Monsters' Cooper Koch Is 'Overwhelmed with Gratitude' After Menendez Brothers Resentencing: 'Hope to See Erik and Lyle Soon'

Cooper Koch hopes to see Erik and Lyle Menendez soon – and this time they’ll be free.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Oct. 24 that he is recommending that the brothers, who are serving life sentences for the 1990 murders of their parents Jose and Kitty, be resentenced for “paying their debt to society.”

In response, Koch, 28, who played Erik in the Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendezwrote in a statement via his twin brother Payton’s Instagram Stories, “I am overwhelmed with gratitude and hope for the progress we have seen today. Gascón’s recommendation has ignited a renewed sense of possibility that Lyle and Erik may finally be released after decades behind bars.”

A message from Cooper Koch about the Mendendez brothers.

Payton Koch/Instagram

Inside the twists and turns of the Menendez case after the district attorney may have paved the way for the brothers to walk free

Cooper noted, however, that “the journey is not over” for the brothers.

“There are still key steps ahead: the judge must approve the re-sentencing, and if that happens, the parole board must recognize the time they served as appropriate for the crime,” Cooper continued. “Our voices, our unwavering support, remain crucial – not only for the brothers to secure their release, but for every victim of sexual abuse who is struggling to be heard.”

He ended the statement by saying he hoped to “see Erik and Lyle soon. Free from all this.”

Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez, Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez, Ari Graynor as Leslie Abramson in ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’.

Miles Crist/Netflix

Cooper has been outspoken about his support for the brothers’ release from prison since the Netflix series premiered last month. He even visited Erik and Lyle at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Institution in San Diego with Kim Kardashian, and he told PEOPLE that there was an “immediate connection” between them.

“I got to hug them both and I was sitting next to Erik in this circle with all the other inmates telling their stories, and they were both so kind. They’re amazing people,” he said.

“I talked to both of them [before]so I knew we already had a friendship, and they knew what I was up to. I told them I supported them and I trusted them,” Cooper continued. “I had a feeling they would welcome me with open arms, but I was still so nervous to meet someone you listen to and inspire.”

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He also touched on the criticism the brothers have had about the Ryan Murphy series — which Erik described as “disheartening slander” in a statement following the show’s premiere.

“I understand. I understand that he would feel that way. This is a really difficult thing. This is his life, and his life has a lot of trauma. It’s a tragedy. And he’s still in prison, so I understand how difficult it would be. I stand with him.”

Brad Culver as Gerald Chaleff, Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez, Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez in ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’.

Miles Crist/Netflix

Cooper’s co-star Nicholas Alexander Chavez, who played Lyle Monstershe shared a similar sentiment with PEOPLE.

“I really feel for the brothers, the fact that this was the most traumatic moment of their lives, and then they put it on television for the world to see,” Chavez, 26, said on Grotesqueness premiere in New York. “I imagine that would be incredibly difficult.”

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Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez can be streamed in its entirety on Netflix.

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Source: HIS Education