Former Mr. Bungle saxophonist sentenced to 25 years to life for girlfriend’s murder

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SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Theobald Lengyel, a 55-year-old former saxophonist for the experimental rock band Mr. Bungle, was sentenced Thursday to 25 years to life in prison for the 2023 murder of his girlfriend, Alice “Alyx” Herrmann, 61.

Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Nancy de la Pena handed down the sentence after a jury last month convicted Lengyel of first-degree murder. Prosecutors said Lengyel strangled Herrmann before burying her body in Berkeley Park, a state park in Northern California.

Lengyel addressed the court during the sentencing hearing, apologizing for his actions and expressing remorse. “There’s nothing I can say that will make any difference,” Lengyel said, according to local reports. “I am sorry. There’s no way to make up for the light that she would have shone in the future.”

The case turned on a crucial piece of evidence discovered during the trial—a lengthy recording on Herrmann’s phone that prosecutors said bolstered their argument of premeditation. Lengyel had admitted to killing Herrmann but argued that it was not a planned act.

Herrmann’s body was discovered last year following an investigation that traced her disappearance to Lengyel, ultimately leading to his arrest. He will serve his sentence in a California state correctional facility.