Murders and attempted murders

Pistorius Freed After Serving 9 Years for Murder

JAN 5 2024·Updated JAN 6 2024

Story

Image credit: Charlie Shoemaker/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee Olympic sprinter , has been released on parole from a South African prison after serving nine years for murdering his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
ap
Pistorius was released on Friday because, under South African law, all offenders can request early release after serving half a sentence.
BBC News
However, Pistorius, sentenced to 13 years and five months in 2015, faces firm conditions for his parole — including being prohibited from drinking alcohol and needing to remain home during certain hours — until his sentence ends in 2029.
BBC News
According to the Department of Correction Services, he will serve his remaining sentence under the country's community corrections supervision, wherein he will undergo therapy to deal with anger issues.
CNN
In February 2013, Pistorius fatally shot Steenkamp through the bathroom door using his licensed 9mm pistol. Prosecutors argued he did it during a fit of anger, while he testified that he had mistaken her for an intruder.
FOX News
Pistorius is well known for running on carbon-fiber prosthetic legs against able-bodied athletes in the 2012 Olympics.
CNN

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

Pistorius' parole shows the South African justice system doesn't take gender-based violence seriously. While a celebrity gets to walk free, the family he left without a daughter has to suffer from her loss for the foreseeable future. Here's hoping the media will allow the family to live in peace, unlike the whirlpool it created during and after the trial.

guardian

Narrative B

Far from being free, Pistorius will have to adhere to strict guidelines while on parole — including a prohibition against media interviews and a requirement to attend anger-management sessions and programs about gender-based violence. In addition, his athletic career is all but over. Under South African law, he can be out of prison but will continue to pay for his crime.