Theo Lengyel, the founding member of the 1980 experimental band Mr. Bungle, was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of his missing girlfriend Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrman on January 3.
On December 3, 2023, exactly one month after going missing, the 61-year-old victim’s body was discovered in a Berkeley, California, wood. She went missing unexpectedly on December 12, and the Capitola Police Department was investigating. According to the New York Post, they were concerned that “foul play was involved.”
While the police did not reveal the possible motive for the murder, they arrested Theo Lengyel after discovering Hermann’s car in front of his home five miles north of Berkeley. Previously, when identified as a person of interest, he refused to cooperate with law enforcement.
Who is Theo Lengyel?
Theo Lengyel, 54, is an American musician who goes as Theobald Brooks Lengyel. He is a founding member of the Bay Area rock band Mr. Bungle, where he served as frontman and alto saxophonist until 1999.
In addition to saxophone, Lengyel also played clarinet and keyboard for the band. Lengyel, also known as Mylo Stone, formed Mr. Bungle in high school in the mid-1980s with vocalist Mike Patton, guitarist Tre Spruance, and bassist Trevor Dunn.
While the other members of the jazz metal band continued to play, Theo left in 1996 after an irreparable feud with his bandmates. Trevor Dunn reportedly told them during a 2005 Q&A session on his website that they “unanimously decided to go on without him [Lengyel] because he wasn’t growing with the rest of the band.”
He went on to say that they were “running out of things for him to do.” When the band informed him of this, Theo allegedly became enraged and never looked back.
He was a member of Mr. Bungle’s first two major albums, Mr. Bungle (1991) and Disco Volante (1995).
On Wednesday, exactly one month after Pacific Islander Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani Herrman missed her flight to Hawaii and vanished, her remains were discovered in Tilden Regional Park, a wooded area in Berkeley. Her boyfriend, Theo Lengyel, was identified as a person of interest since her family reported her missing.
Meanwhile, Lengyel has traveled over 600 miles in the last month from his home in El Cerrito, California, to Portland, Oregon. According to Kron4, investigators discovered the victim’s car, a red 2007 Toyota Highlander SUV, in front of his house around this time.
Following this discovery, Theo Lengyel was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, and he is currently being held without bail at the Santa Cruz County Jail. Aside from the murder charge, he is also charged with felony burglary and grand theft auto.
