The eight-year saga of trying to find who killed Meredith Kercher seemingly came to an end when Rudy Guede was convicted of the crime and sentenced to prison in 2008. While Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito both were convicted, acquitted, convicted again, and then finally exonerated of the murder charges, a court has never found Guede to be anything but guilty. Guede opted for a fast track trial in 2008 and was found responsible for the murder of Kercher and sentenced to 30 years behind bars. After an appeal, his guilty verdict stood, but his sentence was cut to 16 years. So when does Rudy Guede get out of prison?
Sooner than you'd think. The decision to reduce Guede's sentence to 16 years means that, if he serves his entire term, then he will be freed 16 years from when he was first sentenced in 2008 — meaning 2024. However, prisoners often don't serve their entire sentences. They can be let out early for good behavior, they can qualify for parole, and they can be sometimes be let out on a work release. And even though Guede was convicted of murder, he still qualifies for a number of these early release protocols, meaning there's a fair chance he'll be a free man before 2024.
Guede has been eligible for work release since 2014, meaning he would be free to leave prison to work or take classes during the day and would return at night, but reports conflict over whether or not he ever applied to do so. What isn't disputed though, is that in May of this year Guede was freed for a full 36 hours due to good behavior, according to The Independent. By all accounts, Guede has been a model citizen in prison, staying out of trouble while studying and working on art, according to The Daily Beast. And if Guede's good behavior continues, then he stands a pretty good shot at being released for good when he comes up for parole in 2018.
Yes, in two years Guede may walk free if he's granted parole. At most, he'll be in jail for another eight years if he goes on to serve his full sentence. In any case, it doesn't seem like a very long time behind bars if Guede truly is guilty of murder.
