What to Know About the Wives of Lyle Menendez and Erik Menendez

Lyle Menendez, past 28, joined exemplary and salon receptionist Anna Eriksson connected July 2, 1996, the time helium and member Erik Menendez were sentenced to beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole for the 1989 treble execution of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez.

Anna started penning to Lyle successful 1993 during his archetypal trial, which ended successful a mistrial, and past moved to California to beryllium adjacent him the pursuing year. She became a reliable beingness astatine the months-long retrial that began successful 1995 and resulted successful convictions successful March 1996, according to the Los Angeles Times.

They couldn't instrumentality their vows successful person, however, Lyle alternatively taking the plunge implicit talker phone, the groom successful custody and the bride successful the bureau of defence lawyer Leslie Abramson.

He seemingly hoped to beryllium capable to wed Anna successful person, erstwhile helium knew wherever he'd extremity up.

"We bash person a matrimony proceeding," California Correctional Institution spokesperson Lt. Jack Pitko told the LA Times in September 1996 erstwhile Lyle and Erik had been ordered to abstracted prisons. "There's a waiting list...But I don't spot wherefore helium shouldn't beryllium capable to get joined if helium follows each the rules."

Anna filed for divorcement successful 2001 after, according to aggregate reports from the time, she allegedly recovered retired Lyle was exchanging letters with different women.

Lyle didn't unreserved into thing erstwhile helium joined writer Rebecca Sneed, reportedly 33 astatine the time, successful November 2003: He had known her for 10 years, archetypal done letters and yet from in-person visits, a situation spokesperson told the Associated Press successful confirming the nuptials.

The ceremonial took spot astatine Mule Creek State Prison adjacent Sacramento, wherever Lyle resided until helium was reunited with Erik successful 2018 astatine the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility successful confederate San Diego County.

"Our enactment tends to beryllium precise escaped of distractions and we astir apt person much intimate conversations than astir joined spouses do, who are distracted by life's events," Lyle told People in 2017. At the time, Rebecca was surviving successful Sacramento and was said to sojourn weekly.

"We effort and speech connected the telephone each day, sometimes respective times a day," Lyle added. "I person a precise steady, progressive matrimony and that helps prolong maine and brings a batch of bid and joy. It's a antagonistic to the unpredictable, precise stressful situation here."

Rebecca "put up with a lot," helium acknowledged. "But she has the courageousness to woody with the obstacles. It would beryllium easier to leave, but I'm profoundly grateful that she doesn't."

Erik's woman Tammi Menendez, present 62, was joined to Chuck Saccoman when she archetypal spied the younger Menendez member connected TV successful 1993 and felt a peculiar spot successful her bosom for the 22-year-old execution defendant.

As she later told People, she informed her hubby she was going to constitute to Erik and Chuck gave her his blessing.

"I saw Tammi's missive and I felt something. I received thousands of letters, but I acceptable this 1 aside. I got a feeling," Erik told the publication. "And I wrote her back. Tammi and I continued to correspond. I enjoyed penning to her. It was a dilatory friendship. It was peculiar to maine due to the fact that it was not associated with the proceedings and the media. Tammi was idiosyncratic not successful the craziness."

However, arsenic Tammi elaborate successful her 2005 publication They Said We'd Never Make It: My Life With Erik Menendez, she doubted the brothers' maltreatment defence astatine first. (And she told MSNBC that Erik mentioned having a woman of respective years aboriginal on.)

But successful 1996, arsenic Tammi has elaborate successful her publication and interviews, she recovered retired that Chuck had abused her teenage girl from a erstwhile relationship. (They besides shared a then-9-month-old daughter.)

Chuck turned himself into constabulary and died by termination 2 days later, according to People.

After Chuck died, "I reached retired to Erik," she told the work successful 2005. "He comforted me. Our letters started taking connected a much superior tone."

Tammi admitted she was "really nervous" erstwhile she yet met Erik successful idiosyncratic astatine Folsom State Prison successful August 1997.

"Erik had nary thought what I looked like; I'd lone sent him a tiny, 1-by-1 picture," she explained. "But erstwhile helium walked into the room, helium was truthful afloat of life, helium hopped down the stairs. It was similar I was gathering an aged friend."

They joined successful 1999, a Twinkie serving arsenic their wedding cake. 

And they've been unneurotic ever since, though Tammi has acknowledged that the deficiency of conjugal visits tin beryllium tough.

"A buss erstwhile you travel in, a buss erstwhile you leave," she described the regular connected MSNBC successful December 2005. 'You tin clasp hands and that portion of it is precise difficult, and radical don't understand."

Erik said helium tried not to deliberation astir what was past the likelihood that helium would never get retired of prison.

“Tammi is what gets maine through," helium told People in 2005. "I can't deliberation astir the sentence. When I do, I bash it with a large sadness and a primal fear. I interruption into a acold sweat. It's truthful frightening I conscionable haven't travel to presumption with it."

But connected a much optimistic note, Tammi had besides taught him "how to beryllium a bully husband," Erik said. "There is nary constitution sex, lone a 15-minute telephone call, truthful you truly person to effort to marque things work."