Erik Menendez‘s daughter had an emotional reaction to the parole board denying his request more than three decades after his arrest.
“A piece of my letter that the commissioner named Robert Barton probably didn’t even read,” Erik’s adopted daughter, Talia, whom he shares with wife Tammi Menendez, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, August 21. “I poured my heart and soul into this letter all for it to go in the hands of someone who already had their mind made up.”
Talia offered an excerpt of the letter she wrote for his hearing.
“This letter is deeply personal. I’m writing as a daughter who has spent her entire life longing for something most people take for granted; a real, daily relationship with her dad,” she wrote. “I hope you’ll pause with this one and hear the voice of a little girl who has been visiting her dad behind prison walls and has been waiting for him to come home from the age of 2 to now almost 30 years old.”
She continued: “Although he isn’t my biological father, he took on being a stepdad by title, but in every way that truly matters, he has been the best father that anyone could wish for. My safe place, my teacher, and my greatest source of strength and kindness.”
In a separate social media post, Talia called out the lack of public support for Erik, 54, in recent months but thanked actor Cooper Koch, who portrayed her father in Netflix’s Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story.
“Where are the celebrities that were ‘advocating’ for them???? It’s been WAY TOO QUIET,” Talia wrote. “The only one that I can say has been checking in on my family is Cooper and we absolutely adore him. To the ones that went to the prison without any background checks to film their show but are staying quiet now.”
The California Board of Parole Hearings denied Erik’s release on Thursday, citing various prison infractions during his 35 years of incarceration. Erik’s wife, Tammi, 62, broke her silence soon after.
“Parole Commissioner Robert Barton had his mind made up to deny Erik parole from the start! This was a complete setup, and Erik never stood a chance! 😡 #Injustice,” Tammi shared in an X post on Thursday, adding, “Erik hasn’t had any infractions since 2011, apart from a cell phone possession.”
Erik and his brother, Lyle Menendez, have been serving out their sentences in California’s Donovan Correctional Facility after being arrested in 1990 on two counts of first-degree murder. The siblings became persons of interest after their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, were found shot in their home.
Erik and Lyle, 57, ultimately admitted to killing their parents following years of alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse. The Menendez brothers were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole in 1996 after two high-profile trials.
After a resurgence in their case, Erik and Lyle were resentenced to 50 years to life, which made them eligible for parole under California’s youthful offender law since they committed their crime under the age of 26. Lyle’s hearing is set for Friday, August 22.
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