Erik Menendez's stepdaughter, Talia Menendez, provided a significant update on the case involving him and his brother, Lyle Menendez.
The new revelation came on the heels of the Netflix series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, which has reignited public interest in the infamous case over three decades after the Menendez brothers called 911 saying: “Someone killed my parents.”
Highlights
- Talia Menendez shared an update on the new evidence supporting Erik and Lyle Menendez's claims of severe childhood abuse by their parents.
- The family expects the LA County DA's response to Erik and Lyle's request for a new trial within 60 days.
- The Netflix series, 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,' has reignited interest in the brothers' case.
Trigger warning: this article contains details of murder that may be distressing to some
In her recent social media post, Talia expressed hope regarding the appeal for her stepfather and her uncle’s release.
She emphasized that there was new evidence supporting their claims of enduring severe abuse during their childhood at the hands of their murdered parents, José and Mary Louise 'Kitty' Menendez.
The recent Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story has reignited public interest in the case of the convicted Menendez brothers
Image credits: Ronald L. Soble / Los Angeles Times
"Within 60 days we will hear back from the LA County District Attorney office regarding their decision for Erik's and Lyle's appeal for freedom filed in May last year,” she wrote in her update. "As everyone knows, there was new evidence proving the abuse endured after decades of not being believed and that evidence had been excluded from the retrial.”
"I'm praying the DA / judge has compassion not only for what my dad and uncle endured but also the fact that all of us family wants them home,” she added. "Almost 35 years is enough time locked away. They have spent more time incarcerated than alive in the real world. Let that sink in. Set them free!"
Talia, the stepdaughter of Erik Menendez, shared an update on the appeal for Erik and Lyle Menendez's release
Image credits: seterikmenendezfree
Image credits: seterikmenendezfree
In a message posted as an Instagram Story, she clarified that the family is expecting the LA County District Attorney office’s response to the request for a new trial, which Erik and Lyle had requested in the spring of 2023.
“That request for a new trial, known as a habeas, was based on the powerful new evidence that strongly supports Erik and Lyle’s defense—a defense that was stripped away and not allowed to be presented at the second trial,” she wrote.
“So please know, sadly my father and uncle will not be released in 60 days; rather, the DA’s response to their habeas will be filed in 60 days,” the stepdaughter went on to say. “But we are passionately hoping the DA’s office will recognize that 35 years is long enough, that their extended family is calling for their release and it is finally time for Erik and Lyle to be set free.”
Lyle and Erik Menendez had submitted a habeas corpus petition, a legal procedure that assesses the legitimacy of their imprisonment; this could potentially pave the way for their release
It was in 1989 when a 21-year-old Lyle called 911 screaming “someone killed my parents.” Investigators eventually found that he and his then-18-year-old brother had shot their parents to death in their Beverly Hills home.
During their trial, the brothers claimed they were victims of severe abuse, but prosecutors argued that their motive was money. Ultimately, they were convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The renewed interest in the Menendez brothers’ case even saw reality TV star Kim Kardashian visit them in jail with actor Cooper Koch, who plays Erik in the new Netflix title.
"Sadly my father and uncle will not be released in 60 days; rather, the DA's response to their habeas will be filed in 60 days," the stepdaughter wrote in a social media update
Image credits: seterikmenendezfree
Both Erik and Lyle went on to become husbands while in prison. Erik’s current wife Tammi Saccoman began following the brothers’ trial in 1993 while she was married to Chuck Saccoman, her ex-husband and father of her daughter Talia. Soon after, she wrote him a letter with Chuck’s knowledge.
"I told him that I was going to write to Erik," she previously told People. "He said to go ahead. I really didn't know if Erik would write back."
To her surprise, he did reply.
Talia is the daughter of Tammi Menendez and her late husband, Chuck Saccoman. Tammi married Erik in 1998, a few years after she first sent him a letter to prison
"I saw Tammi’s letter and I felt something. I received thousands of letters, but I set this one aside. I got a feeling," Erik previously told the outlet. "And I wrote her back. Tammi and I continued to correspond. I enjoyed writing to her. It was a slow friendship. It was special to me because it was not associated with the trial and the media. Tammi was someone not in the craziness."
Following Chuck’s death, Tammi and Erik met in person for the first time in 1997 and were married the following year.
Meanwhile, Lyle was first married to Anna Eriksson from 1996 to 2001 after they, too, formed a connection through letters sent back and forth from prison.
Anna had filed for divorce in 2001, accusing her former husband of being unfaithful to her and writing letters to other women behind her back.
Lyle then went on to marry Rebecca Sneed, who continues to visit her imprisoned husband every week.