Lyle Menendez has spent more than half his life in a cage. But for five of those years, he was a married man. Not to his current (or recently separated) wife Rebecca Sneed, but to a former model named Anna Eriksson. Most people watching the Netflix dramas or the TikTok clips of the brothers' 1990s trials think they know the whole story. They don't. The marriage between Lyle Menendez and Anna Eriksson wasn't just some weird "true crime fan" phase; it was a complex, five-year saga of letters, speakerphone vows, and a betrayal that felt like a movie script.
It started with a television screen.
Anna was a Swedish-born model and former salon receptionist living in Chicago when she first saw the Menendez brothers on her TV. She didn't see the monsters the media described. She saw two boys who looked like they were drowning. While everyone else was obsessing over the murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez, Anna found herself wondering who was looking out for the older brother. She wrote a letter. She told him to "hang tough."
He wrote back.
A Marriage Conducted Through a Speakerphone
The relationship moved fast for two people who couldn't touch. By 1994, Anna had packed up her life in Chicago and moved to Los Angeles. She wanted to be close to the jail. She got a job at a record label. They weren't just pen pals; they were a couple.
They got married on July 2, 1996.
👉 See also: Addison Rae and The Kid LAROI: What Really Happened
Think about that date. It wasn't some random Tuesday. It was the very day Lyle was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. While the rest of the world saw a man receiving his final judgment, Anna Eriksson was saying "I do."
The ceremony was surreal. It took place via speakerphone in the office of Leslie Abramson, Erik’s famous defense attorney. Judge Nancy Brown performed the ceremony. There was no cake. There was no honeymoon. There weren't even rings they could exchange in person. Lyle’s aunt, Marta Menendez, had to stand in and hold a temporary pearl ring for Anna.
It was a marriage of glass partitions and collect calls.
Lyle later told Barbara Walters in an interview that Anna was a "saint." He said having that love kept him "softer" in a place designed to make you hard and cold. For a while, it seemed like they might actually make the impossible work.
Why the Love Story Crumbled
You’d think the "life in prison" part would be the dealbreaker. It wasn't. The end of the marriage between Lyle Menendez and Anna Eriksson came down to something much more mundane: a letter.
✨ Don't miss: Game of Thrones Actors: Where the Cast of Westeros Actually Ended Up
In 2001, Anna discovered that Lyle hadn't just been writing to her. He had been corresponding with another woman—a woman named Judi. Honestly, it’s the kind of betrayal that happens in "normal" marriages every day, but in a prison marriage, letters are the only currency you have.
When Anna found out he was being unfaithful through the mail, she was done.
She filed for divorce. She didn't just leave; she vanished from the public eye. She didn't write a "tell-all" book immediately. She didn't go on a press tour. She just walked away.
The Aftermath: Where is Anna Eriksson Now?
For decades, Anna was a ghost in the Menendez narrative.
Lyle moved on quickly, marrying Rebecca Sneed in 2003. But in late 2024 and early 2025, Anna finally broke her silence. In an exclusive interview with the Swedish press, she revealed that despite the cheating, she still has "warm feelings" for him.
🔗 Read more: Is The Weeknd a Christian? The Truth Behind Abel’s Faith and Lyrics
She's living a completely different life now. She’s an author, she’s remarried, and she goes by a different name (Anna Bendewald). She recalled how they used to watch Seinfeld together over the phone, trying to synchronize their TV sets so they could laugh at the same jokes at the same time.
It’s easy to judge women who marry men in prison. We call it "Hybristophilia" or say they just want the fame. But Anna’s reflections don't sound like those of a "groupie." She talked about seeing Lyle with injuries in his early prison days and fearing for his life. She spoke about the trauma he carried.
The reality is that their marriage was a desperate attempt at normalcy in a situation that was anything but.
Actionable Insights for True Crime Follower
If you're following the recent developments in the Menendez case—including the 2025 updates on their potential resentencing—keep these facts about their personal lives in mind:
- Look past the "Monsters" narrative. The fact that Lyle's ex-wife still speaks of him with kindness after he cheated on her suggests a much more nuanced personality than the one-dimensional "preppy killer" portrayed in the 90s.
- Contextualize the "Prison Bride" stigma. For Anna, it wasn't about the crime; it was about the isolation. Understanding her perspective helps explain why so many people are currently advocating for the brothers' release.
- Verify the sources. Many "updates" on Anna Eriksson online are actually old rumors. Her recent interviews in 2024 and 2025 are the most accurate accounts of her current stance.
The story of Lyle Menendez and Anna Eriksson is a reminder that even in the darkest corners of the justice system, human relationships are messy, flawed, and surprisingly resilient.
To stay updated on the legal status of the Menendez brothers, you should monitor the official California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) filings or reputable legal news outlets covering their 2025/2026 habeas corpus proceedings.