Lyle and Erik Menendez were accused in 1989 for murdering their parents in their Beverly Hills home.
Despite serving life sentences, the Menendez brothers found love behind bars.
Anna Eriksson was a former Chicago model and salon receptionist.
Eriksson’s parents split when she was nine years old, forcing her to go to Colorado with her mother.
She began modelling at the age of 14 after posing for a Lord & Taylor advertisement.
Her career had taken her all throughout Europe, including London, Stockholm, and Paris.
Anna eventually moved to Colorado in 1987, where she worked as a receptionist at a salon called Shear Productions.
Janet Lombardi, the owner of Shear Productions, characterised Eriksson as “an intelligent and energetic young woman, a very compassionate gal” who “never found the right guy.” They preyed on her because she was such a kind child.”
Eriksson watched Lyle on TV during his first trial and decided to send him a letter after observing Lyle’s lack of attention in comparison to his brother, Erik.
“I was watching the lawyers thanking people for all these letters of support Erik got,” she recounted her decision to contact Lyle. “I asked myself, ‘What about Lyle?'”
Anna went on to write a letter to the Menendez brother, telling him to “hang tough.”
Lyle responded, and their correspondence grew into a partnership.
Eriksson relocated to Los Angeles in 1994 to be closer to Lyle, where he worked as a contract administrator for a record label.
After meeting in person, the couple fell in love and planned to marry on the day of Lyle’s sentence in 1996.
They grew in their marriage until 2001, when Eriksson discovered Lyle was cheating on her with another pen buddy.
Eriksson divorced Lyle soon after discovering Lyle’s secret lover.
There have been no reports on Eriksson’s present location after their divorce.
Erik and Lyle are still serving life sentences in jail.
After being separated for years, the Menendez brothers were reunited in April 2018 after being transferred to the same institution.
Lyle remarried another pen buddy, Rebecca Sneed, in 2003, after his divorce from Anna.
They are still married as of May 2023.
Erik, like many others, discovered love through a pen friend called Tammi Saccoman. Erik received a letter from Tammi in 1993, but they did not meet until 1997.
Tammi married Erik Menendez in 1999 and authored a book about their relationship called They Said We’d Never Make It: My Life With Erik Menendez.
The novel was published on October 17, 2005. Tammi and Erik are still married today.
Monster, Netflix’s anthology series, is slated to broadcast a season centred on the case of Erik and Lyle Menendez.
The new season, helmed by Ryan Murphy, is set to premiere in 2024.