Nearly 36 years after Erik and Lyle Menendez killed their parents with shotguns, they appeared before a Los Angeles judge via video and they would decide whether they could be liberated from prison.

"I killed my mom and dad," Lyle Menendez, 57, said at a resentment hearing Tuesday. "I have no excuses. I take full responsibility."

On August 20, 1989, the brothers killed their parents, José and Kitty Menendez at their home in Beverly Hills. They were later sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

But after a day of testimony, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic's support for the brothers lasted for 50 years on Tuesday, a change that would allow them to immediately qualify for parole.

"My behavior is criminal, selfish, cruel and timid," said Erik Menendez, 54.

"I have no excuses, no reason," he said. "I take full responsibility for my crime."

The brothers admitted that they lied to police after the murder. "I denied all responsibility after the murder," said Erik Menendez. "I am sorry for these lies. There is no excuse for my actions."

The two argued that they were sexually abused by their father.

"I have established a common trauma with my brother," Lyle Menendez said Tuesday.

He said he still heard his father’s voice in his mind after the killings, and he kept the secrets because he thought no one would believe in so-called sexual abuse.

"Today, 35 years later, I feel ashamed of who I am," Lyle Menendez said.

He said he and his brother have been convicted of first-degree murder since 1996 and have been sentenced to life imprisonment.

"I made a promise that I would never use violence to solve the problem," Lyle Menendez said.

If published, he said he plans to continue working with incarcerated people.

Jesus’ anger over the couple’s 50-year prison term does not mean they have been released.

Their parole will have to be approved by the state parole board, which usually holds a hearing six months in advance. California Gov. Gavin Newsom's decision will review their decision.

The governor's website said the review process could take up to 150 days after the parole hearing.

The brothers also had a separate effort to get Newsom to grant them leniency, which would allow them to be released immediately, but the process is pending.

Members of the brothers' family have sought to be released from prison. Lyle Menendez apologized to his family on Tuesday, saying: "I am sorry for each of you."

He said: “I lied to you and forced you to be the spotlight of public humiliation that you never asked for.”