Erik and Lyle Menendez are one step closer to a potential new sentence—and possibly their freedom—after a Los Angeles County judge ruled in their favor following a heated courtroom battle on Friday.

Appearing remotely from prison, the brothers watched as District Attorney Nathan Hochman and his team argued to withdraw a resentencing petition originally filed by former DA George Gascón. Hochman, who has been vocally opposed to any leniency for the Menendez brothers, claimed the previous DA’s petition was politically motivated, alleging Gascón sought to boost his popularity in the polls by supporting a high-profile case.

On-screen in their prison uniforms, Erik and Lyle visibly reacted as prosecutors accused them of showing no remorse and sticking to their original defense—that they killed their parents out of fear for their lives—without ever admitting it was a lie.

Lead defense attorney Mark Geragos fiercely pushed back, calling the prosecution’s two-and-a-half-hour presentation an “SNL skit” fixated on the 1980s and 90s, while ignoring the brothers’ decades-long record of rehabilitation.

Geragos highlighted powerful testimonials about the brothers’ conduct in prison, including a corrections officer who said he would welcome Lyle into his neighborhood and an inmate who credited the Menendez brothers with improving life behind bars by creating murals and planting trees.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge denied Hochman’s motion to dismiss the resentencing petition—clearing the way for a formal resentencing hearing scheduled for April 17.

“This could be the most important day in Erik and Lyle’s lives since they were taken into custody,” Geragos said outside the courtroom, hailing the decision as a breakthrough.

He also criticized the DA’s office for showing graphic crime scene photos during the hearing without warning, which he said re-traumatized Menendez family members present in the courtroom.

The high-profile case drew further attention as Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story actor Cooper Koch, who portrays Erik in the Ryan Murphy Netflix series, appeared in court alongside his boyfriend. Erik’s wife, Tammi Menendez, and their adopted daughter, Talia, were also in attendance in a show of family support.

Geragos confirmed that at the upcoming hearing, he will ask the court to reduce the brothers’ convictions from first-degree murder to manslaughter. If successful, the Menendez brothers—who have served more than 30 years—could be released immediately, having already served beyond California’s maximum sentence for manslaughter.