Erik and Lyle Menendez are now eligible for parole after judge resentences them

LOS ANGELES — A California judge on Tuesday resentenced Erik and Lyle Menendez, making the siblings eligible for parole in the shotgun killings of their parents more than three decades ago.

LOS ANGELES — A California judge on Tuesday resentenced Erik and Lyle Menendez, making the siblings eligible for parole in the shotgun killings of their parents more than three decades ago.

The ruling from Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic came after months of delays, opposition from Los Angeles County's new top prosecutor and a series of witnesses who testified during a sometimes emotional hearing Tuesday that Erik, 54, and Lyle, 57, had changed for the better and are now "different men," as a cousin, Anamaria Baralt, put it.

The Menendez brothers have been serving sentences of life without the possibility of parole for the murder of José and Kitty Menendez on Aug. 20, 1989, at their Beverly Hills home.

Jesic said they would be resentenced to 50 years to life, a prison term that will make them immediately eligible for parole. He said he did not believe they posed an "unreasonable risk" if released.

A California parole board will decide if the men are suitable for release.