Charles Sobhraj, the French serial killer who murdered at least a dozen western tourists traveling through Asia in the 1970s, was released from custody by Nepal’s Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Sobhraj, who had been found guilty in Nepal and sentenced to life imprisonment, was released due to ill health, good behavior and having already served the majority of his sentence.
French serial killer Charles Sobhraj is escorted by Nepalese police outside a district court for a hearing in a case related to the murder of Canadian backpacker Laurent Ormond Carriere in Bhaktapur June 12, 2014. (PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP via Getty Images)
The court’s ruling said Sobhraj must leave Nepal within the next 15 days, but did not specify where. He was serving two life sentences in Nepal for the murder of an American backpacker and a Canadian backpacker. Life sentences in Nepal are 20 years.
According to the court document, he had already served more than 75% of his sentence, allowing him to be released, and was suffering from heart disease.
REAL ‘MINHUNTER’ RECALLS MEETING ‘PERSONAL’ SERIAL KILLER EDMUND KEMPER: ‘HE DIDN’T HOLD BACK’
It was not clear when he would actually leave prison as a free man, but likely within the next few days.
The Frenchman has admitted to killing several western tourists in the past and is believed to have killed at least 20 people in Afghanistan, India, Thailand, Turkey, Nepal, Iran and Hong Kong in the 1970s. However, his conviction in Nepal in 2004 marked the first time he had been found guilty in court.
This photo taken on May 20, 2021 shows the Baan Bellawin apartments in Bangkok, where parts of the television series “The Serpent” were filmed. (LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty Images)
Sobhraj was held in New Delhi’s Tihar maximum security prison for two decades on suspicion of theft, but was deported to France without charge in 1997. He reappeared in Kathmandu in September 2003.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Sobhraj’s nickname “The Serpent” comes from his reputation as a talented disguise and escape artist. His crimes were portrayed in the 2021 Netflix series The Serpent, starring Tahar Rahim and Jenna Coleman.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bradford Betz is a red-hot reporter at Fox News Digital, covering crime, politics and more.