Talia Menendez, the stepdaughter of Erik Menendez, marked his 36th year of incarceration in an Instagram post on March 11.
“Today marks 36 years that my dad has been incarcerated,” she began the post, which featured a throwback photo of him. “36 years is a lifetime of missed moments, birthdays, holidays and milestones for our family. But even behind those walls, he has worked to make his time beyond meaningful.”
Talia Menendez praised Erik Menendez’s growth while he remains incarcerated, citing his work with the Helping Without Prejudice Foundation, with his brother, Lyle Menendez.
“During his incarceration, he has founded 6 out of 9 rehabilitation programs through @hwopfoundation which is focused on growth, mindfulness, accountability and helping others become better men, along side my uncle Lyle,” she wrote.
“He has spent decades working on personal growth and has facilitated support groups for incarcerated men dealing with trauma and abuse. He has mentored younger inmates and worked in a prison hospice program caring for terminally ill prisoners towards the end of their life. His time hasn’t just been time served, it’s been time spent trying to make a difference.”
Talia Menendez used the day to think about what her stepfather has managed to accomplish while in prison. “Today I’m reflecting on what 36 years really means, and even in a place of punishment, he still chose to make an impact. That’s what incarceration should be all about, rehabilitation, change, and a better path,” she wrote. “Until freedom, he will always be my strongest soldier.”
Erik Menendez, 55, and his brother were convicted for the murders of their mother and father, Kitty and Jose Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In May 2025, a judge resentenced the pair to 50 years to life in prison, with the chance for parole. In August 2025, Erik Menendez was denied parole following a 10-hour hearing. Lyle Menendez was denied parole a day later.
The Menendez brothers were initially jailed in the case in 1990, but would not be formally sentenced until after their conviction for first-degree murder in 1996.
Erik Menendez married Tammi Menendez in 1999 after they struck up a correspondence while he was in prison. She had daughter Talia with her late husband.
The brothers have spent decades stating they murdered their parents in an act of self-defense after years of sexual, physical and emotional abuse by their father. Prosecutors, though, countered by saying the brothers killed their parents to get their money.