TALIA Menendez is Erik Menendez’s daughter through his marriage to his wife Tammi.
Erik and Tammi met through a prison letter-writing system and he quickly became a big part of Talia’s life. Here’s everything you need to know about Erik’s daughter.
Erik’s daughter
Talia was just 9-months-old when her biological father Chuck Saccoman committed suicide in 1996.
It had been revealed that he had been abusing Tammi’s daughter from a previous marriage just days before he killed himself.
Tammi met Erik Menendez through a prison letter-writing system and they went on to get married in the waiting room of Folsom State Prison on June 12, 1999.
Tammi revealed that the couple’s wedding cake was a Twinkie and said “It was a wonderful ceremony until I had to leave”.
She added: “That was a very lonely night.”
Tammi opened up about why she reached out to Erik in her book.
She wrote: “I couldn’t imagine what he was going through emotionally, but I wanted to let him know that there were people out there who empathized with the very awful ordeal he was experiencing.
“Yes, he and Lyle had done something terrible, and they would certainly be punished for it. But even casual observers of the trial understood the depths of the trouble and abuse in the Menendez home.”
Talia now regularly campaigns for her dad to be released from prison, using an Instagram account called @Seterikmenendezfree.
She is close to her father, despite being unable to see him often.
They bonded through letter writing, where he reportedly consoled her over the death of her biological father, and she now calls Erik “Dad”.
In 2020, she posted an image of Erik and herself with a caption that read: “My dad was more of a dad than most out in the real world.”
The Menendez brothers
Erik and Lyle murdered their parents on August 20, 1989.
They claimed that they had returned home to find their parents dead, despite the fact they had killed them with shotguns hours before.
After murdering José and Kitty, they lived a lavish lifestyle with their inheritance but were arrested after Erik confessed to his therapist Dr Jerome Oziel.
His therapist’s mistress, Judalon Smyth, went to the police who arrested the brothers.
They alleged in court that they had been sexually abused by their father and felt that their lives were in danger.
After their first trial went to a hung jury, they were given life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Netflix and the Menendez brothers
Interest in the Menendez brothers surged after Ryan Murphy’s Netflix drama Monsters landed on the streaming platform.
This led to increased calls for the brothers’ release.
Talia has joined in on the campaign from her Instagram account calling on the authorities to “Set them free!”.
A letter that detailed Erik’s alleged abuse by José was uncovered by Erik’s aunt, Marta Cano, and will be examined as new evidence.
Also, in 2023, Menudo boyband member Roy Rosello also accused José of abuse and the Menendez family hopes that this evidence can help set Erik and Lyle free.
