Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were sentenced to life in prison for the 1989 murder of their parents in Beverly Hills, have had their sentences shortened to 50 years to life and are now eligible for parole.

The Menendez brothers were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in 1996 after being convicted of murdering their parents, José and Kitty, with a shotgun in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989.

A California judge has now (13 May) shortened their sentences to 50 years to life – with the possibility of parole – giving them a shot at freedom after 35 years in prison.

The pair are now eligible for parole under California’s youthful offender law because they committed the crime under the age of 26. They would still need approval from the state’s parole board to be released, though their lawyers reportedly said that they were immediately eligibile.

“I’m not saying they should be released; it’s not for me to decide,” Judge Michael Jesic said at the resentencing. “I do believe they’ve done enough in the past 35 years, that they should get that chance.”

During their trial, the brothers’ defense attorneys said they feared their parents were going to kill them to cover up years of sexual, psychological and physical abuse they had suffered.

Prosecutors portrayed the brothers as rich young men eager for their multimillion-dollar inheritance. Over the years they repeatedly appealed their convictions without success.

Erik and Lyle, now 54 and 57, are both currently in prison in San Diego, and appeared in court via livestream, to witness multiple cousins, relatives a former fellow prisoner and a former judge give testimony to the pair’s character.

Anamaria Baralt, a cousin of the brothers, said that they have been “universally forgiven” by their wider family for their actions.

“We all, on both sides of the family, believe that 35 years is enough,” Baralt said. “They are universally forgiven by our family.”

Lyle said in a statement on Tuesday, “I killed my mom and dad. I make no excuses and also no justification. The impact of my violent actions on my family … is unfathomable.”

The pair have served as mentors and caregivers behind bars, and earned college degrees. Former Los Angeles county district attorney George Gascón had previously recommended the pair’s resentencing.

Renewed interest in the case was sparked by Ryan Murphy’s recent Netflix dramatisation of the murders in Limited Series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, where the pair were played respectively by Nicholas Alexander Chavez and out gay star Cooper Koch.

The series was labelled a “naive and inaccurate” portrayal of the pair by Erik himself, while some viewers have accused Murphy of creating “incestuous fetish porn”. Neither Lyle or Erik has ever identified as gay, despite insinuations in the series.

Despite this, a resurgence in popularity (which Murphy credited himself for) led to renewed media attention, including a visit to Erik in prison Kim Kardashian and Koch.

The pair claimed that they were “bullied” and “assaulted” in prison in February this year.

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