Who is Erik Menendez's wife Tammi Menendez and how did they meet?

25 September 2024, 14:52 | Updated: 26 September 2024, 16:38

By Sam Prance

Erik Menendez married Tammi Menendez in prison and Tammi's daughter Talia Menendez now calls Erik her dad.

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The real-life Erik Menendez in Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story got married in prison. Who is his wife Tammi Menendez though, and how did the couple meet? Here's what they've said about their relationship.

Based on the horrifying true story of Lyle and Erik Menendez, the controversial new mini-series explores why the brothers murdered their parents, their highly-publicised court trials and eventual prison sentences. However, it doesn't explore what's happened to them since imprisonment.

In episode 8, Erik is seen reading a letter from "Tammi" as Dominick Dunne describes her as his "girlfriend". In real life, Erik Menendez is now married to that woman, named Tammi Menendez. Together, they co-parent Tammi's daughter Talia Menendez and Tammi's written a memoir about their lives.

Read more: Who is Lyle Menendez's wife? His relationships with Rebecca Sneed and Anna Eriksson explained
Read more: Over 300,000 people sign petition to free Lyle and Erik Menendez from prison

Who is Erik Menendez married to?

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story trailer

How did Erik Menendez meet his wife Tammi Menendez?

Before crossing paths with Erik, Tammi was married to a man named Chuck Saccoman. She was living with Chuck and her teenage daughter when she first came across Erik's trial on TV. Moved by Erik's case, Tammi wrote a letter to Erik in prison. Speaking to People, Tammi said: "I told [Chuck] that I was going to write to Erik. He said to go ahead."

Erik has since told People that he was immediately taken by Tammi's letter. He explained: "I saw Tammi’s letter and I felt something. I received thousands of letters, but I set this one aside. I got a feeling. And I wrote her back. Tammi and I continued to correspond. I enjoyed writing to her. It was a slow friendship."

As for what Tammi meant to him, he said: "It was special to me because it was not associated with the trial and the media. Tammi was someone not in the craziness."

How did Erik Menendez meet his wife? Picture: Kim Kulish/Sygma via Getty Images

When did Erik Menendez start dating Tammi Menendez?

In 1996, Tammi's husband Chuck took his own life two days after she allegedly found out that he was abusing her 15-year-old daughter. Tammi and Chuck also shared a nine-month old daughter named Talia.

Erik then began comforting Tammi and, in August 1997, she visited him for the first time at Folsom State Prison. Erik told People that it was "the most beautiful experience of his life".

Tammi then moved to Sacramento where she began visiting Erik four times a week. He proposed in 1998 and they married in prison. The couple have stayed together ever since.

When did Erik Menendez start dating Tammi Menendez? Picture: Kypros/Getty Images

Does Erik Menendez have a daughter?

Erik Menendez does not have a biological daughter but Tammi's daughter Talia considers Erik to be her own dad. Talia runs an Instagram account called @seterikmenendezfree where she opens up about her experience visiting Erik in prison and calls for him to be released.

In an Instagram post in 2020, Talia wrote: "My dad was more of a dad than most out in the real world. I remember the guards allowing us to bring in my homework (up to 10 pages) and my dad helping me with it every visit. Now they don’t allow that unfortunately.."

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A post shared by Talia Menendez (@seterikmenendezfree)

In 2005, NBC News asked Tammi if she was "troubled" by Erik's murder. She replied: "I know his soul. I do know what happened that night. And I do understand. I believe that within everybody put in certain circumstances, you will, you know, be able to kill somebody. I mean, I do believe that Erik is a very good person."

You can read more about Erik and Tammi's relationship in Tammi's memoir: They Said We’d Never Make It: My Life with Erik Menendez.