South Africa’s Department of Corrections announced the parole release of former track star Oscar Pistorius on Friday, nearly 11 years after the murder of his then-girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The 37-year-old is now a parolee and is reported to be “at home,” as stated by the authority in a brief release.
Pistorius, an Olympic and Paralympic athlete, fatally shot the 29-year-old Steenkamp, a law graduate and model, with four bullets through the bathroom door of his Pretoria villa on Valentine’s Day night in 2013.
Sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison following a widely-followed trial that captivated South Africa and drew global attention, the sprint star—since infancy a double-amputee—has faced the consequences of his actions.
During the trial, Pistorius claimed he fired in error, mistaking his girlfriend for a burglar. However, the court dismissed his account and convicted him of murder.
Last November, after nearly nine years in a Pretoria prison, a panel granted his parole release, deeming he had fulfilled South African law’s minimum detention requirement.
His probation extends for five years, subject to stringent supervision by law enforcement authorities.
At the time of the tragedy, Pistorius was at the pinnacle of his athletic career. Known as the “Blade Runner,” he secured six gold medals at the 2012 Paralympic Games, competing with custom-made carbon prostheses.
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