Who is Theo Lengyel? Former Mr. Bungle member found guilty of first-degree murder

Former Mr. Bungle member Theobald “Theo” Lengyel has been found guilty of murdering his girlfriend Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrmann last year. On Friday, October 11, 2024, a jury in Santa Cruz, after deliberating for a day, gave the verdict.

Lengyel, 55, was one of the founding members of Mr. Bungle (1989), known for playing keyboards, clarinet, and saxophone. In 1996, he left the group over creative differences and has since not participated in any of their reunion performances.

Trigger Warning: The following article contains graphic details of a murder. Reader discretion is advised.

Alyx was reported missing last year, and investigators believed she was last seen on December 3, 2023. Authorities launched a murder probe after they found human remains in a remote part of Tilden Park in Berkeley, leading to the musician's arrest.

A January 2024 article by SF Gate suggests that during their investigation, cops found Alyx's red 2007 Toyota Highlander outside Lengyel's home. This first raised suspicions against him.

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Theo Lengyel recorded two albums with Mr. Bungle before parting ways with the band

Theo Lengyel, who played keyboards, clarinet, and saxophone, was one of the founding members of Mr. Bungle, an experimental rock band from Eureka, CA.

The group was established by high school friends in 1985. Other band members included Mike Patton, Trey Spruance, Trevor Dunn, Danny Heifetz, and Clinton "Bär" McKinnon.

Lengyel recorded two albums with the band, Mr. Bungle (1991) and Disco Volante (1995), before parting ways with the group.

According to a December 2023 report by SF Gate, it wasn't on good terms. Quoting a 2005 Q&A by Trevor Dunn, the publication wrote:

"We unanimously decided to go on without him because he wasn't growing with the rest of the band and we were running out of things for him to do. He got p*ssed off and I haven't heard from him since."

While Mr. Bungle eventually disbanded in 2000, the members reunited in 2020 to release a re-recorded version of their first demo, The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny. However, Theo Lengyel was not a part of the lineup.

According to Theo's LinkedIn profile, he has since taken up a career in the tech field. Before his arrest, Lengyel was the Data Engineering Vice President at Instinet, LLC, at its SF Bay office. He worked at the company for about 13 years.

His profile further states that the former Bungle Sax player earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics from Cornell University in 1994.

Per a January 2024 article by Stereogum, Theo Lengyel and Alyx Herrmann were formerly married. They divorced in 2017, and the same year Herrmann filed a restraining order against him.

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During Lengyel's trial, prosecutors presented an audio taken moments before Alyx's death to the jury

According to a December 2023 report by SF Gate, worried family members reported Alyx Herrmann missing on December 12 after they failed to get in touch with them for a week. Capitola Police Department and El Cerrito Police Department launched a missing persons probe.

Herrmann, who lived in Capitola, CA, was part of an outrigger canoe club. On December 3, she attended a meet-up in Santa Cruz but soon stopped responding to calls or messages.

Per a report by the publication, El Cerrito authorities found Herrmann's red 2007 Toyota Highlander parked in front of Theo Lengyel's home.

However, the former Mr. Bungle member did not cooperate with the investigators. In a statement made to the San Francisco Chronicle, the El Cerrito police department stated:

"Based on his actions, Theo Lengyel is a person of interest in Alice Herrmann’s disappearance and has not cooperated with the police investigation."

In a January press release, Capitole PD announced Lengyel's arrest after they "recover(ed) human remains in a wooded area within Tilden Regional Park in Berkley." The musician was held without bail on one count of first-degree murder.

During his trial, prosecutors produced an audio file from Alyx's phone taken during the night of her murder. The couple can be heard arguing about going out to play pool.

At one point during their heated exchange, Lengyel yells, "I could mash your f**king brain." The audio recording captured the musician strangling his girlfriend to death as she begged for her life.

On October 11, the jury found Lengyel guilty. His sentence hearing is scheduled for November. Lengyel faces life imprisonment.

His former Mr. Bungle peers have not publicly reacted to the development.