Menendez Brothers Resentencing Makes Them Eligible for Parole

The Menendez brothers have been resentenced in the latest hearing regarding their decades-long murder case.

Erik and Lyle, who were convicted in 1996 in the brutal slaying of their parents, will be resentenced to 50 years to life behind bars.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic ruled on May 13 (Tuesday), paving the way for the brothers to be released on parole.

Judge Michael Jesic said he'd given the matter "long thought," acknowledging they committed an "absolutely horrific crime, and there's no way around it," reported Fox 11 Los Angeles.

He noted that Erik and Lyle's actions while in prison swayed his decision.

"Life without parole gives an inmate no hope, no reason to do anything good. And I give them a lot of credit. It's remarkable what they did when they had no hope of getting out," Jesic added.

After the ruling, the brothers gave statements via videolink, where Lyle admitted that after his arrest, he made a "mockery of the legal system."

"Today, 35 years later, I am deeply ashamed of who I was," he said, according to NBC News.

Erik echoed those comments, calling their crimes "cruel and vicious," adding that he is "directly responsible for it all."

Erik and Lyle were previously sentenced to life in prison without parole for murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills, Calif, home on Aug. 20, 1989.

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