Who are the Menendez brothers' wives? As Los Angeles District Attorney petitions for their freedom after 35 years behind bars, a look at the women who married notorious double killers Lyle and Erik

Is time really the greatest healer? Jailed brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez might say yes, despite spending the last 35-years in prison. 

Found guilty of brutally murdering parents José and Kitty Menendez in the living room of their affluent Beverly Hills home in 1989, the brothers have seen a remarkable change in fortune from the general public regarding the double slaying. 

Originally thought to be motivated by greed - the brothers stood to inherit José's vast fortune upon his death - Erik and Lyle claimed they acted out of self-preservation after suffering years of sexual abuse at the hands of their father, a wealthy CEO with Live Entertainment, since renamed Artisan Entertainment. 

That argument fell flat at their 1993 retrial with prosecutors successfully arguing that the murders were carried out for financial gain after the brothers went on a rampant $700,000 spending spree in the weeks after shooting their parents to death. 

Currently serving life terms without the possibility of parole, the brothers now have a very real chance of freedom after a number of high profile documentaries, a controversial new Netflix series and the persuasive power of true crime enthusiasts across social media helped shine fresh light on their case. 

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon filed a 57-page motion on Friday recommending both Erik, now 53, and his older brother Lyle, 56, be released from prison.

The petition was filed along with evidence that supports Gascón's recommendation of changing their sentence to life with the possibility of parole.

While this normally carries a 50-year-sentence, since the brothers were under 26 when they killed their parents they would be eligible for youthful parole under California law.

And should it happen they will have the unwavering support of their loyal wives, with both having married their respective spouses while serving hard time. 

Despite being restricted to a prison cell, Lyle has managed two marriages during his time behind bars, including one to a Playboy model.  

But who are the Menendez wives? MailOnline takes a look at the women behind two of America's most notorious killers. 

ANNA ERIKSSON 

Lyle was married to Anna Eriksson from 1996 to 2001, but the relationship began long before they exchanged vows. 

Initial was contact was made by Eriksson, who wrote a letter to Lyle during his original trial for the double shotgun murder of his parents. 

Recalling her decision to send him a letter, she later said: 'I was watching the lawyers thanking people for all these letters of support Erik got. 

'I thought to myself, "What about Lyle?"' 

Lyle wrote back, and the tentative exchange would soon lead to a regular correspondence between the pair that would continue long after the brothers' mistrial. 

In 1994. Eriksson - a former salon receptionist turned Playboy model - moved from Colorado to Los Angeles in order to be closer to Lyle as he pleaded his defense during their retrial.

Eriksson had initially moved to Colorado in 1987, where she worked as a receptionist for local salon Shear Productions.  

In a 20/20 interview with Barbara Walters in 1996, Lyle described Eriksson as a 'saint' for maintaining the relationship while he languished behind bars. 

'I have someone who I love very much, and is a saint to put up with everything that comes with this,' he said. 

'Her name is Anna Eriksson and I hope that we can get married even though it's a very limited relationship because of where we are.

'The exchange of love and sharing, it keeps you in touch with yourself and makes you softer, otherwise you can become very hard and cold in here.' 

The pair eventually attempted to have Judge Nancy Brown officiate their marriage in her courtroom the day before he was sentenced to life without parole. 

But after court and prison officials prevented the ceremony from taking place, they secretly married via telephone conference call later that same day. 

According to the New York Times it was Erik who served as his brother's best man, while Leslie Abramson - the lawyer who famously defended them - placed the wedding ring on Eriksson's finger. 

However it's understood that the California Department of Corrections did not consider the marriage legal and valid. 

The couple remained together, in a manner of speaking, for five years before Eriksson filed for divorce in 2001. 

The one time model claimed he had been unfaithful by sending letters to another women. 

REBECCA SNEED

Two years later, Lyle exchanged vows with Rebecca Sneed, a magazine journalist whose relationship with the convicted killer also began via written correspondence. 

The pair had known one another for more than a decade prior to their November 2003 wedding  at Mule Creek State Prison in Sacramento. 

Since exchanging vows, Sneed, who lived close to Mule Creek, has given up journalism and retrained as an attorney - a decision no doubt prompted by Lyle's incarceration. 

'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,' Lyle explained during an interview with PEOPLE in 2017. 

'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.' 

Speaking to Megyn Kelly in 2017, Lyle reflected on why his wife would choose to marry a man sentenced to life in prison. 

'I think in my case, every marriage is unique, you know? But in my case, it was such -- she identified with some of what was coming through the TV screen, the subjects in this case. Revolving around child abuse and being raised in New Jersey,' he explained. 

Discussing their physical relationship, he added: 'You can maintain intimacy through the phone and we have contact visits. And you know, it's difficult. It's a challenge. You have to be creative.'

He added: 'I get a lot of joy from my marriage. I married a girl from my hometown in New Jersey. Been married over ten years. 

'So, I get a lot of joy from that. I get to talk to her a great deal, visit with her. For me, it's in here, trying to find more meaning in life than mere survival, more than joy.' 

Sneed has since moved to Imperial Beach in California, less than half-an-hour away from where her husband is currently housed at RJ Donovan Correctional Facility.

TAMMI SACCOMAN 

Tammi Saccoman first made contact with Erik Menendez via written correspondence in 1993, while she was still married to her husband, Chuck. 

But her friendship with the jailed killer took a new turn following Chuck's death by suicide in 1996, the year Erik and Lyle were sentenced to life behind bars for the murder of their parents. 

The mother-of-one subsequently marred Erik in 1999, and insisted she had qualms about entering the marriage despite knowing the reason for his conviction.

'I know his soul, and I do know what happened that night,' she said during an interview with NBC News in 2005. 

'And I do understand. I believe that within everybody put in certain circumstances, you will, you know, be able to kill somebody. I mean, I do believe that Erik is a very good person.' 

Saccomann also admitted to being untroubled by the inevitable lack of intimacy with her husband. 

'Not having sex in my life is difficult, but it’s not a problem for me,' she told PEOPLE. 'I have to be physically detached, and I’m emotionally attached to Erik.' 

In a 2005 interview with PEOPLE, Erik added: 'It’s not the sex you seek, but the emotional connection. There is no makeup sex, only a 15-minute phone call, so you really have to try to make things work.' 

Talia Menendez, now 29, is the biological daughter of Erik's wife Tammi, but considers Erik her father. 

She has emerged recently as one of the most outspoken advocates for her dad and uncle's freedom, and was in the room to hear Los Angeles District Attorney Gascon's recent announcement. 

Talia's biological father Chuck when she was 10 months old, and she has been visiting Erik regularly behind bars since she was two.

While she doesn't share photos of her face publicly, she has released several pictures of herself and Erik over the years, sharing special moments in prison.

This includes a family picture from prison on Christmas Day when she was a child, and other pictures of Erik holding and cuddling her.

'People think they know my dad, his brother, the trial and the upbringing, when really they don’t have the slightest idea the amazing human he really is,' she said in a message alongside one of the sweet family snaps.

'Visiting him are some of my favorite childhood memories... My dad was more of a dad than most out in the real world. I remember the guards allowing us to bring in my homework (up to 10 pages) and my dad helping me with it every visit.'

She runs an Instagram page dedicated to her father's freedom.