Rebecca Sneed: Who is the wife of convicted parent killer Lyle Menendez?
Rebecca Sneed is a fairly ordinary woman besides her decision to marry a murderer.
A man who not only killed his parents, but will never get parole.
But who is Rebecca and what lead her to make such an unthinkable decision?
Rebecca Sneed:
Exact details of Rebecca’s age and family life is difficult to pinpoint.
However, accounts seem to place her at around 50-60 years-old.
Ms Sneed is An American Christian lady with a net worth of $1.2 million dollars.
Prior to becoming a Lawyer, Rebecca enjoyed a career as a magazine editorial manager, according to Lyle.
The crimes of Lyle Menendez:
To find out about Rebecca Sneed we have to delve into the life and crimes of Lyle Menendez.
You see, in order to marry an incarcerated man, it’s hard to avoid his crimes.
This is especially in a case as high profile as that of Mr Menendez.
The shocking facts of the crimes committed by Lyle and his brother created a media storm in the US.
Lyle Menendez was just 21-years-old when he and his 18-year-old brother opened fire on their parents.
Going through 15 shotgun rounds, they left the bodies of Kitty and Jose Menendez almost unrecognizable inside their Beverly Hills mansion.
The wealthy brothers soon found themselves on trial for murder.
Prosecution quickly adopted the argument that the Menendez brothers were wanting to cash in on their inheritance early.
The brother’s defence:
In a jaw-dropping turn of events, the siblings claimed there was something far more sinister than money that lead them to pull the trigger.
Both claimed they were simply defending themselves against their abusive father, who they feared would kill them.
They also shot their mother, who was said to have ignored the boys claims of horrific childhood sexual abuse at the hands of their father.
Tensions in the house boiled over after they threatened to expose him for years of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse
However, their argument did not get them off the hook.
On August 20, 1989, both Rebecca Sneed’s husband and Erik were convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
The sentenced – life in prison without possibility of parole.
Unlike other infamous criminals in the US, Lyle and Erik Menendez have expressed seemingly sincere regret for their crimes and understand the killings were wrong.
Love behind bars:
It is well documented that Rebecca and Lyle became pen pals while the latter was still married to his first wife Anna Erikson.
However, Rebecca wasn’t the only woman in America wanting his attention.
Despite the gravity of the situation, both brothers soon found a plentiful supply of attention from adoring fans.
Many women even felt for the young men after hearing details of their childhoods.
Former Playboy model Anna Eriksson famously said she felt a special connection to Lyle as she watched the trial play out on TV.
In a TV interview she opened up about how she felt watching the the case unfold.
She said: “I was watching the lawyers thanking people for all these letters of support Erik got, I thought to myself, ‘What about Lyle?’”
Anna decided to pen to paper, which lead to them eventually marrying.
She wrote to the convict telling him to “hang tough”, and from there a correspondence began to blossom between the two.
The wedding eventually took place in 1996 but in 2001, divorce struck!
Anna’s commitment came to an end when she found out other women have received letters from her husband… Awkward!
Despite ALL of the above… Lyle was still a very popular man.
One woman who refuses to be put off by the murders and affairs is none other than Rebecca Sneed.
Rebecca Sneed’s marriage to Lyle:
Two years later Lyle found himself marrying again — this time to Rebecca Sneed.
Apparently, they’d known each other for several years beforehand.
Of course there’s no way Sneed was unaware of the popular prisoner’s infamous crimes…
In fact, it’s likely that she was one of the other women writing letters to Lyle while he was still married to Anna.
Their wedding took place in a maximum security visiting area in Mule Creek State Prison.
It seems Lyle finally settled down as he and his wife have enjoyed more than 20 years of marriage.
But despite the enormous spotlight that her husband and his brother share, Rebecca Sneed chooses to live a largely private life.
In a rare interview with People, Lyle spilled some rare details about his wife Rebecca:
He said: “Our interaction tends to be very free of distractions and we probably have more intimate conversations than most married spouses do, who are distracted by life’s events.
We try and talk on the phone every day, sometimes several times a day. I have a very steady, involved marriage and that helps sustain me and brings a lot of peace and joy. It’s a counter to the unpredictable, very stressful environment here.”
