Former Mr. Bungle found guilty of first-degree murder

In January, Theobald “Theo” Lengyel, former member of the California experimental rock band Mr. Bungle, was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend. On Friday (October 11), the 55-year-old musician was found guilty of first-degree murder and faces life in prison. The verdict is scheduled for November.

A Santa Cruz jury deliberated for one day before finding Lengyel guilty of killing 61-year-old Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrmann on the night of Dec. 4, 2023, in her Capitola home.

Halfway through the trial, a chilling audio file was found on her phone, showing Herrmann fighting for her life as Lengyel strangled her. It begins with Lengyel playing the piano and getting angry with Herrmann because he doesn’t want to go play billiards; he repeatedly says that he has to work in Berkeley the next day. A few minutes later, Lengyel threatens: “I could crush your f***ing brains.” This escalates into a physical altercation and Herrmann can be heard gasping for air. She begs Lengyel to stop 53 times and he tells her that she will die.

Lengyel was a founding member of Mr. Bungle, playing saxophone, clarinet and keyboards from 1985 to 1996. He did not participate in any of the band’s recent tours.