Love in Lockup: Lyle Menendez Ties Knot with Supermodel Only to Face Cheating Scandal — All While Serving Life in Prison
Lyle Menendez was married in a 'proxy wedding', but then was accused of cheating.
Oct. 2 2024, Published 4:32 p.m. ET
Convicted murderer Lyle Menendez tied the knot behind bars with top model Anna Eriksson in a surprise "proxy wedding" — but their union wasn't love happily ever after.
Now, RadarOnline.com can reveal the couple's love fell imploded over a scandalous extramarital affair.
The brothers cited emotional and sexual abuse as part of their motive for the crime, claiming they had been in fear for their lives.
Lyle and his brother, Erik, are both serving life sentences for the brutal 1989 murders of their wealthy parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez, at the family's sprawling Beverly Hills mansion.
The brothers shot their parents at point-blank range in what prosecutors argued was a cold-blooded attempt to inherit their parents' fortune.
Despite their claims of self-defense, citing years of alleged abuse, the nation watched the trials unfold on television, captivated by the gruesome details and the brothers' courtroom demeanor.
The siblings were convicted of killing their parents, Jose and Kitty, with a shotgun in Aug. 1989.
As the trial gained national attention, the Menendez brothers became the object of admiration from some viewers. Letters poured in, and for Lyle, one note would change everything.
Enter Anna Eriksson, a stunning model from Chicago who reached out to Lyle during his first trial, offering words of comfort. In a heartfelt missive, she simply told him: "Hang tough."
Eriksson, who started modeling at 14, had seen Lyle’s televised trial and, feeling sympathy for the attention he lacked compared to his brother, began writing to him. What started as a simple exchange of letters quickly blossomed into an unlikely romance.
Despite being behind bars, both Menendez brothers have been married.
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Eriksson soon moved to Los Angeles, working as a contract administrator for a record company, all while her connection to Lyle deepened — despite the bars between them.
In a bizarre turn of events, the pair married in a secret "proxy wedding" on July 2, 1996, the same day Lyle and Erik were sentenced to life in prison.
Witnessed by Erik’s attorney, Leslie Abramson, and the brothers' aunt, the remote ceremony took place over the phone. The marriage, however, was immediately disputed by prison officials, who claimed it was not valid.
Lawyers for Lyle and Erik are expected to file legal motions to seek a new trial, the source claims.
The relationship didn’t last, and by 2001, Eriksson filed for divorce, citing Lyle’s unfaithfulness.
Despite being locked away, Lyle had been exchanging letters with other women, and Eriksson wasn’t having it. She vanished from the public eye after the divorce, while Lyle quickly moved on.
Not one to stay single for long, Lyle started another relationship with Rebecca Sneed, a former magazine editor who had been writing to him for years. The pair married in 2003, just two years after his split from Eriksson, this time at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California. They've been together ever since.
While Lyle has navigated two marriages from behind bars, his brother Erik has remained committed to the same woman he met at the start of his trial in 1993.
But both brothers’ marriages have been far from traditional, as California law prohibits conjugal visits for inmates serving life sentences.
The Menendez brothers have recently been back in the spotlight thanks to Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix drama Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
Not everyone is thrilled with the attention. Erik Menendez recently voiced his disappointment, criticizing the series for perpetuating falsehoods about their lives.
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