Former top athlete Oscar Pistorius is to be released on parole. The South African Department of Corrections announced this on Friday. Pistorius killed his girlfriend at the time on Valentine’s Day 2013 and was therefore convicted of manslaughter.
Pistorius is due to be released from prison in the capital Pretoria on January 5th. He was classified as a “first-time offender with a positive support system,” it said. A parole hearing was held on Friday morning.
Pistorius killed his then-girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp with four shots through the toilet door of his villa. The proceedings against the former sprint star lasted for years and went through several instances. Pistorius said at the time that he fired several times because he feared there was a burglar behind the door. But the evidence was against him.
The now 37-year-old has served about half of his sentence of 13 years and five months. Under South African law, he was automatically entitled to a parole hearing.
At the time of the crime, Pistorius was at the peak of his career. At the 2012 Paralympic Games, he won six gold medals on custom-made carbon prostheses. As a child, his legs were amputated below the knees due to a genetic defect.
Note: This article has been updated.
