Their lives in prison, their wives and more

Lyle and Erik, who were 21 and 18 respectively when they committed the murders, are now 56 and 53, older than their parents ever were. After spending so many years in prison, the two have become accustomed to the rhythms and rules of incarceration. They have not yet completely given up hope of one day living outside the prison walls, but they currently remain locked up. Here's everything you need to know about where the Menendez brothers are now and what their lives are like today.

Where are the Menendez brothers imprisoned?

Lyle Menendez on February 22, 2018

Erik Menendez on October 31, 2016

When their sentences began in 1996, Lyle and Erik requested to be placed in the same prison. At the time, however, prison officials preferred to separate people who had committed crimes together. Additionally, a detective in their case warned that the brothers may be planning an escape.

Over the years, Lyle repeatedly requested placement near his brother. On February 22, 2018, he was transferred from Mule Creek State Prison in Northern California to the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, where Erik had been incarcerated since 2013.

Lyle initially lived in a different unit than Erik in Donovan. But on April 4, 2018, prison officials moved Erik to the same unit as Lyle. According to Robert Rand, a journalist who keeps in touch with the Menendez brothers and their family members, the two “immediately burst into tears” when they saw each other for the first time since 1996. The brothers can see each other during training, recovery and Meet meal times.

What is life in prison like for the Menendez brothers?

The brothers' celebrity has attracted the attention of other inmates. In 2005, Erik said People“I fought… a lot of fights. But I never fight first. You have to learn to be smart. There is a constant state of fear that exists as background noise. You must always be aware of who is around you. You have to continually improve your survival instincts.”

However, Lyle and Erik weren't regular troublemakers behind bars. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation tells Biography.com via email: “While incarcerated, Erik Menendez committed two serious policy violations. Joseph (Lyle) Menendez did not violate any rules.”

Watch the new Netflix series Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez or the documentary Truth and Lies: The Menendez Brothers

Thanks to their good behavior and efforts at prison jobs and classes, Erik and Lyle now live in an “undesignated programming facility” in Donovan. This unit, known as Echo Yard, offers inmates greater freedom as well as rehabilitation and educational programs. Echo Yard prisoners take yoga and art classes, study various academic subjects, and join groups to address issues such as anger management and alcoholism.

Although Echo Yard is less restrictive, it is still part of a prison. Inmates must attend regular formal hearings. Lyle and Erik live in different dormitories with other inmates, and these cells are locked overnight starting at 9 p.m

What interests did the Menendez brothers develop in prison?

Erik worked with terminally ill prisoners. He is also interested in meditation and teaches courses on religion. In 2018, his aunt told ABC News, “(Erik) really made sure that the prisoners knew that there was a God who loved us.” That was great for me because he never experienced that at home. “

Erik also spent time in prison painting. Together, Erik and Lyle came up with a plan to paint a mural on the concrete walls surrounding Echo Yard.

Lyle worked in inmate management at Mule Creek State Prison for 15 years. According to Robert Rand, Lyle worked on prison reform, an interest also shared by Erik. Both brothers have offered support and guidance to people who experienced childhood sexual abuse.

How do the Menendez brothers keep in touch with friends and family?

Erik and Lyle are both classified as Group A prisoners, who have the most privileges in the California prison system to receive visits and make phone calls. For most of their incarceration, calls from prison were expensive, but in January 2023, phone calls became free for inmates and their families.

The state of California began providing tablets to prisoners in August 2021, but the devices did not reach Donovan inmates until June 2023. The tablets do not allow access to social media or internet browsers, but inmates can read magazines and stay up to date with news . The tablets allow prisoners to stay in touch with approved contacts. In addition to email and free calls, they get a limited number of video call minutes and text messages with the option to pay more for them.

Both Lyle and Erik are married and met their wives in prison

Prison hasn't stopped Lyle and Erik from finding love.

Tammi Menendez, seen here in June 1999, is the wife of Erik Menendez.

Tammi Saccoman observed and wrote to Erik's first trial. The pen pals met in person in 1997 and married in 1999 at Folsom State Prison. A few years after her marriage, Tammi wrote a book about her relationship titled They Said We'd Never Make It: My Life with Erik Menendez.

Lyle married Rebecca Sneed in 2003 in the maximum security section of Mule Creek State Prison. It was his second wedding in prison; His first marriage, to former model Anna Eriksson, ended in divorce.

In California prisons, inmates are allowed conjugal visits, officially known as family visits. Prisoners serving life sentences without parole were not entitled to these visits until the law changed in 2016. However, the state continues to prohibit family visits for prisoners who have committed a violent crime against a family member, meaning Lyle and Erik remain ineligible for family visits.

Lyle told ABC News: “I have found that I can have a healthy marriage that is complicated and based on conversations and finding creative ways to communicate and exchange without all the props that are normally present in a marriage, like going out to eat etc. spending so much intimate time together and so on.”

Could the Menendez brothers be released from prison?

Erik and Lyle filed several appeals during their years in prison, but none were successful and it appeared they had no viable path to freedom. Then, in May 2023, Lyle and Erik's attorneys filed a habeas petition requesting a new evidentiary hearing or the Menendez brothers' convictions being overturned.

Menudo band member Roy Rosselló, seen here circa 1985, said record executive José Menendez sexually abused him as a teenager.

The petition was filed after Roy Rosselló, a former member of the boy band Menudo, went public with his experience of sexual assault at the hands of José Menendez in the 1980s. In the 2023 documentary series Menendez + Menudo: Betrayed BoysRosselló explained that José, then an executive at RCA Records, drugged and raped him.

A letter was also found in 2018 that Erik had sent to a cousin eight months before his parents were shot. Erik had written: “I tried to avoid Dad. It still happens Andy, but it's worse for me now… I never know when it's going to happen and it drives me crazy. Every night I stay awake thinking he might come in.”

The most recent petition included Erik's letter and a signed statement from Rosselló. However, overturning convictions is rare in the justice system, and the Menendez brothers face an uphill battle to get a retrial or re-sentencing for the murders.

In 2019, Lyle told journalist Robert Rand that the brothers were trying to manage their expectations of freedom: “We've seen too many friends get their hopes up with appeals filings and commutation requests.” They have the days off Marked on calendars. In the end they are rejected and sadly sink into a deep depression.”

The story of the Menendez brothers is now a major Netflix series

More than three decades have passed since they killed their parents, but the Menendez brothers' fame endures. Their first trial was broadcast on CourtTV and can still be watched online. The brothers' story has also inspired several films and television shows, including drama Menendez: Blood brothers, Law & Order True Crime: the Menendez Murders on NBC and the documentary Truth and Lies: The Menendez Brothers – American Sons, American Murders.

A week ago, Netflix released the second season of its huge hit Monster This turns the lens on the Menendez brothers. Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez The film stars Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch as Lyle and Erik, respectively. Oscar winners Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny portray their parents José and Kitty. The anthology series previously focused on the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in the first part.

Lyle and Erik are also taking part in a documentary for Netflix coming October 7th.

Sara Kettler is a Connecticut-based freelance writer who has written for Biography.com, History, and the A&E True Crime blog. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America and also writes crime novels. Outside of writing, she enjoys dogs, Broadway shows, and learning foreign languages.