Oscar Pistorius just caught a break, getting paroled from a South African lockup after serving more than half of his 13-year sentence for murdering his girlfriend.
The former Olympian — who competed with his lower legs amputated — returned home Friday after being whisked out of Atteridgeville Prison in the South African capital of Pretoria, according to a statement by the country’s Department of Correctional Services.
Following his 9 years of incarceration, Pistorius will now be on parole for 5 years, staying most likely at his uncle’s tony mansion with armed security and guard dogs. The conditions of his parole were not disclosed, except he is not allowed to speak with the media.
As you may recall, Pistorius fatally shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in his Pretoria home on February 14, 2013, pumping four bullets into her through a locked bathroom door.
Pistorius claimed self-defense, believing she was a burglar who broke into his house.
Prosecutors didn’t buy it, accusing Pistorius of killing Steenkamp in anger during a Valentine’s Day fight and charging him with murder and a firearms offense.
At his 2014 trial, a judge convicted Pistorius of the lesser charge of manslaughter, sentencing him to 5 years in prison.
But, prosecutors won their appeal to a higher court, which tossed Pistorius’ original conviction, upgrading the charge to murder with a six-year prison term.
Even that was not enough for prosecutors, who appealed again, arguing the sentence was too lenient. South Africa’s Court of Appeal agreed, handing Pistorius a 13-year sentence.
In March 2023, Pistorius became eligible for parole under a South African law that affords prisoners the opportunity to serve half their sentences if they have shown good behavior and fulfilled other requirements behind bars.
As a side note, Pistorius became the first ever double amputee runner to participate in the Olympics after his lower legs were removed as a baby due to a medical condition. He competed with prosthetic legs in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
