Meet Lyle Menendez’s Wives: Rebecca Sneed and Anna Eriksson

Lyle Menendez, one-half of the infamous Menendez brothers duo convicted in 1996 for the 1989 murders of their parents, José Menendez and Kitty Menendez, has led a surprisingly eventful personal life despite spending decades behind bars.

Joseph Lyle Menendez was born on January 10, 1968, in New York City, making him 58 years old.

He grew up outside Princeton, New Jersey, as the older son of José Menendez, a Cuban immigrant who rose to prominence as an entertainment executive, and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez, a former schoolteacher. He is of Cuban-American ethnicity and was raised in the Roman Catholic faith, with both he and his younger brother Erik baptized and brought up with traditional Catholic values.

His only sibling is his younger brother, Erik Galen Menendez, born on November 27, 1970. The two grew up in an affluent household that, beneath its polished surface, was shaped by intense pressure and alleged abuse.

Their father, José, was a domineering perfectionist who controlled virtually every aspect of Lyle‘s upbringing — from what he ate to who he spent time with, while their mother, Kitty, though supportive of her husband’s methods, was subject to dramatic mood swings that both sons had to endure.

Lyle and Erik attended Princeton Day School when the family lived in New Jersey, before relocating to Calabasas, California, during the boys’ teenage years. In high school, under his father’s instruction to find a sport at which to excel individually, Lyle chose tennis and became the highest-ranked member of his squad, though his academic grades remained average.

After graduating, he was initially rejected by Princeton University and attended a local community college before gaining admission on a second attempt. His time at Princeton was cut short when he was suspended for plagiarism, and his low grades led to further academic disciplinary action. He would eventually earn a sociology degree from UC Irvine while incarcerated.

Lyle stands approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, equivalent to about 178 centimeters. Before prison, he fell in love with a girl he hoped to marry, but his parents disapproved and ended the relationship. He later fell in love with a model, but his parents once again intervened and put an end to that romance as well, leaving him with deep-seated resentment toward his family.

Lyle has been married twice, both times while behind bars. His first wife, Anna Eriksson, was a model and salon receptionist who began writing to him during his first trial in 1993. The two grew close through letters, and Eriksson eventually relocated to Los Angeles to be near him.

They married on July 2, 1996, the same day he was sentenced to life in prison, in a ceremony conducted over speakerphone, with the bride standing in the office of defense attorney Leslie Abramson. The marriage collapsed five years later when Anna filed for divorce in 2001, claiming Lyle had been unfaithful by exchanging letters with other women behind her back.

His second marriage was to Rebecca Sneed, a former magazine editor who had transitioned into a career as a defense attorney. The two had known each other for roughly ten years before tying the knot in November 2003 at Mule Creek State Prison near Sacramento, their bond having grown from letters into regular in-person visits.

After over two decades together, Rebecca announced in late 2024 that the two had separated, though she described them as remaining best friends and family, and pledged to continue fighting for his freedom. Lyle has no biological children from either marriage.

Following his separation from Sneed, he was reportedly linked to a British university student named Milly Bucksey, who allegedly met him through a Facebook group managed by his estranged wife and visited him in prison, though the nature of that connection was not formally confirmed.

Anna Eriksson

Anna Eriksson holds the distinction of being Lyle Menendez’s first wife, a woman whose connection to him began not in a courtroom or a prison visiting room, but through a handwritten letter.

Chicago-born and a model since her teenage years, Eriksson began her correspondence with Lyle during his very first trial, reportedly sending a brief, bold message of encouragement simply urging him to stay strong. That single letter sparked a back-and-forth exchange that deepened into something far more intimate over time.

After developing a bond with Lyle through letters, Eriksson relocated to Los Angeles to be closer to him. She took a job as a contract administrator for a record company while making herself a consistent and visible presence throughout his lengthy retrial. She became a reliable fixture at the months-long retrial that began in 1995 and concluded with convictions in March 1996.

Their wedding, held on July 2, 1996, was one of the more unusual ceremonies in tabloid history. Lyle, then 28, could not be physically present for the vows, and so the ceremony was conducted over speakerphone, with the bride standing in the office of defense attorney Leslie Abramson.

The date itself carried a grim irony; it was the very same day Lyle and his brother Erik were formally sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Those present at the ceremony recalled that Eriksson referred to Lyle as her “guardian angel,” while Lyle himself called it the “best day” of his life.

The marriage, however, did not survive the weight of incarceration. Anna filed for divorce in 2001 after she allegedly discovered that Lyle had been exchanging letters with other women behind her back.

The union had already faced legal complications from the start; the California Department of Corrections did not recognize the phone wedding as legally binding, but the emotional breach proved to be the final blow. The two parted ways, closing a five-year chapter that had captivated the public almost as much as the trial itself.

Rebecca Sneed

Rebecca Sneed became Lyle Menendez’s second wife, and the relationship that led to their marriage was built over a decade of sustained communication before a single vow was ever exchanged.

A former magazine editor who later transitioned into a career as a defense attorney based in Sacramento, Sneed began her connection with Lyle the same way Anna Eriksson had, through letters. What set her story apart was the patience with which both parties approached the relationship. By the time Lyle proposed, he had known her for roughly ten years, their bond having evolved from written correspondence to regular in-person prison visits.

The two exchanged vows in November 2003 at Mule Creek State Prison outside Sacramento, with about a dozen friends and family members looking on from a maximum security visiting area. At the time, Rebecca was living in Sacramento and was said to visit him weekly.

Despite the obvious constraints of their circumstances, no conjugal visits, no shared home, no ordinary domestic life, Lyle spoke warmly about their bond in later interviews. He described the marriage as “healthy” and “built around finding creative ways to communicate,” noting that the absence of everyday distractions had, in a strange way, pushed the two toward a deeper level of honesty and emotional connection than many couples on the outside ever achieve.

In 2017, Lyle told People that the two tried to speak on the phone every day, sometimes multiple times, and that the marriage brought him great peace and joy amid the unpredictable stress of prison life. He acknowledged that his wife endured judgment from outsiders but praised her resilience and commitment to staying.

That chapter, however, came to a quiet close in late 2024. Ahead of a judicial decision on whether Lyle and his brother Erik should be resentenced, Rebecca confirmed on social media that she and Lyle had separated, clarifying that it was not a cheating scandal and that the two remained close friends and family.

She also reaffirmed that she would continue to manage Lyle’s Facebook pages and remain committed to fighting for his and Erik’s freedom. The separation closed a 21-year marriage, one defined more by letters, phone calls, and quiet resilience than by any conventional measure of togetherness.

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