The Menendez brothers have been back in the news this year thanks to the Netflix series Monster, which could ultimately see them be set free if a Judge agrees to resentencing.
In the 35 years since they murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty, and were sentenced to life without parole the brothers have been locked up, but have managed to find love, with Lyle, 56, married twice, and Erik married since 1999.
All three women lead relatively private lives, but here is all we know about their wives…
Lyle Menendez and Anna Eriksson
The media trial in 1993 put the brothers on the map and this was when Anna began writing to Lyle.
His first trial ended in a mistrial, and during this time Anna moved to California to be near Lyle.
She was present at the retrial in 1995 and at the conviction in March 1996, but they were never allowed to take their vows in person, with the pair instead getting married over the phone with Lyle in custody and the bride in the office of defense attorney Leslie Abramson.
That same year, the California Correctional Institution spokesman Lt. Jack Pitko told the LA Times that “do have a marriage proceeding” but that there was a wait list.
© Getty“But I don’t see why he shouldn’t be able to get married if he follows all the rules,” Pitko added.
In 2001 however Anna filed for divorce after she allegedly found out Lyle was exchanging letters with other women.
Lyle Menendez and Rebecca Sneed
© KyprosRebecca was a journalist whom Lyle had known since 1993, first through letters and then in-prison visits.
They married in November 2003, and the ceremony took place at Mule Creek State Prison near Sacramento, where Lyle was behind bars.
“Our interaction tends to be very free of distractions and we probably have more intimate conversations than most married spouses do, who are distracted by life’s events,” Lyle told People in 2017, revealing they often talk on the phone several times a day.
Lyle called it a “very steady” marriage that had brought him “peace,’ acknowledging Rebecca had “the courage to deal with the obstacles”.
Rebecca is now a lawyer, and runs a Facebook group to support the release of her husband.
Erik Menendez and Tammi Saccoman
© Tammi MenendezTammi was married to Chuck Saccomann when she saw Erik and Lyle on TV, and felt a connection to the then-22-year-old.
She wrote a letter to Erik, after telling her husband Chuck, and the pair began writing to each other.”I saw Tammi’s letter and I felt something. I received thousands of letters, but I set this one aside. I got a feeling,” Erik said.
“And I wrote her back. Tammi and I continued to correspond. I enjoyed writing to her. It was a slow friendship. It was special to me because it was not associated with the trial and the media. Tammi was someone not in the craziness.”
Tammi had a teenage daughter from a past relationship, and a baby with Chuck when, in 1996, she discovered that Chuck had abused her teenage daughter.
Chuck turned himself into police and died by suicide two days later, and she reached out to Erik for comfort which led to their letters becoming more serious.
They met in Folsom State Prison in August 1997, with Tammi telling People: “Erik had no idea what I looked like; I’d only sent him a tiny, 1-by-1 picture. But when he walked into the room, he was so full of life, he hopped down the stairs. It was like I was meeting an old friend.”
They married in 1999, but Tammi has spoken about the difficulties of the California system not allowing conjugal visits.
“A kiss when you come in, a kiss when you leave,” she described the routine on MSNBC in December 2005. “You can hold hands and that part of it is very difficult, and people don’t understand.”
Tammi has been a large part of the recent surge in support for the brothers, and days before Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón recommended they receive a new sentence in a press conference on Thursday October 24, Tammi shared a message with followers which read: “Erik feels deeply grateful and profoundly humbled by the overwhelming outpouring of love and support from his family today. Their belief in him and encouragement, care, and understanding mean more to him than words can express.”
Her daughter Talia had also taken Erik’s last name, and she shared a message on Instagram writing: “I firmly believe my father deserves to come home now, and I’m holding on to hope that the resentencing Judge will agree when making the resentencing decision.”
“Sharing this moment with my mother and extended family on my father’s side was truly special,” she said. “We spent hours talking, exchanging stories, and strengthening the bond we share. We stand for Erik’s and Lyle’s freedom, and I could not be more grateful for the unity and support we have together.”
“Tammi is what gets me through,” Erik told People in 2005. “I can’t think about the sentence. When I do, I do it with a great sadness and a primal fear. I break into a cold sweat. It’s so frightening I just haven’t come to terms with it.”