Rudy Guede
Rudy Guede (C) is escorted from the courthouse at the end of his appeal against the sentence he received in the Meredith Kercher murder trial, in Perugia on Dec. 21, 2009. Photo: Reuters

After serving 11 of his 16-year sentence, Rudy Guede has been granted day release from an Italian prison. Guede was convicted of murdering 21-year-old college student Meredith Kercher in 2008 after her body was found stabbed one year prior. Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were also famously convicted of the same crime. However, both of them were released in 2011 and cleared of wrongdoing after serving four years in prison.

Guede, despite having five years of his sentence remaining, has been given the opportunity to be employed outside of prison, according to the Daily Mail. He now works as a librarian and researcher at a criminology center in the Italian city of Viterbo and rides a bike to reach the location.

On Sunday, he was approached by The Sun, to which he replied, "I can't speak to you. I could get into trouble."

After the murder transpired, Guede fled to Germany where he was later apprehended and extradited. Although Guede, 32, has always denied killing Kercher, police found his bloody fingerprint on a pillow at Kercher's residence. Eventually, he admitted to being at the crime scene and hearing screams the night she was murdered, but he claimed that he had hidden in a bathroom while it took place.

Initially, Guede was found guilty and sentenced to 30 years, which was later downgraded to 16 years following an appeal. A source close to the Kercher family told The Sun, "We accept he has to be freed at some point but it is upsetting to see him outside now."

This recent sighting comes two weeks after Knox, 31, returned to Italy for the first time since her appeal was overturned.