SANTA CRUZ, California – A founding member of the experimental rock band Mr. Bungle was found guilty Friday of first-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend, after California prosecutors found an audio file the victim recorded on his phone as he fought for his life.
A jury in Santa Cruz deliberated for a day before finding Theobald “Theo” Lengyel guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrmann on the night of Dec. 4, 2023, inside her Capitola home. KSBW-TV reported. Lengyel faces life in prison and will be sentenced in November.
Lengyel, 55, was arrested in January after investigators found Herrmann’s remains in a wooded area of Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley. Herrmann had been reported missing the previous month after she failed to show up for a family reunion in Hawaii.
On Oct. 1, prosecutors played audio recorded on Herrmann’s phone of her pleading for her life as her boyfriend strangled her to death, KRON-TV reported.
It’s unclear whether Herrmann, 61, recorded the audio intentionally or if the app did it by chance.
District Attorney Inspector Steven Ryan testified that investigators did not discover the chilling audio file until September 22, 2024, a month after Lengyel’s murder trial began.
The recording begins with Lengyel playing the piano before getting angry with Herrmann because he didn’t want to go out and play pool. Herrmann repeated over and over that he didn’t want to go because he had to work in Berkeley the next day.
Within minutes of starting the argument, Lengyel can be heard threatening his girlfriend, saying: “I could destroy your… brain.”
According to prosecutors, the verbal argument turned into a physical altercation. Herrmann could then be heard pleading for his life, gasping for air.
Lengyel left Mr. Bungle in 1996 after playing saxophone, clarinet and keyboards on several recordings, including the band’s 1991 self-titled debut album and “Disco Volante” in 1995. He did not participate in any of the recent reunion tours. of the band, which started in 2020.
Mr. Bungle was formed in Humboldt County, Northern California, in 1985 by high school friends, including guitarist Trey Spruance, bassist Trevor Dunn, and vocalist Mike Patton, who later performed with Faith No. More. Mr. Bungle experimented with funk, heavy metal, electronica, jazz and other musical styles, gaining popularity during the alternative rock boom of the 1990s.
In a 2005 Q&A, Dunn said Lengyel left the band on bad terms, SF Gate reported.
