LOS ANGELES: Lyle and Erik Menendez were resentenced on Tuesday (May 13) for the murder of their parents in 1989, with a term that now opens the possibility of parole.
A judge in Los Angeles said the men’s prison terms should be changed to 50 years to life, reducing their original sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
The ruling means the men, who have already been behind bars for more than three decades for the bloody shotgun slayings, could be freed next month when a parole board meets.
The pair, who are serving life terms for the notorious double murder, have spent two years trying to get their sentences reduced.
At an emotional hearing on Tuesday, family members had pleaded with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic to open the path to the men’s freedom, insisting they were changed.
Lyle Menendez addressed the court via videolink, admitting he had murdered his parents.
“I killed my mom and dad. I make no excuses. I take full responsibility,” he said, according to reporters who were in court.
