Oscar Pistorius, the former Paralympic champion who was imprisoned in 2016 for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, will request an early release from prison on Friday, according to his attorneys and prison authorities.
South African Pistorius shot and killed model and law student Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013 in his bathroom. Pistorius was once a favorite of the Paralympic movement for advocating for greater acknowledgment and acceptance of disabled athletes.
In a trial that garnered international attention, the athlete, known as “Blade Runner” because of his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs, went from being a popular hero to being found guilty of murder.
Pistorius has completed half of his sentence and is now available for parole. According to Steenkamp family’s attorney Tania Koen, they oppose his request and will present oral and written testimony at the meeting about how the murder affected them.
Friday morning when Reeva’s mother June Steenkamp arrived at Atteridgeville Prison, which is close to the capital Pretoria, she admitted to feeling anxious. She informed reporters from her car, “It’s going to be very hard to be in the same room with him. I don’t buy his story,” you said.
A prison spokesperson acknowledged that the parole board hearing was taking place behind closed doors.
Pistorius, a gun enthusiast, testified in court that he shot Steenkamp through the bathroom door several times with ammunition intended to cause the most bodily harm possible because he thought she was an intruder.
He was originally sentenced to six years in prison in 2016, but after the prosecution filed an appeal and claimed the initial sentence was too lenient, that sentence was increased to thirteen years.
Pistorius, who had both of his legs amputated as a baby, became renowned in 2012 when he competed in the 400-meter semifinals at the London Olympics as the first double amputee to do so.
