Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has been released from prison in South Africa after serving half of his 13-year sentence for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013.
Pistorius, now 37, shot Ms. Steenkamp four times through a bathroom door in his home on Valentine’s Day 2013. He claimed he mistook her for an intruder. In 2015, Pistorius was convicted of murder after an initial conviction of culpable homicide (manslaughter) was overturned.
Under South African law, prisoners are eligible for parole after serving half their sentence. Pistorius will live under strict parole conditions, including house arrest and bans on alcohol and speaking to the media, until his sentence ends in 2029.
Ms. Steenkamp’s mother said that while the family accepts Pistorius’s release, they are “serving a life sentence” without Reeva. She said she hopes to live her remaining years in peace, continuing Reeva’s legacy through the Reeva Steenkamp Foundation.
Oscar Pistorius, nicknamed “Blade Runner,” was the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics in 2012. He was an accomplished paralympic and Olympic sprinter. At the time of the murder, Pistorius and Ms. Steenkamp had been dating for three months. Ms. Steenkamp was a 29-year-old model, law graduate and reality TV star who advocated for victims of domestic abuse.