Theobald Lengyel, Former Rock Musician, Found Guilty of Murdering Girlfriend in California Home | US News

A previous member of the experimental rock band Mr Bungle has been found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, with prosecutors discovering an audio recording of the victim pleading for her life.

Theobald “Theo” Lengyel, also known as Mylo Stone, was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrmann at her home in California on December 4th of last year.

He faces a potential life sentence and is scheduled to be sentenced in November.

Lengyel, 55, was taken into custody in January after Ms Herrmann’s remains were located in a wooded area of a park in Berkeley, California. She had been reported missing the previous month when she failed to attend a family gathering in Hawaii, with Lengyel identified by authorities as a person of interest.

Throughout the trial, prosecutors played an audio recording captured on Ms Herrmann’s phone where she can be heard pleading for her life as her boyfriend strangled her to death.

It is unknown whether Ms Herrmann, who was 61, intentionally recorded the audio or if it was recorded inadvertently by an application.

An official from the district attorney’s office disclosed that investigators did not uncover the audio file until September 22, 2024 – a month into Lengyel’s murder trial.

The recording commences with Lengyel playing the piano before becoming agitated at Ms Herrmann for refusing to go out to play pool. Ms Herrmann reiterated that she could not attend as she had work commitments in Berkeley the following day.

A few minutes into the argument, Lengyel can be heard making threatening remarks to his girlfriend, including a disturbing comment about harming her. This verbal altercation reportedly escalated into a physical confrontation, with Ms Herrmann audibly begging for her life and struggling to breathe.

Lengyel departed from Mr Bungle in 1996, having contributed to the band’s recordings by playing saxophone, clarinet, and keyboards on albums like their self-titled debut in 1991 and Disco Volante in 1995. He did not participate in the band’s recent reunion tours starting in 2020.

Mr Bungle was established in 1985 in Northern California’s Humboldt County by high school friends, including guitarist Trey Spruance, bassist Trevor Dunn, and vocalist Mike Patton, who later performed with Faith No More. The band explored various music genres like funk, heavy metal, electronica, jazz, and gained popularity during the alternative rock era of the 1990s.