THE Menendez brothers were sentenced to life without parole in 1996 for the murder of their parents.
Ryan Murphy’s Netflix hit Monsters details the crime and the trial that followed but fans have been asking what happened to the brothers after sentencing.
LyleGetty
ErikAP: Associated Press
As of September 2024, Lyle and Erik Menendez remain incarcerated at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
However, much has happened since their sentencing in the mid-1990s.
Life without parole
Previously, the Menendez brothers were jailed at separate prisons.
From 1996 to 2018, the eldest brother Lyle was imprisoned at Mule Creek State Prison.
Meanwhile, Erik spent that same amount of time at Pleasant Valley Prison.
In April 2018, Lyle and Erik were reunited after more than 20 years.
The last time they had seen each other was on September 10, 1996.
Regarding the brothers’ reunion, ABC News observed: “They just hugged each other for a few minutes without saying any words to each other.”
“Then the prison officials let them spend an hour together in a room.”
While in prison, the brothers have unsuccessfully filed for appeal several times.
The brothers are played by Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez in the Ryan Murphy seriesGetty Images
How old are the Menendez brothers?
Lyle was born on January 10, 1968, and his younger brother, Erik, was born on November 27, 1970.
When they killed their mother and father, Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18.
On March 20, 1996, both Lyle and Erik were convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
On July 2, 1996, they were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Throughout the brothers’ trial, their legal team argued that they were sexually abused by their father.
Love behind bars
Both Menendez brothers got married during their time in prison.
Lyle first tied the knot with former model Anna Eriksonn in 1996, after he responded to a letter that she wrote to him.
However, they divorced in 2001 when Anna discovered that Lyle was also writing letters to Rebecca Sneed.
Lyle married Rebecca in 2003 and remains married to her, as of September 2024.
Erik also met his now-wife, Tammi, after she sent him a letter.
The couple got married in 1999, in the prison’s visiting room.
He is still married to his wife, who shared his statement criticizing the Ryan Murphy show.