South African Sprinter Oscar Pistorius Released From Prison

The individual at the center of one of the most gripping true crime stories of the past 15 years is now a free man. Oscar Pistorius, the South African Paralympic sprinter turned Olympic sprinter was released from prison on parole Friday, over a decade after the killing of his girlfriend, model and paralegal Reeva Steenkamp.

After becoming a Paralympic Games  champion, Pistorius—who was born with a congenital defect and had both of his feet amputated when he was just 11 months old—successfully lobbed to become the first double-leg amputee participant to enter the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Although the 37-year-old didn't earn a medal, his journey became a worldwide sensation and earned himself the nickname "Blade Runner" for his J-shaped, carbon-fiber prosthetics.

Then, less than a year later on Feb. 14, 2013, Pistorius was accused to shooting and killing Steenkamp while she was locked in the bathroom. Although he told authorities that he had mistakenly believed her to be an intruder, prosecution argued that the couple had gotten into a fight and he had shot her in anger. Ultimately, he was absolved of murder charges but sentenced to 13½ years in prison for culpable homicide, which is the equivalent to manslaughter in South Africa.

After serving just over nine years of his sentence, Pistorius was granted parole by a judge in November 2022.

In a statement, the South African Department of Correctional services said it was "able to confirm that Oscar Pistorius is a parolee, effectively from 5 January 2024" and that "he was admitted into the system of Community Corrections and is now at home." No additional details were provided about his release.

Under conditions of his five-year parole, Pistorius won't be able to leave the Pretoria area where he is set to live unless granted permission by authorities. He will also be required to attend therapy for anger issues and "gender-based violence issues" as well as perform community service.

"Parole does not mean the end of the sentence. It is still part of the sentence. It only means the inmate will complete the sentence outside a correctional facility," Department of Corrections spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said in a statement.