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Parolee in Donna Jou Murder Case to be Released From Prison

John Steven Burgess pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the 2007 death of 19-year-old Donna Jou, whose body was never found.

A Los Angeles parolee who served time in connection with the disappearance of a San Diego State University student is set to be released from custody, state prison officials said.

John Steven Burgess is scheduled to be released in late July, according to a statement by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

He will be supervised by a probation officer.

Burgess was sentenced to four years in prison on November 28, 2012 after pleading guilty in 2009 to involuntary manslaughter in the 2007 death of 19-year-old Donna Jou.

Jou's body was never found.

Burgess, a convicted sex offender, claimed that while partying he gave Jou cocaine and heroin, found her dead and dumped her body in the ocean.

Burgess served half of a five-year sentence and was paroled.

Two women who subsequently answered his Craigslist ad seeking roommates discovered his identity and contacted police, who found ammunition at his residence.

Corrections officials wouldn't say when Burgess was being released, but Jou's parents said he was being released Thursday.

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