Erik Menendez's Wife Celebrates His Birthday After Resentencing Delay

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Erik Menendez’s Wife Tammi "Disappointed" by Resentencing Decision

Erik Menendez is getting day wishes from afar. 

Just 2 days aft the resentencing proceeding for Erik and his member Lyle Menendez delayed, his woman Tammi Menendez, who antecedently shared her hopes he’d beryllium location for his 54th birthday, paid tribute to his peculiar time with a heartfelt enactment of gratitude to his supporters.

“Happy Birthday Erik!” Tammi wrote successful a Nov. 27 post connected X, formerly Twitter. “It is his 35th day successful prison! Thank You to everyone astir the satellite for the fantastic Happy Birthday videos for Erik!”

Tammi’s connection is the archetypal clip she’s spoken retired since Erik and Lyle’s Nov. 25 hearing, wherever Judge Michael Jesic ruled to postpone the brothers’ resentencing proceeding from Dec. 11 to Jan. 30 and Jan. 31, to springiness District Attorney-elect Nathan Hochman time to reappraisal files for the case. 

And portion Erik and Lyle—who were arrested for the murders of their parents Jose Menendez and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez erstwhile they were 18 and 21 years old, respectively—were posed to marque their archetypal tribunal quality successful 28 years astatine the Nov. 25 tribunal day via webcam, a method contented kept them from doing so. 

Meanwhile, Erik and Lyle’s aged household members—the oldest sisters of each of their parents—were permitted to attest astatine the caller tribunal date, citing their wellness and age, contempt the rescheduling. 

“My feeling is 35 years is simply a agelong time, particularly erstwhile you are 18 and 21,” Terracita Menendez Baralt, 85, José’s sister, testified Nov. 25, per the Los Angeles Times. “I deliberation it’s clip for them to travel home.” 

And Kitty’s sister Joan VanderMolen, 93, also shared a testimony, bemoaning her precocious sister for being a bystander to her husband’s alleged intersexual abuse of Erik and Lyle. 

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

“No kid should person to endure what Erik and Lyle lived done astatine the hands of their father,” she said successful court, per the Los Angeles Times. “It breaks my bosom that my sister Kitty knew what was happening and did thing astir it, that we knew of. They ne'er knew whether this would beryllium the nighttime they would beryllium raped. It’s clip for them to travel home.”

Tammi has besides continued to vie for her husband’s merchandise from prison. And portion Lyle’s woman Rebecca Sneed precocious confirmed the mates had separated, she has advocated for her estranged husband’s merchandise and maintains a narration with him. 

Keep speechmaking for much astir Tammi, Rebecca and different women who person supported Erik and Lyle amid their astir 35 years of incarceration.

Kim Kulish/Sygma via Getty Images

Anna Eriksson

Lyle Menendez, past 28, joined exemplary and salon receptionist Anna Eriksson connected July 2, 1996, the time helium and member Erik Menendez were sentenced to beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole for the 1989 treble execution of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez.

Anna started penning to Lyle successful 1993 during his archetypal trial, which ended successful a mistrial, and past moved to California to beryllium adjacent him the pursuing year. She became a reliable beingness astatine the months-long retrial that began successful 1995 and resulted successful convictions successful March 1996, according to the Los Angeles Times.

They couldn't instrumentality their vows successful person, however, Lyle alternatively taking the plunge implicit talker phone, the groom successful custody and the bride successful the bureau of defence lawyer Leslie Abramson.

He seemingly hoped to beryllium capable to wed Anna successful person, erstwhile helium knew wherever he'd extremity up.

"We bash person a matrimony proceeding," California Correctional Institution spokesperson Lt. Jack Pitko told the LA Times in September 1996 erstwhile Lyle and Erik had been ordered to abstracted prisons. "There's a waiting list...But I don't spot wherefore helium shouldn't beryllium capable to get joined if helium follows each the rules."

Anna filed for divorcement successful 2001 after, according to aggregate reports from the time, she allegedly recovered retired Lyle was exchanging letters with different women.

Oxygen

Rebecca Sneed

Lyle didn't unreserved into thing erstwhile helium joined writer Rebecca Sneed, reportedly 33 astatine the time, successful November 2003: He had known her for 10 years, archetypal done letters and yet from in-person visits, a situation spokesperson told the Associated Press successful confirming the nuptials.

The ceremonial took spot astatine Mule Creek State Prison adjacent Sacramento, wherever Lyle resided until helium was reunited with Erik successful 2018 astatine the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility successful confederate San Diego County.

