Lyle Menendez’s wife Rebecca Sneed has announced their separation after 21 years of marriage, following reports her husband had an affair with a British college student.
Sneed, 55, took to Facebook on Friday (November 22) to share news of her separation from Menendez, who is currently serving a life sentence alongside his brother Erik Menendez for the 1989 murders of their parents. The brothers are awaiting a resentencing hearing on December 11, following the recommendation of outgoing Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.
“Lyle and I have been separated for a while now but remain best friends and family,” Sneed wrote on Facebook. “I continue to run his Facebook pages, with input from him, and I am forever committed to the enduring fight for Lyle and Erik’s freedom, as has been so evident over the years.”
She continued: “I’ll continue to update you all on the progress of the case because I believe we all have the common goal of seeing the guys walk free! I will never stop fighting for them.”
Sneed also denied speculation they were separating due to recent reports that Menendez was busted for possessing a cellphone behind bars to keep in contact with his 21-year-old alleged love interest.
“This is NOT a cheating scandal,” she wrote.
The former couple’s separation announcement came the same day it was reported that Menendez had struck up a relationship with a University of Manchester student, who had allegedly flown from her home in Greater Manchester in the north of England to visit Menendez behind bars, according to the Daily Mail.
Earlier this month, Menendez released a statement as part of an amended resentencing request memo, in which he spoke about navigating his “challenging” marriage as he “learn[ed] to be a husband and a partner from” behind bars.
“This coming November will be my 20th wedding anniversary,” he wrote on November 7, per E! News. “Learning to be a husband and a partner from inside a prison has been challenging. It has also changed my life in so many positive ways.”
“[Sneed’s] unwavering support and belief in me is something I am most grateful for and has played no small part in my journey to be a better person,” he said.
Menendez and his brother Erik were sentenced to life in jail without parole after being found guilty of killing their parents at their Beverly Hills home in 1989. Calls for the brothers to be released have ramped up in recent months following the controversial Netflix drama Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, created by Ryan Murphy.
In October, outgoing LA District Attorney Gascón announced the case would be reevaluated. However, incoming DA Nathan Hochman has questioned whether his predecessor’s decision to re-examine the high-profile Menendez brothers’ case may have been a “political ploy.”
Gascón has denied his decision was politically motivated, telling the outlet: “I believe that they should be released and they should be released cleanly within the law.”
