Lyle Menendez, aged 28 at the time, married model and salon receptionist Anna Eriksson on July 2, 1996, coinciding with the day he and his brother Erik Menendez were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the double murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989.
Anna began corresponding with Lyle in 1993 during his initial trial, which ended in a mistrial. The following year, she relocated to California to be closer to him. She became a steadfast presence during the lengthy retrial that commenced in 1995 and led to their convictions in March 1996, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
They were unable to exchange vows in person; instead, Lyle married Anna over speakerphone while he was in custody and she was at the office of defense attorney Leslie Abramson.
Lyle appeared to hope for an opportunity to marry Anna in person once he knew his final location.
“We do have a marriage proceeding,” stated California Correctional Institution spokesman Lt. Jack Pitko to the LA Times in September 1996 after Lyle and Erik were ordered to separate prisons. “There’s a waiting list…But I don’t see why he shouldn’t be able to get married if he follows all the rules.”
In 2001, Anna filed for divorce after reportedly discovering that Lyle was exchanging letters with other women.
