Double-amputee Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius was released on parole Friday after serving time for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The victim’s mother released a statement shortly after the news went public.
According to a report from CNN’s Sarah Dean and Sophie Tanno, the 37-year-old South African athlete was released halfway through his 13-year sentence due to his country’s “Restorative Justice” process. The South African legislation emphasizes rehabilitating offenders who exhibit good behavior.
Pistorius was initially sentenced to five years in prison in 2015 for manslaughter. A year later, the charge against him was upgraded to murder and carried a sentence of six years.
The South African Supreme Court of Appeal delivered their final verdict in November 2017, which more than doubeled Pistorius’ sentence to 13 years and five months.
June Steenkamp, the mother of the victim, released a statement Friday after Pistorius’ release. She said that all she wants now is to be able to live her remaining life “in peace.”
Steenkamp also offered a poignant message over a decade after her daughter’s death.
“There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back,” June Steenkamp said.
“We, who remain behind, are the ones serving a life sentence.”
June Steenkamp,the mother of the late Reeva Steenkamp, has released a statement expressing her heart regarding the release of Oscar Pistorius on parole. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/OoC5WfeFEX
— Lerato Fekisi (@LThipa) January 5, 2024
Pistorius fatally shot his girlfriend Steenkamp four times on Valentine’s Day 2023 after mistaking her for a burglar hiding in his bathroom.
