Lyle and Erik Menendez have been ruled eligible for parole, giving them a chance of freedom after serving 35 years in prison for murders of their parents.
The brothers, who were originally sentenced in July 1996 to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole, were each handed a new sentence of 50 years to life by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic.
The decision means they are now eligible for parole under California’s youthful offender law because they committed the crime under the age of 26.
However the state parole board must still decide whether to release them from prison.
The brothers appeared via livestream video and spoke for the first time in court before the ruling.
“I killed my mum and dad. I make no excuses and also no justification,” Lyle said in a statement to the court.
“The impact of my violent actions on my family … is unfathomable.”
Erik said: “You did not deserve what I did to you, but you inspire me to do better.”
The judge said he had given “long thought” to what sentences the brothers deserved, taking into account all of the arguments.
“I do give them a lot of credit for changing their lives,” Jesic said.
He said he was especially moved by a letter that was submitted by a prison official who wrote in support of the resentencing, something he had never done for any inmate in 25 years.
“I’m not saying they should be released, it’s not for me to decide,” Jesic said. “I do believe they’ve done enough in the past 35 years, that they should get that chance.”
The brothers were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
The brothers were 18 and 21 at the time.
While lawyers argued the brothers acted out of self-defence after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors said the brothers killed their parents for a multimillion-dollar inheritance.
The case has captured the public’s attention for decades — and last year, the Netflix drama ” Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story “ and documentary “The Menendez Brothers” brought new attention to the case.
Supporters of the brothers have flown in from across the country to attend rallies and hearings in the past few months.
“Today is a great day after 35 years,” defence attorney Mark Geragos said.
“They are a real family,” Geragos said. “Real people who have lived through unimaginable horrors. And I’m hopeful and glad that we’re one huge step closer to bringing the boys home.”
Diane Hernandez, who also testified during Erik and Lyle’s first trial, spoke about the abuse she witnessed in the Menendez household when she lived with them and the so-called “hallway rule.”
“When Jose was with one of the boys — you couldn’t even go up the stairs to be on the same floor,” Hernandez said of the father.
Los Angeles County prosecutors argued against the resentencing.
“They have not come clean” about their crimes, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.
Geragos emphasised that the purpose of resentencing is to “encourage rehabilitation.”
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