Nearly three decades after Erik and Lyle Menendez were sentenced to life in prison for the murders of their parents, a California judge has reopened a door many believed would remain closed.

The 1989 shotgun murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez in Los Angeles gripped the nation. The killings of the entertainment executive and his wife in their wealthy Beverly Hills neighborhood were brutal.

Judge Jesic called the brothers' work while in prison "remarkable", but noted that their 1996 sentences to life without parole were justified at the time. He said under the guidelines, they were eligible for resentencing, issuing his new sentence of 50 years to life. The brothers have been held in custody since 1990.