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Kim Kardashian recently visited Erik and Lyle Menendez at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, days after the latest installment of Ryan Murphy’s Monster series premiered. A source told PEOPLE on Saturday, Sept. 21, that Kardashian, 43, was accompanied by Cooper Koch, 28, who portrays Erik Menendez in the Netflix series. The purpose of their visit was to discuss the Green Space project, a California Department of Corrections initiative aimed at reducing recidivism by making prison life more reflective of the outside world.
Kardashian has been a vocal advocate for prison reform since 2018 and is currently studying law. She gained recognition for her efforts in securing the release of Alice Johnson, a woman serving a life sentence, after discovering her case on X (formerly Twitter) in 2017. Since then, Kardashian has helped release several individuals, including a low-level drug offender in May 2019. She has also engaged in discussions with Momolu Stewart, who was convicted of murder and served over two decades in prison.
As part of her reform efforts, Kardashian has visited the White House several times and participated in discussions on prison reform, including a roundtable with Vice President Kamala Harris in April. In a July episode of The Kardashians, she met with Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who was released from prison in December 2023 after serving more than eight years, to discuss potential changes in the legal system.
The Menendez brothers, Erik, now 53, and Lyle, 56, were convicted in 1996 for the 1989 murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home. The brothers claimed that their father was physically, emotionally, and sexually abusive, and that their mother was addicted to drugs and complicit in the abuse. They were tried multiple times before being sentenced to life in prison.
Following the premiere of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Sept. 19, Erik Menendez released a statement criticizing the portrayal of himself and his brother. He expressed disappointment in Ryan Murphy's depiction of their lives, accusing the show of spreading lies and undermining the progress made in raising awareness about childhood trauma. Erik condemned the series for its misrepresentation, calling it "vile and appalling," and urged for the truth to be acknowledged without distortion.
