40-Year-Old Virgin actor to be released from prison after stabbing ex-girlfriend ‘more than 20 times’

'I wasn’t trying to hurt her - I was trying to murder her'

A cast member of The 40-Year-Old Virgin will be released from prison after being sentenced to life imprisonment for repeatedly stabbing his ex-girlfriend in August 2008.

Shelley Malil was serving a life sentence with a possibility of parole after stabbing Kendra Beebe more than 20 times in the back garden of her home as her children slept upstairs. She survived the attack.

Malil had been granted parole three months before, however, Governor Jerry Brown intervened and asked the board to review its decision. Brown can only revoke parole in cases of murder.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Malil told commissioners: “I wasn’t trying to hurt her - I was trying to murder her."

Malil, who initially claimed he was acting in self-defence, is said to have broken a wine glass to continue stabbing his ex-girlfriend after a kitchen knife had been wrested from his hands by her male friend. Beebe, whose carotid artery was narrowly missed, suffered a punctured lung and life-changing injuries to her face.

The former actor starred alongside Steve Carell and Paul Rudd in the 2005 comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin. In January, he told the parole board that he became “an alcoholic with troubled relationships” after struggling to find work in 2008.

Malil served eight of his 12 years to life sentence. District Attorney Summer Stephan criticised the board's decision, saying: “The victims have endured tremendous physical and emotional pain. To approve this individual for release, given his violent attack, ignores the very real danger he poses to public safety.”