The Supreme Court responded to an appeal on Tuesday by Yonatan Heilo over his 2013 murder conviction stemming from the death of Yaron Eilin in 2010. The court altered the conviction from murder to manslaughter, and reduced Heilo’s sentence by 8 years, from 20 to just 12.

Heilo claimed in his defense that Eilin, whom he had met as a minor in 2006, had raped him repeatedly over the years, in addition to using threats of violence to extort money from Heilo.

When the two met one night in May, 2010, Heilo claims Eilin threatened to rape him a third time. The defendant said he acted in self-defense, strangling Eilin, then bludgeoning him to death with bricks. He later dragged the body to a nearby garbage dump before turning himself in to police.

A Lod district court rejected Heilo’s argument that he had defended himself, ruling that the killing was a premeditated act of revenge for sexual abuse suffered at the hands of Eilin.

Dozens of high-profile supporters, including MKs, senior jurists, and academics chastised the lower court’s decision, demanding that Heilo’s “distressed background” be more fully considered in rendering a decision.

 With the high court’s decision Heilo’s 20 year sentence has been reduced to 12 years, of which 6 have already been served. Heilo could be freed in just two years if he is approved for an early release for good behavior.