Lyle Menendez Called Cooper Koch from Prison to Congratulate Him on Emmy Nomination

Cooper Koch has found a supporter in an unexpected place!

The actor, 29, marked a career milestone on Tuesday, July 15, when he received his first-ever Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Erik Menendez on Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez. Amid the excitement, Koch revealed that the news had even traveled to the prison where the Menendez brothers are being held.

“I spoke [with] Lyle today,” Koch shared on the July 16 episode of Entertainment Weekly’s podcast, The Awardist. “He called to send his congrats and was very, very sweet.”

“He was jealous that I was at Wimbledon this weekend,” he added. “He was just so, so sweet … and they’re doing really well.”

In 1989, Erik, then 18, and Lyle, then 21, shot and killed their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home.

The brothers claimed the murders followed years of alleged sexual abuse by their Hollywood executive father. They further claimed their mother ignored the mistreatment, but authorities have said the two brothers’ motive was greed, citing the lavish spending spree they went on after the slayings.

The Netflix series inspired by their story, in which Koch played Erik and Nicholas Alexander Chavez played Lyle, received an Emmy nomination for outstanding limited or anthology series in addition to Koch’s recognition for outstanding lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie. 

“I was so nervous. It’s just a terrible morning,” Koch said of the wait for nominations to be announced. “You’re so anxious and you’re just playing that game with yourself of like, ‘You know what? It’s okay either way. It’s okay. I’m going to die one day and no one’s going to remember or care if I had an Emmy nomination or not.’”

Still, Koch gushed that the “best part about this whole thing was just getting the opportunity to be a part of this show and tell this story and just embody this person who I just care so deeply about.”

The congratulatory phone call was not the first time the Swallowed star has spoken to one of the Menendez brothers.

After the show’s release last year, he and Kim Kardashian visited them at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego.

When he met Erik, Koch told Variety they “just looked at each other, and immediately embraced. He was so kind.”

“Lyle, too,” he added. “I got to hug both of them and just be in their presence.”

Koch has voiced his support for the Menendez brothers to have a new trial.

The brothers’ first trial ended in a deadlock, but in 1996, they were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. However, Koch told the outlet he believes they deserve another chance at life.

“They committed the crime when they were 18 and 21 years old, and at the time, it was really hard for people to believe that male-on-male sexual abuse could occur, especially with father and son,” Koch explained.

“It was really hard for people to understand that the story that they were telling was true, and this theory that they killed their parents for money is just bonkers,” he continued. “But it was easier for people at the time to sort of swallow that story. But now, after 35 years, we have so much more evidence of child sexual abuse and male-on-male sexual abuse that I think they do deserve to be retried.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story is now available to stream on Netflix.