Oscar Pistorius, ex-Olympic runner, up for parole more than 10 years after killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp

Johannesburg — Imprisoned former Paralympic gold medalist and Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius was up for parole on Friday. The South African parole board was to fulfill to determine if the Olympic runner can be launched greater than 10 years after he shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentines Day 2013.

The board would contemplate his conduct and disciplinary file in jail, his participation in academic or different coaching programs, his psychological and bodily state, whether or not they imagine he’s more likely to relapse into crime and the danger he poses to the general public. 

The televised 2014 trial had viewers all over the world glued to the courtroom video feed as prosecutors argued that the athlete, often known as the “Blade Runner” for his carbon-fiber prosthetic legs, had intentionally shot his girlfriend by way of a locked lavatory door. Pistorius maintained all through that it was a horrible accident and that he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder.

He was ultimately convicted of murder after prosecutors efficiently appealed an preliminary conviction for culpable murder, a lesser cost similar to manslaughter within the U.S. He was sentenced to 13 years and 5 months in jail in 2017, which took into consideration time he’d already served behind bars through the attraction course of.  

The double amputee, who turned 37 on Wednesday, lost his first bid for parole in March when the Division of Correctional service mentioned he had not accomplished the minimal detention interval to be eligible for parole. Inmates in South Africa should serve half their sentence to be eligible. Authorities determined in March that half of Pistorius’ sentence can be measured from his final conviction, however the Constitutional Courtroom overturned that ruling final month, saying the date have to be decided from the primary day an inmate begins serving time in jail.  

A number of attorneys advised CBS Information that Pistorius was more likely to be granted parole on Friday, however that his precise launch might take anyplace from a number of hours to a number of weeks after the parole board’s determination.

Pistorius has been serving his sentence at Atteridgeville Jail, west of Pretoria. Social employees inspected his uncle Arno Pistorius’s property in Pretoria earlier this 12 months, which is the place he’ll serve out the rest of his sentence if parole is granted. The phrases of parole range in South Africa however can embody an digital tag to watch actions and a ban on earning profits from media interviews concerning the particular person’s incarceration.   

Steenkamp’s mom June didn’t tackle the parole board instantly Friday, however a consultant learn out a household impression assertion by which June mentioned: “Rehabilitation requires somebody to interact actually, with the total reality of his crime and the results thereof. No one can declare to have regret if they are not in a position to interact totally with the reality.”

The 12 months earlier than he killed his mannequin girlfriend, Pistorius was a star of the London Olympics, reaching world recognition for being the primary double amputee to run towards able-bodied sprinters.