Theobald Brooks “Theo” Lengyel, a saxophonist and founding member of the experimental rock band Mr. Bungle, has been found guilty of first-degree murder, Associated Press reports. Lengyel was arrested in January after police discovered body parts while investigating the disappearance of his girlfriend, Alice Kamakaokalani Herrmann. The conviction hinged on an audio recording of Lengyel strangling Herrmann to death as she pleaded for her life. Steven Ryan, a district attorney’s office inspector in Santa Cruz, California, where the trial took place, testified that investigators did not discover the recording until a month into the trial.
Lengyel played in Mr. Bungle from its formation in 1985 until 1996. Bassist Trevor Dunn, who founded the band alongside Lengyel, Mike Patton, and Trey Spruance, said in a 2005 Q&A on his website that Lengyel had left the group on bad terms. Lengyel did not partake in the group’s 2020 reunion.