Oscar Pistorius: Ex-South African Paralympic athlete released on parole after serving 9 years for girlfriend's murder

South African Oscar Pistorius was released on parole on Friday, nearly 11 years after murdering his then-girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in an incident the former Paralympic star claimed was an act of self-defense.

"The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is able to confirm that Oscar Pistorius is a parolee, effectively from 5 January 2024. He was admitted into the system of Community Corrections and is now at home," the DCS said in a statement.

The athlete killed Steenkamp, a 29-year-old law graduate and model, by firing four shots through the bathroom door at his Pretoria home in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013.

Pistorius, now 37, has repeatedly said he believed that he was shooting at an intruder while his girlfriend was lying asleep in his bed. Prosecutors argued he killed her intentionally during a late-night argument.

The sprint star, who has been a double-amputee since infancy and dubbed "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fiber prosthetic legs, was sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison following a trial that gripped not only South Africa, but also the watching world.

Changing sentences

In October 2014, Pistorius was initially sentenced to a maximum of five years for culpable homicide for killing Steenkamp.

He was released on house arrest in October 2015 after serving one sixth of his sentence. However, the state appealed, and in December 2015, the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the conviction for culpable homicide, finding him guilty of murder instead and sentencing him to six years. The sentence was later increased to 13 years after prosecutors argued the punishment was too lenient.

In November 2023, a panel granted him release on parole after recognizing he had completed the minimum detention requirement under South African law.

At the time of the killing, Pistorius was at the peak of his career having won six gold medals over three Paralympic Games.

He will be subject to correctional supervision until his sentence expires in 2029.

What is the Steenkamp family's stance?

Steenkamp's family believes Pistorius intentionally killed his girlfriend after becoming enraged in an argument.

While the family did not oppose his parole application in November last year, Steenkamp's mother June said in a victim statement that she did not believe Pistorius had been fully rehabilitated.

She said she still believed Pistorius was lying about the killing, but had managed to forgive him as "I would not be able to survive if I had to cling to my anger."

June also said she believed Pistorius was still refusing to admit to "the dastardly murder of Reeva." She only wanted him to one day come clean, she said.

June Steenkamp's statement was delivered by Rob Matthews, a South African man whose own daughter was murdered in 2004 and who had become a family friend to the Steenkamps.