As I understand it, juries aren't told whether the person will have a chance at parole or not. "Life" may mean with parole and the jury doesn't know it. I may be wrong about that, but that's what I understood the case to be. If I'm right about that, then this is good all around, because now the jury won't unwittingly be giving a chance at parole when they vote for "life" under the mistaken assumption that life means life.
Well, in Texas you either are on death row, or in for life (with parole possibilities). There is not life without parole in Texas (yet).