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Joseph “Lyle” Menendez, one of the two brothers from Beverly Hills who were found guilty of fatally shooting their parents in 1989, used a prison phone to reach out to the actor who played his brother in the recent Netflix series, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.” He called to congratulate the actor on receiving his first Emmy nomination, according to a new report.
Cooper Koch, 29, portrayed the younger Menendez in the show. Together with his brother, they approached their parents from behind and fired shots while the couple was watching television and enjoying ice cream in their living room.
The actor was reportedly in the midst of a call with Variety, discussing his newly announced nomination, when Lyle called in from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
“He was just like, ‘Congratulations, I’m so excited for you. I saw you were at Wimbledon. I was so jealous,'” Koch told the outlet after a 10-minute hold. “I said, ‘Well, I’ve been back in tennis lessons, so I’m getting ready to play you and beat you when you’re out.'”
Cooper Koch at the Ralph Lauren Suite during The Championships, Wimbledon at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 13, 2025 in London. (Darren Gerrish/WireImage Getty Images for Ralph Lauren)
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.
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 brothers had used evidence of sex abuse in their first trial, which ended in a mistrial. Much of it was excluded the second time around.
Their petition for a new trial is pending.
They will appear before the California parole board on August 21 and 22.
