Erik Menéndez and Lyle Menéndez each discovered companions whereas serving out their particular person life sentences following a high-profile homicide case.
The Menéndez brothers have been arrested in 1990 on two counts of first-degree homicide after their mother and father — José and Kitty — have been discovered shot to loss of life of their dwelling. Two trials resulted in Erik and Lyle being sentenced to life with out parole; each maintained that their mom and father have been bodily, emotionally and sexually abusive.
After initially remaining in the identical penitentiary, Folsom State Jail, Erik and Lyle have been transferred after their sentencing. Lyle was taken to Mule Creek State Jail whereas Erik moved to Nice Valley State Jail, that are all positioned in California. They reunited in 2018 once they have been moved into the identical housing unit at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility.
Erik beforehand addressed rumors about his private life amid hypothesis into his sexuality.
Erik and Lyle Menéndez‘s homicide case was thrust again into the highlight with Ryan Murphy‘s Monsters — and now there’s a likelihood their life with out parole sentences may very well be decreased. The Menéndez brothers’ mother and father, José and Kitty Menéndez, have been discovered lifeless at their Beverly Hills dwelling in 1989. After Lyle known as the police, they […]
“No [I am not gay]. The prosecutor introduced that up as a result of I used to be sexually molested and he felt in his personal pondering that if I used to be sodomized by my father that I should have loved it and subsequently I should be homosexual,” he mentioned in a tell-all with Barbara Walters from 1996. “And other people which can be homosexual on the market should be sexually molested or they wouldn’t be. It was upsetting to listen to, however I’m not homosexual. However lots of homosexual folks write and really feel related to me.”
Erik finally discovered love with Tammi Ruth Saccoman, whom he married in 1999. The couple don’t have any conjugal visits as a result of underneath California legislation, inmates serving life sentences are banned from such privileges.
“Tammi is what will get me via,” Erik instructed Folks in 2005.. “I can’t take into consideration the sentence. Once I do, I do it with an amazing disappointment and a primal worry. I break into a chilly sweat. It’s so horrifying I simply haven’t come to phrases with it.”
Ramey Picture/Mega Company; Miles Crist/Netflix Ryan Murphy‘s Monsters obtained backlash for a large number of inaccuracies about Lyle Menéndez and Erik Menéndez‘s homicide case — however what did the present truly get proper? Season 2 of the hit Netflix collection, which was launched on September 19, featured a star-studded solid together with Nicholas Chavez, Cooper Koch, Javier […]
Erik credited Tammi’s help for serving to him, including, “Tammi’s love was a serious step in my selecting life. Having somebody who loves you unconditionally, who you could be fully open with, is sweet for anyone — to know that this individual loves me as I’m.”
In the meantime, Lyle obtained married to Rebecca Sneed in 2003. “Individuals are judgmental, and she or he has to place up with rather a lot,” Lyle shared with Folks in 2017 about how he “feels responsible” for what his spouse endures in public. “However she has the braveness to take care of the obstacles. It will be simpler to depart, however I’m profoundly grateful that she doesn’t.”
Hold scrolling for a glimpse into Erik and Lyle’s private lives:
Erik Menendez
Erik Menendez Ted Soqui/Sygma through Getty Photos
Erik obtained married to Tammi in 1999 after she began writing letters to him in jail. She has remained by his aspect whereas he serves out his sentence. Tammi has a daughter from a earlier marriage, Talia, who has proven help for Erik and Lyle on her social media account.
Throughout an interview with Walters in 2005, Tammi known as her relationship with Erik one thing she’s “dreamed about for a very long time,” including, “It’s simply one thing very particular that I by no means thought that I might ever have.”
Tammi clarified that she doesn’t have a bodily relationship with Erik. They’re allowed to kiss whats up and goodbye throughout their visits.
“Not having intercourse in my life is tough, nevertheless it’s not an issue for me. I’ve to be emotionally connected, and I’m emotionally connected to Erik,” Tammi instructed Folks in 2005. “My household doesn’t perceive. When it began to get severe, a few of them simply threw up their palms.”
The pair might have an opportunity to reunite after the Los Angeles District Lawyer’s workplace advisable in October 2024 that Erik and Lyle be resentenced.
Lyle Menendez
Lyle Menendez Kim Kulish/Sygma through Getty Photos
After his arrest, Lyle met Anna Eriksson by mail and have been married in 1996 in a marriage attended by his legal professional Leslie Abramson and his aunt Marta Menendez. The California Division of Corrections, nevertheless, didn’t think about the wedding to be authorized, in response to a report from The Los Angeles Occasions in 1997.
The pair known as it quits in 2001 after she came upon Lyle was writing letters to different ladies. Two years later, Lyle married Rebecca after realizing her for almost a decade via mail correspondence.
“Our interplay tends to be very freed from distractions and we in all probability have extra intimate conversations than most married spouses do, who’re distracted by life’s occasions,” Lyle instructed Folks in 2017. “We attempt to discuss on the telephone day by day, typically a number of occasions a day. I’ve a really regular, concerned marriage and that helps maintain me and brings lots of peace and pleasure. It’s a counter to the unpredictable, very anxious atmosphere right here.”