Oscar Pistorius is now a parolee as of January 5, 2024, about 11 years after killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. He served half of his 13 years and five months sentence in prison. Pistorius is a South African former Paralympic athlete who shot his girlfriend through the bathroom door on February 14, 2013.
Pistorius claims that he thought he was shooting an intruder when he killed his girlfriend, but prosecutors argued that Pistorius killed her in response to an argument he and Steenkamp had that was heard by neighbors. Though he initially was convicted of culpable homicide or manslaughter, he was later found guilty of murder. According to officials, Pistorius is "now at home."
Steenkamp's family believes that Pistorius shot her on purpose, according to the Associated Press. In a statement, Steenkamp's mom, June, said that she was hoping Pistorius would admit to murdering Steenkamp, the outlet reported, but he has always denied it and said that he thought he was shooting an intruder. According to CBS, June is skeptical of Pistorius' rehabilitation since she believes he is still lying about the murder.
While on parole, Pistorius cannot consume alcohol or other substances. He also has to stay at home during certain unspecified hours, according to the BBC. Additionally, he has to go to therapy sessions related to anger management and gender-based violence, according to Reuters.
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In South Africa, when offenders have served half of their sentences, they can be considered for parole. Pistorius' sentence was for 13 years and five months, and he was in prison for half of that time.
In her statement, June said that she has "always known that parole is part of the South African legal system, and we have always said that the law must take its course." Still, when speaking about justice, she said "there can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back."
"Has there been justice 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 ones serving a life sentence," June said via her statement.
"My only desire is that I will be allowed to live my last years in peace with my focus remaining on the Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation, to continue Reeva's legacy."
Steenkamp was 29 years old when Pistorius killed her by shooting through a locked bathroom door in his home.
Initially, in 2014, though Pistorius was charged with murder, he was convicted of manslaughter instead. A year later, that conviction was overturned and he was found guilty of murder. According to the BBC, judges found that he "fired without having a rational or genuine fear that his life was in danger."
South Africa has high rates of gender-based violence. Bulelwa Adonis, a spokesperson for a local woman's rights organization called Women For Change, told Reuters that this case sends the wrong message.
"We are talking about somebody's life that's been taken… The fact that someone can walk out free eight years later, it tells us that it's not that big of a deal," Adonis said to Reuters.
Women For Change also shared a statement about the case via X. "Oscar Pistorius will be a free man after killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013," the statement read. "Not even 11 years later, we witness him walking out free. South Africa, your justice system is rotten! Femicide is a pandemic in this country, and yet no one cares!"
Steenkamp was a model, a law graduate, and an activist who aspired to help women affected by gender-based violence in South Africa.
In court, witnesses testified that Pistorius was prone to anger issues. An ex-girlfriend, Samantha Taylor, testified that he loved his gun and easily got angry, which resulted in him screaming at her, Los Angeles Times reported. She also said that he took his gun everywhere and had cheated on her.
