By now, you’ve likely tuned into or at the very least heard about the discourse surrounding Netflix’s new series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
For the uninitiated, the second season in Ryan Murphy’s anthology series explores the real-life case of Erik and Lyle Menendez, two brothers who were sentenced to life without parole for killing their parents after years of alleged abuse and neglect.
Still behind bars, Erik recently spoke out about the series and the “horrible narrative” that’s been portrayed on screen, in a Facebook post shared by his wife.
Despite being locked up since he was just 26-years-old, Erik has found love and married, so too has his brother, Lyle.
So, who are the wives of the Menendez brothers and how did they fall in love?
Who is Lyle Menendez’ Wife?
Lyle Menendez has been married twice, firstly to Anna Eriksson from 1996 to 2001, then to his most recent wife, Rebecca Sneed, in 2003.
His first wife, Anna, was a salon receptionist turned model, who first came to know Lyle by writing him letters during his first trial in 1993.
Letters soon turned to love, and Anna moved to LA to be closer to Lyle before the pair eventually married on July 2, 1996–the same day he was sentenced to life in prison.
In 2001, Anna filed for divorce, claiming Lyle had been unfaithful, exchanging letters with other women behind her back.
Lyle met his second wife, Rebecca, in similar fashion: exchanging letters. The pen pal relationship is said to have dated back 10 years, which would place their introduction back to the same year Lyle was convicted. The couple married in 2003 exchanging vows in a ceremony at Mule Creek State Prison near Sacramento, according to NBC News.
“We try and talk on the phone every day, sometimes several times a day. I have a very steady, involved marriage and that helps sustain me and brings a lot of peace and joy. It’s a counter to the unpredictable, very stressful environment here,” Lyle told PEOPLE in 2017 of their relationship.
Lyle Menendez And Rebecca Sneed Split: Cheating Rumours Explained
As Erik and Lyle face the prospect of a retrial, the date for which was just pushed back to January, 2025, news came to light that Lyle and Rebecca had separated. The story first broke when the Daily Mail alleged that Lyle was having an affair with a 21-year-old British college student, who he met in a Facebook group run in his name by ex wife, Sneed.
The publication also obtained photos of the 21-year-old with Lyle at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, which show the 56-year-old posed with his arms wrapped around her as well as sitting on his lap during a visit.
Sneed has since spoken out about the alleged affair, confirming she and Lyle has separated but calling rumours of a “cheating scandal” false.
“Guys! This is NOT a cheating scandal. Lyle and I have been separated for a while now but remain best friends and family,” Sneed wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, November 21. “I continue to run his Facebook pages, with input from him, and I am forever committed to the enduring fight for Lyle and Erik’s freedom, as has been so evident over the years.”
She went on to add: “Please keep this page as the abuse survivor support page Lyle wants it to be.
“I’ll continue to update you all on the progress of the case because I believe we all have the common goal of seeing the guys walk free! I will never stop fighting for them. Please continue to join us in this fight!”
Who Is Erik Menendez’ Wife?
Erik met his long-term wife, Tammi Saccoman, in 1993, when she began writing to him–with her husband’s blessing–about his trial. At the time, Tammi was married and living with her teenage daughter from a previous marriage, when she started tuning into the trial coverage and felt sorry for Erik.
“I told him that I was going to write to Erik,” Tammi told PEOPLE. “He said to go ahead. I really didn’t know if Erik would write back.”
Despite receiving an onslaught of mail, Erik revealed it was Tammy’s letter that stood out to him. Call it fate.
“I saw Tammi’s letter and I felt something. I received thousands of letters, but I set this one aside. I got a feeling,” he told the publication.
A few years after their correspondence began, Tammi made the horrifying discovery that her husband had been sexually abusing her then 15-year-old daughter. Days after turning himself into police, he committed suicide.
Understandably distressed, Tammi revealed she turned to Erik and their letters took on a more serious tone. A year later, she agreed to meet him for the first time at Folsom State Prison, Erik describing it as the “most beautiful experience of [his] life.”
In 1998, Erik and Tammi married and have remained together since.
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This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
