South African paralympian Oscar Pistorius could be released on parole within a month, his lawyer said Thursday.
The double amputee was convicted of murdering his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentines Day 2013, AFP reported. He shot her four times through a bathroom door at his high-security home in Pretoria, though he later denied that he meant to kill her and claimed to have mistaken her for a burglar. Pistorius was eventually sentenced to thirteen years in prison after initially being sentenced to six, which the state appealed over concerns it was unduly lenient.
“We have been advised by the parole board that the hearing will take place on the 31st of March, 2023,” his lawyer Julian Knight told the outlet. “It’s an internal process.” Offenders in South Africa automatically go up for parole after serving half of their sentence. Parole decisions are usually made the same day of the hearing or within 24 hours.
Timeline of the trial of Oscar Pistorius pic.twitter.com/k6whKFwkBv
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 25, 2017
Pistorius has met with Steenkamp’s parents as part of a rehabilitation process that ensures inmates “acknowledge the harm they have cause to their victims and the society at large.” When asked to comment on the potential for Pistorius’ parole, an attorney for the Steenkamps reiterated that it’s the law in South Africa that he should be considered for parole. (RELATED: Authorities Charge Ex-Husband, Relatives With Murder After Police Say They Found Parts Of Dismembered Model’s Body)
Pistorius was the first double-amputee to race at the 2012 London Olympic games, earning himself worldwide fame and the nickname “Blade Runner.”