How Oscar Pistorius went from hero athlete to murderer whose ‘dum-dum’ shooting of Reeva Steenkamp shocked the world
OSCAR Pistorius was once known around the world as the “blade runner” Paralympian who ran against able-bodied athletes in the 2012 Olympics.
When he started dating 29-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp in November of that year, the pair quickly became the focus of global attention.
But just a few months later, on Valentine’s Day, Pistorius fired four bullets at his girlfriend through his bathroom door, killing her.
The shooting, which he claimed was an accident when he thought an intruder had broken in, shocked the world.
After twists and turns in the ensuing criminal case, gut-wrenching testimony from Reeva’s parents and globally broadcast clips from court – Pistorius was eventually sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison for her murder.
On November 24 his second bid for freedom in just one year was accepted, and the court set his release date for January 5.
While Reeva’s father Barry died in September, her mother released a statement ahead of his release.
She told the court: “I have no doubt that Barry died of a broken heart.
“No parent should have to bury a child and most certainly not in the circumstances that prevailed in the demise of Reeva.
“I do not believe Oscar’s version that he thought the person in the toilet was a burglar. In fact, I do not know anybody who does.”
PISTORIUS’ RUNNING CAREER
Pistorius was born without calf bones, a rare birth defect known as fibular hemimelia.
When he was just 11 months old, doctors decided that he should have the lower portion of his legs amputated.
Six months later, he was taught to walk on fibreglass pegs.
As he grew up, Pistorius participated in numerous sports, including water polo and rugby in secondary school.
After injuring his knee in 2003, he took up track as a form of rehabilitation.
It was here that his running career began.
By 2004, Pistorius had won gold in the 200-metre sprint at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games and took home a bronze medal in the 100-metres.
Pistorius was running fast enough by 2007 to compete against able-bodied athletes – but attracted accusations that his high-tech prostheses gave him an an unfair advantage.
In the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, he swept up three gold medals in the 100-metres, 200-metres, and 400-metres.
And in London’s 2012 games, Oscar became the first amputee to compete at the Olympics, running in an opening heat of the men’s 400-metre sprint.
RELATIONSHIP WITH REEVA
The pair’s three-month relationship was reportedly volatile.
Text messages revealed during the court case showed that Reeva was scared of her boyfriend.
In one chilling message, Reeva wrote: “scared of you sometimes and how u snap at me and of how you will react to me”.
In another, she said she was “attacked” by Pistorius and said he was “the one person I deserve protection from”.
His ex-girlfriend Samantha Taylor told The Mirror in 2014 that Pistorius physically abused her, locked her in his house with no food, and kept a gun that she hid from him once in fear of his volatile mood.
Reeva’s heartbroken mum, June, has claimed that her daughter was planning to break up with Pistorius.
“She had confided to me that she hadn’t slept with him. They’d shared a bed, but she was scared to take the relationship to that level,” she told The Times.
“She wouldn’t want to sleep with Oscar if she wasn’t sure. I believe their relationship was coming to an end. In her heart of hearts, she didn’t think it was making either of them happy.”
During the court case, Pistorius was asked to read out a Valentine’s Day card Reeva had given him just hours before he murdered her.
It read: “I think today is a good day to tell you that I love you. Reeves xxx”.
THE MURDER OF REEVA STEENKAMP AND TRIAL OF OSCAR PISTORIUS
FEBRUARY 2013
Oscar Pistorius shoots his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead at home
SEPTEMBER 2014
Pistorius is convicted of culpable homicide and sentenced to five years in jail – and later released on parole
DECEMBER 2015
The Supreme Court of Appeal overturns a lower judge’s ruling and finds him guilty of murder
JULY 2016
He is sent to prison for six years in a ruling dubbed ‘shockingly lenient’
NOVEMBER 2017
The Supreme Court of Appeal extends Pistorius’ murder sentence to 13 years and five months
JUNE 2022
Pistorius meets Rita Steenkamp’s father as part of a victim-offender program
MARCH 2023
He is denied parole after serving nearly half of his 13-year sentence
NOVEMBER 2023
The court agrees to release Pistorius on parole on January 5 2024
REEVA’S MURDER
Pistorious shot Reeva, 29, with four bullets fired through the locked door of his bathroom in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013.
He shot her in the head, hip and arm and later claimed in court that it was only when he broke the bathroom door down that he realised she was in there.
He has always claimed the shooting was a mistake.
The former athlete argued that he believed Reeva was in bed asleep, and someone had broken into their bathroom via an open window.
He claimed that he was without his prosthetic legs at the time, and made his way towards the bathroom before shooting through the door.
The prosecution argued that her murder was premeditated and that the couple had been arguing before she died.
At the trial the chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel said: “You fired four shots through the door whilst knowing that she was standing behind the door”.
He based this on witness testimony from neighbours that they had heard the pair arguing, and heard a woman screaming.
At one point during the case, Pistorius demonstrated to the court that he could walk without his prosthetic legs as per his account from the night of the murder.
During testimony including details from Reeva’s postmortem, it was revealed that Pistorius had used jagged-edged “dum dum” bullets which “open like petals on a flower”.
Known as Black Talon bullets, the ammunition is designed to cause maximum damage upon impact.
Pistorius broke down and vomited during the account given by pathologist Gert Saayman – and remained emotional throughout.
Ultimately the court’s verdict was that even if they had not proved his intention to kill Reeva, he would’ve known it was a possibility for whoever was trapped in the bathroom.
Speaking to The Sun on the tenth anniversary of the killing in February this year, Reeva’s brother, Adam, said the athlete should not be allowed out of jail early and must serve his full term.
He also fears their family will never know the truth of what happened to Reeva when she was gunned down in 2013.
IMPRISONMENT & RELEASE
In September 2014, Pistorius was charged with culpable homicide, South Africa’s equivalent of manslaughter, and sentenced to jail for five years.
He was then released on house arrest to his uncle’s property in a wealthy suburb.
In December 2015, while living at his uncle’s home, the Supreme Court overturned the previous ruling and found him guilty of murder.
Pistorius was sent back to jail for a sentence of six years – which critics slammed as “shockingly lenient”.
The sentence was then upped to 13 years and five months.
In June 2022, Pistorius met with Reeva’s father as part of South Africa’s criminal rehabilitation efforts.
Reeva’s family lawyer Tania Koen confirmed Barry Steenkamp and Pistorius had “participated in a victim-offender dialogue on June 22, 2022“.
The convicted killer was due to also meet Reeva’s mum June — who has said she has forgiven him.
Barry revealed that the runner “wailed like a child” as he tried to explain his actions and refused to accept he was a murderer.
But the Steenkamps’ lawyer Koen said at the time: “At this moment, it’s a no from June.”
Pistorius made attempted, failed, bids for parole during his time in prison, until November 24, when a release date was set for January 5.
Reeva’
A statement from the court described him as a “first time offender with a positive support system”, announcing the parole board’s decision to release him.
A prison spokesperson said: “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.”
The parole is expected to last until December 5 2029 and he will be subject to conditions until then.
