Oscar Pistorius Granted Parole 10 Years After Killing His Girlfriend
Former Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has been granted parole ten years after he brutally killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
The Department of Correctional Services said in a statement that the parole board had considered Pistorius’s case on Friday and decided to grant him parole:
“The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) confirms parole placement for Mr Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius, effective from January 5, 2024. Mr Pistorius was initially convicted of culpable homicide in 2014, but the case went through a number of appeals and was eventually ratified to 13 years and five months in 2017.
“The parole placement decision was taken by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB), having assessed Mr Pistorius’ profile and other material submitted for the purposes of parole consideration.
Mr Pistorius will complete the remainder of the sentence in the system of community corrections and will be subjected to supervision in compliance with parole conditions until his sentence expires.”
Pistorius, who claimed he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder when he fired four bullets through a locked bathroom door at his home in Pretoria, got a culpable homicide conviction and a six-year prison sentence. However, prosecutors appealed the verdict and the sentence, arguing that they were too lenient for the murder of the model and law graduate.
In 2017, the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the culpable homicide conviction and replaced it with murder, increasing Pistorius’s sentence to 13 years and five months. The court also clarified that Pistorius had to serve at least half of his sentence before he could be considered for parole.
Pistorius, who became the first double-amputee to compete in the Olympics in 2012, applied for parole earlier this year, hoping to be released in March 2023. He participated in the Restorative Justice process, which gives offenders the opportunity to acknowledge and take responsibility for their actions. He also ran bible classes and prayer groups for other inmates, including the jail’s most feared gang leader, according to his father.