Inside the Menendez Brothers’ Prison Lives: Restrictions, No Conjugal Visits
Erik Menendez again Lyle Menendez they are awaiting a new trial in their murder case – but how is their life in prison right now?
The brothers were arrested in 1990 on two counts of murder after their parents – José and Kitty – were found shot to death in their home. Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18 at the time of the murder and after two trials, they were sentenced to life in prison without parole. Lyle and Erik have maintained that their mother and father abused them physically, emotionally and sexually before their deaths.
While serving time in the same prison, Erik and Lyle were transferred after their convictions. They were reunited in 2018 when they were moved to the same house at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility.
Their case received renewed support in September 2024 after focusing on it Ryan Murphy‘s Monsters series. Despite Erik publicly criticizing the scripted show, he met her Cooper Kochwho played him on screen.
“They have done amazing things in prison. Erik teaches meditation. He teaches speaking classes. They’re both very nice people,” Koch told The Hollywood Reporter in September 2024. “I think at the time, people didn’t believe that sexual harassment between men was something you couldn’t believe and it was an easy pill to swallow that they killed. their parents with money. But now, after so long, I think people are more open to understanding that something like that happened.”
Koch added: “In fact, the warden told me that he felt that he would be happy to have them as his neighbors and that he would be comfortable if he allowed them to watch his children. I think that means a lot!”
With support from Koch — and the reality-star-turned-prison-reform-activist Kim Kardashian – Los Angeles County Attorney George Gascón announced in October 2024 that a hearing had been set due to new evidence.
Keep scrolling to get an insight into Erik and Lyle’s daily life in prison:
Past Issues
Erik reflected on his adaptation to life in prison, recounting People in 2005, “The cell I live in is small … about 6′ by 4′. Two people remain in the cell. The cell is so small that only one person can rise at a time. There is a commode and a sink.”
It was difficult for him to get used to the “sounds of violence” in prison.
“It is very difficult to live with him. It always affects you. And you have to keep to your business,” he said. “There could be 300 to 400 people in the yard at a time and at any moment a fight could break out. Last month, two prisoners were killed. You have to stay away from the bullies in the yard.”
Erik revealed that he was abused during his first sentencing. “You have to stand up to them, but at the same time you have to be extremely respectful. You must be able to apologize. After 15 years, I have read lectures on how a person is a prisoner,” he continued. “I have fought … many battles. But I never fought first. You must learn wisdom. There is a constant state of dread that exists as background noise. You should always be aware of who is around you. You have to keep sharpening your survival instincts.”
He concluded by saying: “The two things that make prison the worst are the level of violence and the lack of hope and love.” It scares me what the prison is doing to us.”
Netflix’s Monsters series is facing backlash for its portrayal of Lyle Menéndez and Erik Menéndez – inaccurate details of the events leading up to their murder case. The limited series, which was released on September 19, focused on Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik (Cooper Koch), who were convicted of murder in 1989. […]
Current Development Examples
In a statement posted to Biography.com in September 2024, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation provided an update on the conduct of Erik and Lyle, writing, “During his incarceration, Erik Menendez committed two serious violations. Joseph [Lyle] Mendez did not commit any violations.”
Erik and Lyle’s good behavior earned them a place in the “undesignated program center” at Donovan. The unit is known as Echo Yard, which allows inmates more freedom, rehabilitation and education. Those opportunities include yoga, art classes and more.
In a casual interview, Erik gave an example of his daily routine, telling People in 2005 again, “I wake up at 6 am At 6:20 I have breakfast. I meditate at 6:50. From 7:30 I read and write in my journal. We will have morning yard time starting at 9:30 or afternoon yard time starting at 2:00 pm At two o’clock I start my work. I will try and call [wife] Tami [Menéndez] in the afternoon. I will then work until 8:00 pm At 9:00 pm we are closed. I usually go to bed around 10:30 at night”
Rules for Contacting Loved Ones
The brothers are classified as Group A prisoners, which allows them to have more rights related to visits and phone calls. In recent years, laws have been passed that allow prisoners and their families to make free phone calls.
In 2021, California began providing inmates with pills. It took two years for inmates at Donovan to use this feature and it is important to note that the devices cannot access social media or internet browsers. Tablets are widely used to read news and stay in touch with loved ones through email, video calls and messaging.
Possible lessons
Echo Yard is considered an experimental part of the prison with less restrictions. The unit operates outside of “normal prison rules,” according to a report from the San Diego Union-Tribune. Echo Yard allows inmates to participate in arts programs, education and support groups for people with anger management or substance abuse problems.
Inmates can take courses such as victim awareness, money management and job hunting techniques. There is a yoga program, which allows prisons to get a 10-day sentence reduction for every 52 hours of participating in the program. Rehabilitation Credits can give inmates up to 40 days off their sentences each year.
Donovan has a monthly inmate-published newspaper and art classes. Lyle and Erik took advantage of Project Paint when they helped paint a 1,000-foot long mural at Echo Yard in 2020.
Elsewhere at Echo Yard, inmates can help raise the service dogs and guide dogs of the future. Donovan also held its first graduation ceremony in 2024 after nearly a dozen inmates graduated with Inspiring Futures Through Educational Degrees.
Ted Soqui/Sygma via Getty Images Erik Menéndez and Lyle Menéndez both found partners while serving their life sentences following a high-profile murder case. The Menéndez brothers were arrested in 1990 on two counts of murder after their parents – José and Kitty – were found shot to death in their home. Two […]
Limitations on Conjugal Visitation
Erik and Lyle Menendez
VINCE BUCCI/AFP via Getty ImagesErik has been married to wife Tammi since 1999 after meeting through letters. Lyle took his vows with him Anna Eriksson in 1996 but they broke up five years later. Later he found love Rebecca Sneed and they got married in 2003.
California prisons allow spousal visits but prisons serving life sentences without parole are restricted from such rights. The law was changed in 2016 but since Erik and Lyle committed a violent crime against a family member, they are still not eligible for family visitation.
“Not having sex in my life is difficult, but it is not a problem for me. I have to be emotionally close, and I’m emotionally close to Erik,” Tammi said People in 2005. “My family doesn’t understand. When it became difficult, some of them just raised their hands.”
Lyle also shared a glimpse of his marriage to Rebecca, telling the outlet in 2017, “Our relationship is usually free of distractions and we probably have more intimate conversations than most couples, who are interrupted by life events.”
He concluded: “We try to talk on the phone every day, sometimes several times a day. I have a stable, involved and supportive marriage that brings me great peace and happiness. It goes against the unpredictable and very stressful situation here.”
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