Oscar Pistorius Out of Prison After 11 Years
Story by ZBC Reporter
PARALYMPIAN Oscar Pistorius has been freed on parole from a South African jail, nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Officials confirmed Pistorius was released this Friday morning, after serving half of his more than 13-year sentence.
Ms Steenkamp’s mother said she accepted the decision to release the former athlete but added her family was the one “serving a life sentence”.
Pistorius, now 37, shot Ms Steenkamp multiple times in 2013 through a door.
The double amputee later claimed he had mistaken her for a burglar.
Pistorius was eventually convicted of murder in 2015 after an appeal court overturned an earlier verdict of culpable homicide.
Under South African law, all offenders are entitled to be considered for parole once they have served half their total sentence, which for Pistorius was finally set in 2017 at 13 years and five months.
He will live under strict conditions, including being barred from speaking to the media until his sentence expires in 2029.
