Menendez Brothers: Lyle and Erik’s life in prison with their wives and graduating college

There has been much interest in the Menendez brothers, between new evidence emerging in their case and a Netflix show.

The brothers were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of patrol, however, the Los Angeles County District Attorney, George Gascón, is now supporting the resentencing of Erik and Lyle Menendez.

“Because of their age, they would be eligible for parole immediately,” he said during a press conference.

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New evidence claims that José Menendez, their father, was sexually abusive.

Erik and Lyle were 19 and 21 years old, respectively, at the time of the crime. Now aged 53 and 56, they have spent three decades in prison.

Here is an insight into their lives while serving their sentences:

Separation

For the majority of their time in prison, Lyle and Erik were housed in different prisons. For 22 years, Lyle was in Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California, while Erik about 500 miles away at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California.

However, on 4 April 2018, Lyle was moved into the same housing unit as Erik.

They reportedly “burst into tears” upon their first meeting in the San Diego prison housing unit, the BBC reported.

“They can and do interact with each other, all the inmates in that facility,” state corrections department spokeswoman Terry Thornton told the Associated Press at the time.

The unit where they are housed is reserved for inmates who agree to participate in education and rehabilitation programs without creating disruptions.

Lyle Menendez

Lyle married Anna Erikssonon, who worked as a model, 2 July 1996. Their wedding ceremony was attended by Leslie Abramson, member of their legal defence team, and his aunt Marta Menendez. It was reported that the ceremony took place over the phone and they were married by proxy. Judge Nancy Brown presided over the wedding. However, the pair divorced on 1 April 2001.

Lyle went on to marry Rebecca Sneed in November 2003 at a ceremony in a visiting area of Mule Creek State Prison. They had known each other for around 10 years before their engagement.

In 2018, it was reported that Lyle founded the prison reform and beautification initiative ‘The Green Space Project’, which aims to make prisons more “liveable” and rehabilitative by painting murals on walls and planting trees.

In June 2024, he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology through the University of California, Irvine's special college program for inmates of Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility.

Erik Menendez

Erik also has a wife. He married Tammi Ruth Saccoman at Folsom State Prison in a prison waiting room on 12 June 1999.

Tammi stated: “Our wedding cake was a Twinkie. We improvised. It was a wonderful ceremony until I had to leave. That was a very lonely night.”

She told ABC News in 2005 that her relationship with Erik was “something that I've dreamed about for a long time. And it's just something very special that I never thought that I would ever have.”

Tammi Ruth self-published a book titled ‘They Said We'd Never Make It – My Life with Erik Menendez’ in 2005.

“Not having sex in my life is difficult, but it's not a problem for me,” she told People. “I have to be emotionally attached, and I'm emotionally attached to Erik... My family does not understand. When it started to get serious, some of them just threw up their hands.”

She previously shared that she and her daughter drive 240km every weekend to visit Erik and that her daughter refers to him as “Earth Dad”.

Since entering prison, Erik has taken up painting and even gave comedian Kathy Griffin a portrait. Alongside other inmates, he also looks at prison reform.

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