Lyle Menendez’s wife says they’ve split, but denies he cheated on her: report

The real Lyle Menendez and Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez on “Monsters.”

“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” thrust the brothers, who were found guilty of first-degree murder in 1996, back into the spotlight after it premiered on Netflix in September.

Both Menendez brothers are serving life sentences after admitting that they killed their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in 1989. During their trial, they alleged a history of abuse by their parents led them to murder.

Despite bringing renewed attention to the case, Erik and their extended family have criticized “Monsters,” calling it a “gross, anachronistic, serial episodic nightmare.”

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón (who lost his reelection bid in November) said in October that he would review new evidence and recommend resentencing the brothers. The brothers are now awaiting a resentencing hearing, which was rescheduled to January on Monday to allow time for the new DA to review the case.

Despite being in prison, both Erik and Lyle have gotten married. Erik married his wife Tammi Menendez in 1999 while he was in prison. Lyle, in addition to a correspondence-based friendship with a woman called Norma Novelli, who recorded and later sold phone conversations with him, has been married twice.

Here’s what we know about Lyle’s two marriages.

Lyle Menendez was first married to Anna Eriksson

The Los Angeles Times reported that Lyle and Eriksson, a former model, met by mail after Lyle and Erik’s arrest in 1990. Lyle declared his love for Eriksson in a “20/20” interview with Barbara Walters, and the pair attempted to have a Judge Nancy Brown marry them in her courtroom a day before Lyle and Erik’s sentencing. However, court and jail officials prevented the ceremony.

The two were secretly married via telephone conference call that day, The New York Times reported. Lyle and Erik, who served as his best man, phoned into the wedding, and defense lawyer Leslie Abramson placed the ring on Eriksson’s finger for Lyle. Eriksson was present the next day when the brothers were sentenced to consecutive life sentences, the Times reported.

The California Department of Corrections, however, did not consider the marriage to be legal, The Los Angeles Times reported in October 1997.

People reported that Eriksson filed for divorce in 2001 after she discovered that Lyle had been unfaithful and sent letters to other women.

Lyle Menendez then married Rebecca Sneed

Lyle married Rebecca Sneed two years later, in 2003, when he was 35 and she was 33. They were married in a ceremony at Mule Creek State Prison, witnessed by friends and family, The Los Angeles Times reported. A spokesperson for the prison told the publication that Lyle and Sneed had known each other for ten years at the time.

People reported in 2017 that Sneed lived near Mule Creek State Prison and worked as an attorney. In an interview with the publication that year, Lyle said that he and Sneed attempted to speak with each other at least once a day. California state law prohibits conjugal visits for those serving life sentences.

“Our interaction tends to be very free of distractions and we probably have more intimate conversations than most married spouses do, who are distracted by life’s events,” he said.

He told People that he felt guilt for the judgment that Sneed faced as his wife.

“But she has the courage to deal with the obstacles,” he said. “It would be easier to leave, but I’m profoundly grateful that she doesn’t.”

Lyle Menendez and Rebecca Sneed have reportedly split

A November 21 Facebook post made to the Lyle Menendez page, which People and Today reported that Sneed runs, said that the couple had split. Amid recent unconfirmed reports that Lyle is now romantically involved with a 21-year-old college student, the post also said that Lyle had not cheated on Sneed.

“This is NOT a cheating scandal,” the post reads. “Lyle and I have been separated for a while now but remain best friends and family. 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.”

Lyle Menendez’s attorney did not immediately respond to B-17 request for comment.