Oscar Pistorius Released From Prison Halfway Through 13-Year Sentence

Oscar Pistorius, the South African Olympics sprinter who was convicted of murdering his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day 2013, has been released from prison just halfway through his 13-year sentence.

Pistorius was initially convicted of “culpable homicide” (manslaughter) in September 2014 in the killing of model Reeva Steenkamp and sentenced to six years in prison; the sprinter was released to home arrest a year later. However, after prosecutors appealed the light punishment and the charge was changed to murder, a South African court re-sentenced Pistorius to 13 years and five months in prison in 2017, with parole eligibility beginning in 2023.

Just five days into the new year — and following his first parole hearing in November 2023 — Pistorius was released from a Pretoria, South Africa prison Friday and is “now at home,” South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services said in a statement. 

Under the terms of his release, Pistorius must remain in the Pretoria area under parole until 2029. He is forbidden from consuming alcohol or banned substances during that time and must attend a rehabilitation program, the New York Times reports.

Pistorius — a double amputee who became a national hero and a worldwide news story when he competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics track and field events despite both legs being amputated a year after his birth — shot and killed Steenkamp at his home in Pretoria, South Africa, in the early morning on Valentine’s Day 2013, firing four bullets through a bathroom door. 

During a lengthy trial that captured headlines in South Africa and abroad, Pistorius claimed the killing was accidental, having mistaken Steenkamp — a model and television present — for an intruder. However, the prosecution argued the act was intentional after the couple had a late-night argument prior to the shooting.

In a statement Friday following Pistorius’ release, Steenkamp’s mother, June, said, “14 February 2013. The day life changed forever. The day South Africa lost its hero, Oscar Pistorius, and the day Barry and I lost our precious daughter, Reeva, at Oscar’s hands. Now, almost 11 years later, the pain is still raw and real, and my dear late husband Barry and I have never been able to come to terms with Reeva’s death, or the way she died.”

June continued, “We have always known that parole is part of the South African legal system, and we have always said that the law must take its course. Oscar Pistorius’s release on parole, subject to certain conditions, has affirmed Barry and my belief in the South African justice system. The conditions imposed by the parole board, which includes anger management courses and programs on gender-based violence, send out a clear message that gender based violence is taken seriously.

“Has there been just for Reeva? Has Oscar served enough time? There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back. We, who remain behind, are the one serving a life sentence.”