Where Are The Menendez Brothers Now? Lyle and Erik's Prison Sentences Explained

27 September 2024, 09:26

Where Are Lyle And Erik Menendez Now? Their Prison Sentence And Marriages Explained. Picture: Netflix

By Sam Prance

In real life, Lyle Menendez and Erik Menendez are still alive and they have both got married while in prison.

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Based on the shocking true story of Lyle and Erik Menendez, Monsters season 2 on Netflix explores how Lyle and Erik killed their parents, what happened afterwards and the court trials that followed. Where are the Menendez brothers now though?

In Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, we see the lengthy legal proceedings the Menendez brothers went through after they murdered their parents, José and Kitty Menendez. Erik and Lyle claimed they killed their parents after being subject to serious abuse. Erik and Lyle have both said their father sexually assaulted them from a young age.

The TV show ends with the jury's final verdict where Erik and Lyle are both convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. However, it does not depict what's happened to the brothers since they were incarcerated. With that in mind, here's what we know about Lyle and Erik now.

Read more: Where Is Dr. Oziel Now? Menendez Brother's Therapist And What Happened In Real Life
Read more: Did Lyle Menendez Wear A Wig? The True Story Behind His Hair Loss Explained

Which prison are the Menendez brothers in?

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story trailer

Where is Lyle Menendez now?

After their final trial, Lyle Menendez was sent to carry out a life sentence in Mule Creek State Prison separate from Erik. He stayed their until February 2018 when he was transferred to the same prison as Erik: The Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. The brothers cried upon being reunited for the first time.

They're now based in a non-designated programming facility called Echo Yard which offers rehabilitative and educational programming including yoga, art classes and academic studies. While at Mule Creek State, Lyle served 15 years on their inmate government.

Who Is Lyle Menendez married to?

On 2nd July 1996, Lyle married Anna Eriksson, a former model and receptionist, who became his pen pal shortly after his first trial. However, Anna divorced Lyle in 2001 when she discovered that he was cheating on her with another pen pal.

Lyle is now married to a different pen pal, a defence attorney named Rebecca Sneed. Rebecca first wrote to Lyle in 1993 and they tied the knot in November 2003.

Where is Lyle Menendez now? Picture: Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images

Where is Erik Menendez now?

Unlike Lyle, Erik was sent straight to The Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility where he has spent the majority of his life sentence. However, he's also served some time in the Pleasant Valley State Prison. Now with Lyle in the non-designated programming facility, Echo Yard, Erik has reportedly become interested in meditation and religion.

Who Is Erik Menendez married to?

Like Lyle, Erik has married a pen pal since being incarcerated. On 12th June 1999, Erik married Tammi Ruth Saccoman. They fell in love through letters and Tammi has since self-published a memoir about their relationship called, They Said We’d Never Make It: My Life with Erik Menendez.

Where is Erik Menendez now? Picture: Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images

When will the Menendez brothers be released from prison?

Erik and Lyle have both made numerous appeals to be released from prison since they were first incarcerated. However, all of their requests have been turned down, leading many to think they would never be released from prison.

That being said, Erik and Lyle's attorneys' filed a new petition in May 2023 after new evidence came to light. In April 2023, former Menudo boy band member Roy Rosselló claimed that he'd been drugged and raped by Lyle and Erik's father José Menendez when he visited their home when he was just 14 years old.

Whether or not the petition leads to a retrial and a release remains to be seen as such cases are rare in the judicial system.

Speaking to journalist Robert Rand in 2019, Lyle said that he and Erik have low expectations about ever being released. He said: "We’ve seen too many friends get their hopes up with appeal filings and commutation requests. They’ve marked the days off on calendars. In the end, they are turned down and sadly sink into a deep depression.”