Bernie Tiede, who was convicted in 1998 for the murder of an elderly woman, will be released early, on the provision that he stays in the house of director Richard Linklater.

Tiede was the subject of ‘Bernie', a 2011 film with Jack Black in the title role. The film is based on a Texas Monthly article that details the murder case.

He was a funeral director in the town of Carthage, Texas, who befriended a wealthy widow before shooting her with a rifle in 1996. He claimed that the 81 year-old was emotionally abusive and that he had killed her in a fit of rage.

Tiede was such a popular figure within his local community that the judge was forced to move the trial to another town to avoid a prejudiced jury. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, which has now been commuted to time served.

The campaign to reduce his sentence was begun by lawyer Jodi Cole, who investigated the case after seeing Linklater's film. She discovered that he had been sexually abused as a child – new evidence which convinced the prosecution to reduce the sentence.

Terms of bail include staying within Austin, working for Cole and staying in a spare apartment in Linklater’s house.

Both Linklater and Jack Black have spoken highly of Tiede's character, the latter calling him a "sweetheart".