“40-year-old Virgin” actor Shelley Malil, who has spent the past eight years in prison for stabbing his girlfriend 23 times, was granted parole Tuesday.
The 53-year-old was convicted of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon after flying into a jealous rage against then-girlfriend Kendra Beebe a decade ago. He was sentenced in 2010 to 12 years to life behind bars for the crime.
Malil appeared at a rescission hearing at the Chuckawalla Valley State Prison on Tuesday, where a Board of Parole commissioners upheld a previous ruling that he should be granted parole, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The panel originally found Malil eligible for parole in January 2018, but California Gov. Jerry Brown recommended the board review the grant over concerns on how Malil’s “rage escalated so far out of control, and resulted in such a prolonged horror,” the San Diego Union Tribune reported.
But, the panel again agreed this week that Malil posed a low risk of committing violence in the future and didn’t rescind his parole. He will be released in two weeks and remain on supervised parole for five years, according to the paper.
In 2008, Malil stabbed his girlfriend Beebe more than 20 times in the backyard of her San Marcos, California, home. At his first parole hearing earlier this year, Malil admitted that a combination of jealousy and alcohol fueled his plans to “annihilate” the victim, the Union Tribune reported.
Bebee survived the attack and spoke at Tuesday’s hearing through video conference, saying she’s “still living in fear.” Malil insisted he is dedicated to his rehabilitation and that he “never wants to create another victim again.”
Malil is best known for paying Steve Carrell’s co-worker in the 2005 film “The 40-Year-Old-Virgin.” His other acting credits include “NYPD Blue,” “Without a Trace” and “Scrubs.”