"Our enactment tends to beryllium precise escaped of distractions and we astir apt person much intimate conversations than astir joined spouses do, who are distracted by life's events," Lyle told People in 2017. At the time, Rebecca was surviving successful Sacramento and was said to sojourn weekly.

"We effort and speech connected the telephone each day, sometimes respective times a day," Lyle added. "I person a precise steady, progressive matrimony and that helps prolong maine and brings a batch of bid and joy. It's a antagonistic to the unpredictable, precise stressful situation here."

Rebecca "put up with a lot," helium acknowledged. "But she has the courageousness to woody with the obstacles. It would beryllium easier to leave, but I'm profoundly grateful that she doesn't."

Kim Kulish/Sygma via Getty Images

The bloom has since travel disconnected the rose, however: Ahead of a determination connected whether Lyle and Erik should beryllium resentenced and perchance acceptable escaped successful the adjacent future, Rebecca confirmed that she and Lyle are separated.

"Lyle and I person been separated for a portion present but stay champion friends and family," she wrote Nov. 22 connected her authoritative Facebook page. "I proceed to tally his Facebook pages, with input from him, and I americium everlastingly committed to the enduring combat for Lyle and Erik’s freedom, arsenic has been truthful evident implicit the years."

She added, "I'll proceed to update you each connected the advancement of the lawsuit due to the fact that I judge we each person the communal extremity of seeing the guys locomotion free! I volition ne'er halt warring for them."

And due to the fact that tabloid rumors don't halt extracurricular the situation gates, the station besides noted, "This is NOT a cheating scandal."

Chris Morton/Getty Images

Tammi Saccoman 

Erik's woman Tammi Menendez, present 62, was joined to Chuck Saccoman when she archetypal spied the younger Menendez member connected TV successful 1993 and felt a peculiar spot successful her bosom for the 22-year-old execution defendant.

As she later told People, she informed her hubby she was going to constitute to Erik and Chuck gave her his blessing.

"I saw Tammi's missive and I felt something. I received thousands of letters, but I acceptable this 1 aside. I got a feeling," Erik told the publication. "And I wrote her back. Tammi and I continued to correspond. I enjoyed penning to her. It was a dilatory friendship. It was peculiar to maine due to the fact that it was not associated with the proceedings and the media. Tammi was idiosyncratic not successful the craziness."

However, arsenic Tammi elaborate successful her 2005 publication They Said We'd Never Make It: My Life With Erik Menendez, she doubted the brothers' maltreatment defence astatine first. (And she told MSNBC that Erik mentioned having a woman of respective years aboriginal on.)

But successful 1996, arsenic Tammi has elaborate successful her publication and interviews, she recovered retired that Chuck had abused her teenage girl from a erstwhile relationship. (They besides shared a then-9-month-old daughter.)

Chuck turned himself into constabulary and died by termination 2 days later, according to People.

Chris Morton/Online USA, Inc.

After Chuck died, "I reached retired to Erik," she told the work successful 2005. "He comforted me. Our letters started taking connected a much superior tone."

Tammi admitted she was "really nervous" erstwhile she yet met Erik successful idiosyncratic astatine Folsom State Prison successful August 1997.

"Erik had nary thought what I looked like; I'd lone sent him a tiny, 1-by-1 picture," she explained. "But erstwhile helium walked into the room, helium was truthful afloat of life, helium hopped down the stairs. It was similar I was gathering an aged friend."

They joined successful 1999, a Twinkie serving arsenic their wedding cake. 

New Galen Publishing

And they've been unneurotic ever since, though Tammi has acknowledged that the deficiency of conjugal visits tin beryllium tough.

"A buss erstwhile you travel in, a buss erstwhile you leave," she described the regular connected MSNBC successful December 2005. 'You tin clasp hands and that portion of it is precise difficult, and radical don't understand."

Erik said helium tried not to deliberation astir what was past the likelihood that helium would never get retired of prison.

“Tammi is what gets maine through," helium told People in 2005. "I can't deliberation astir the sentence. When I do, I bash it with a large sadness and a primal fear. I interruption into a acold sweat. It's truthful frightening I conscionable haven't travel to presumption with it."

But connected a much optimistic note, Tammi had besides taught him "how to beryllium a bully husband," Erik said. "There is nary constitution sex, lone a 15-minute telephone call, truthful you truly person to effort to marque things work."

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