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.

Lyle and Erik Menendez, who have served 35 years in prison for the 1989 shotgun murders of their parents in their Beverly Hills home, were ruled eligible for parole by a Los Angeles judge at a re-sentencing hearing on Tuesday.

Lyle and Erik Menendez immediately became eligible for parole after the judge’s surprise ruling following a resentencing hearing in Los Angeles.