Thoebald “Theo” Lengyel, a founding member of Bay Area-reared experimental rock band Mr. Bungle, has been found guilty of first-degree murder for killing his girlfriend Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrmann last December. He will be sentenced next month and faces life in prison.
Lengyel played keyboards, clarinet and saxophone in Mr. Bungle and appeared on both their 1991 self-titled album and 1995’s Disco Volante before leaving in 1996. He did not participate in any of their reunion performances over the past four years.
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According to police in Capitola, Ca., Hermann disappeared in early December 2023 and was reported missing once she failed to arrive for a family gathering in Hawaii. Her body was eventually found in Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley, and her car had last been seen in front of Lengyel’s house.
Prosecutors introduced a recording from Hermann’s phone on the night of her death, on which the couple argues about going out to play pool. At one point, Lengyel yells at Herrmann, “I could mash your fucking brain.” The recording then appears to capture Lengyel strangling Herrmann to death.
District Attorney’s Office Inspector Steven Ryan testified that investigators didn’t unearth the recording until Sept. 22, 2024, a month after the trial began.
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