode The Damage Man — regardless of publicly denouncing Ryan Murphy‘s Monsters.

Koch, 28, recalled talking with Menéndez, 53, in regards to the present whereas visiting him in jail, telling The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday, September 28, “One of many first issues Erik stated was, ‘I do know you’re doing nice. You probably did a fantastic job in episode 5 [The Hurt Man] and I’m going to look at it.”

Erik wanted a while earlier than watching Koch recreate him discussing the alleged abuse from his and brother Lyle Menéndez‘s dad and mom: José and Kitty Menéndez.

“It’s troublesome,’” Koch stated Erik advised him in regards to the bottle episode that features a single take lasting over half an hour. “And I spoke to him about it, which was insane for me.”

Season 2 of the hit Netflix sequence debuted earlier this month and chronicled Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik’s (Koch) 1989 arrest for the homicide of their dad and mom, José (Javier Bardem) and Kitty (Chloë Sevigny). Taking inspiration from footage of the trial and subsequent interviews, Monsters mirrored key moments from Lyle, 56, and Erik’s lives earlier than and after they had been sentenced to life with out parole for taking pictures their mom and father.

Episodes 4 and 5 obtained crucial and fan reward for introducing Erik and Lyle’s claims that they killed their dad and mom in self-defense following years of alleged bodily, emotional and sexual abuse. Nonetheless, the present obtained backlash for a number of inaccuracies in regards to the Menéndez brothers, together with the insinuation that they had been in a sexual relationship.

“I believed we had moved past the lies and ruinous character portrayals of Lyle, making a caricature of Lyle rooted in horrible and blatant lies rampant within the present,” learn a press release from Erik that was shared on Lyle’s Fb web page. “I can solely imagine they had been performed so on objective. It’s with a heavy coronary heart that I say, I imagine Ryan Murphy can’t be this naive and inaccurate in regards to the info of our lives in order to do that with out unhealthy intent.”

Erik made it clear he wasn’t thrilled to listen to how he and Lyle had been characterised. (The Menéndez brothers presumably don’t have entry to streaming providers at Richard J. Donovan Correctional in California. Their members of the family, nonetheless, have seemingly watched and been in a position to go down data to Erik and Lyle in regards to the contents of the scripted present.)

“It’s unhappy for me to know that Netflix’s dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime have taken the painful truths a number of steps backward — again by way of time to an period when the prosecution constructed a story on a perception system that males weren’t sexually abused, and that males skilled rape trauma otherwise than ladies,” Erik’s assertion continued.

“These terrible lies have been disrupted and uncovered by numerous courageous victims over the past twenty years who’ve damaged by way of their private disgrace and bravely spoken out,” he wrote. “So now Murphy shapes his horrible narrative by way of vile and appalling character portrayals of Lyle and of me and disheartening slander. Is the reality not sufficient?”

Koch, who visited Erik and Lyle earlier this month with Kim Kardashian, was in a position to handle the inmate’s issues in particular person.

“To his assertion, I perceive how he feels and I get that it’s so troublesome to have your life — and never simply your life — however the worst a part of your life be televised in a dramatized, Hollywood model,” the actor stated on Thursday, September 26, throughout a Immediately present look. “I simply get how troublesome that will be and I stand with him. I perceive it should be actually exhausting.”

Throughout his interview with THR, Koch confirmed his assist for Lyle and Erik getting launched.

“They’ve performed a lot superb work in jail. Erik teaches meditation. He teaches speech lessons. They’re each unbelievable folks,” he detailed. “I believe again then, folks simply didn’t imagine that sexual abuse between males was one thing that you might imagine and the better capsule to swallow was that they killed their dad and mom for cash. However now, after a lot time, I believe persons are extra open to understanding that one thing like that did occur.”

Koch added: “In reality, the warden advised me himself that he looks like he’d be completely satisfied to have them as his neighbors and that he can be comfy letting them watch his kids. I believe that claims quite a bit!”

Whereas Koch stands by the Menéndez brothers, Murphy had a distinct take.

“I wouldn’t go as far as to say they need to be freed, however I believe that their case must be reexamined, and I believe new proof must be offered,” Murphy advised Folks on Friday, September 27. “If that case was tried and all the proof was allowed in right this moment, I believe they most likely would’ve been charged and located responsible of manslaughter and they’d be out of jail now.”

Murphy famous that hopefully Monsters “finally results in one thing constructive” for Erik and Lyle.

“Did they go too far? Sure. Had been they out of their minds on the time? Sure. However they’ve been mannequin prisoners,” he added. “I’ve talked to folks within the jail who declare they’re completely rehabilitated and might truly do good for society in some capability now, and I believe that deserves to be checked out.”

Monsters is at present streaming on Netflix.