Oscar Pistorius, the former Paralympic champion, is poised for release from prison on Friday, nearly 11 years after he was convicted of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius fatally shot Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013 at his home in Pretoria, South Africa, claiming he mistook her for an intruder.
The parole, set to last until December 2029, requires Pistorius to be under the supervision of a correctional services official, with mandatory attendance at therapy for anger and “gender-based violence issues,” as well as community service. The 37-year-old athlete, once hailed as the ‘Blade Runner,’ is expected to spend his parole at his uncle’s mansion in Pretoria.
The decision to grant parole was made in November, after a contentious process. Pistorius’s initial conviction for culpable homicide (equivalent to manslaughter) and a five-year sentence in 2014, were later overturned. South Africa’s Supreme Court found him guilty of murder, ruling that he should have foreseen the possibility of killing someone when he fired shots into the bathroom. His sentence was eventually increased to 13 years and five months, considered a more appropriate response to the severity of the crime.
Reeva Steenkamp’s mother, June, has expressed skepticism about Pistorius’s rehabilitation, questioning his engagement with the truth of his crime. Pistorius’s high-profile case was a major televised event, with the prosecution arguing that the murder was premeditated. This narrative contrasts starkly with Pistorius’s defense that it was a tragic mistake.
Pistorius, whose legs were amputated below the knee at 11 months old due to a congenital defect, gained global fame as a Paralympian and the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics. While in prison, he reportedly held Bible classes for other inmates and participated in a restorative justice program, meeting with Steenkamp’s father, Barry, who passed away in September 2022.
However, his time in prison was not without incident, including a dispute over a phone that required medical attention. Pistorius’s impending release has reignited discussions on the nature of justice and rehabilitation, as well as the lasting impact of high-profile criminal cases on public perception and legal processes.
