Although in prison, the Menendez Brothers are married and live a normal life. But, who are their wives and do they have children?
The Menendez family story is one of the issues crime aficionados are familiar with by now. Since their sentence in 1996, there have been a handful of movies and documentaries about their story with some notable ones being; “Murder in Beverly Hills: The Menendez Trial“, “Wanderlust“, “O.J.: Made in America“, and “Murderers, Mobsters & Madmen Vol. 1“.
Netflix is bringing audiences another story of infamous killings with a new season of Monster, yet this time called Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. The new season of the extremely popular series, which will focus on the Menendez brothers, got a short teaser trailer on Monday but won’t arrive on the streaming service until sometime in 2024.
The first season of Monster, which debuted in 2022, starred Evan Peters as a notorious cannibal and serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The new season will follow the Menendez brothers, who killed their parents before going on a lavish spending spree, and being at the center of one of the biggest and most public murder trials of the 1990s — before O.J. Simpson’s of course. The Menendez brothers were convicted in 1996; their more publicized trial in 1993 ended with two deadlocked juries. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Interest in the Menendez brothers‘ case has been reignited after Netflix and Ryan Murphy were set to confirm Monday (May 1st, 2023) that they are at work on “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” a lot of crime story fanatics are curious to know if the brothers were married and how old they are now. Here’s everything we know.
Image Source: ABC News
How old are the Menendez brothers?
The Menendez brothers come from an affluent family – their parents were Jose Menendez and Kitty Menendez. Their late father, Jose worked in prestigious companies and made a fortune for the family. He worked for Carolco Pictures, a successful independent movie studio in Los Angeles, on the board of directors.
Among the brothers, Lyle is the oldest with Erik being the youngest and they were the only kids to their parents. Lyle was born on January 10, 1968, and Erik was born on November 27, 1970.
At the time of Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed’s release date, the former is 55 years old and the latter is 52.
When they killed their mother (who was 47 years old) and father (who was 45 years old), Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18.
On August 20, 1989, the two brothers used shotguns to carry out the murders of their parents Kitty and Jose Menendez.
While at the family’s Beverly Hills home, the brothers fatally shot Jose in the head and Kitty in the face and stomach.
On March 20, 1996, both Lyle and Erik were convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
On July 2, 1996, they were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Throughout the brothers’ trial, their legal team argued that they were sexually abused by their father.
SOURCE: NBC NEWS
Who are Lyle and Erik Menendez’s wives?
According to ABC News, in April 2018, Erik and Lyle Menendez were reunited at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, Calif. They are both imprisoned there now, serving life sentences without the option of parole. Despite being in prison since 1996, Erik and Lyle Menendez have been able to lead relatively normal lives, so to speak.
Lyle Menendez has been married twice. He met his first wife, former model Anna Eriksson after she began writing to him. They married “via speaker phone in 1996,” per Hello Giggles. Five years later, they divorced when Anna found out Lyle was communicating with another woman. Perhaps that woman was Rebecca Sneed Menendez, whom Lyle married in 2003 and is still married to as of the time of this writing. Soon after they tied the knot, Rebecca became an attorney in order to provide support for Lyle.
Unlike Lyle, Erik has only been married once. Tammi Menendez also corresponded with Erik during his trial and continued to do so after he was convicted. She was married at the time and sadly lost her husband to suicide late in 1993. For the next four years, Erik and Tammi’s letter-writing would carry on, finally culminating in an in-person meeting in 1997. By 1998, they were married and remain so to this day.
Erik and Tammi do not have kids together but she’s a mother. Tammi is the proud mother of one child. She has a daughter named Talia from her previous marriage to Saccoman.
Image Source: ABC
Where are the Menendez brothers today?
Lyle and Erik Menendez remain incarcerated at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
Previously, the Menendez brothers were jailed at separate prisons.
From 1996 to 2018, the eldest brother Lyle was imprisoned at Mule Creek State Prison.
Meanwhile, Erik spent that same amount of time at Pleasant Valley Prison.
In April 2018, Lyle and Erik were reunited after more than 20 years.
The last time they had seen each other was on September 10, 1996.
Regarding the brothers’ reunion, ABC News observed: “They just hugged each other for a few minutes without saying any words to each other.”
“Then the prison officials let them spend an hour together in a room.”
