French rock star Bertrand Cantat will be freed from jail today after serving just half of his eight year sentence for killing his actress girlfriend Marie Trintignant in a Lithuanian hotel in July 2003. Cantat has always claimed Trintignant died in a "tragic accident", but the Lithuanian courts ruled he killed her, albeit by mistake in a "fit of rage".
He was jailed for eight years but managed to persuade Lithuanian authorities to let him serve his time in France. And now he has secured an early release, albeit with certain conditions including that he undergo psychological treatment for a year and that he does not mention the case in public or through his music.
Confirming the release, Cantat's lawyer told reporters: "I am delighted with this decision, which will allow Bertrand Cantat to rebuild his future". Needless to say the family of Trintignant, who have pushed for a tougher sentence for Cantat throughout, have not welcomed the early release.
In civil proceedings, Cantat has already compensated two of Trintignant's four children and the production company she was working for at the time of her death, in part using money raised by the release of a live album by his band Noir Desir while he was in prison.