May 1, 12:14 p.m.
Former Wharton undergraduate Irina Malinovskaya was released from prison today after serving a sentence for manslaughter, according to John Painter, a spokesman for the Delaware Department of Corrections.
Malinovskaya pleaded no contest to manslaughter in June for allegedly bludgeoning to death her ex-boyfriend's then-girlfriend, Irina Zlotnikov, in December 2004. She received a five-year sentence, with credit for time served.
Painter said Malinovskaya is now in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
He added that Malinovskaya, who is a Russian citizen, is expected to be deported.
Malinovskaya's release brings an end to a long legal battle. She was tried three times for Zlotnikov's death, with each trial ending with a hung jury. The most-recent trial ended in November 2007.
Her no-contest plea in June means that she did not profess guilt, but she acknowledged there was enough evidence to convict her for the crime.
She had been charged with first-degree murder, but pleaded no contest to manslaughter charges in a plea bargain. If convicted on the murder charges, she could have faced life in prison.
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