Oscar Pistorius, the Olympic runner who was found guilty in the murder of his girlfriend, will be released from prison early.
CNN reported the paralympic runner is set to be freed from a South African prison on Friday after serving 10 months in prison for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp. He was convicted on a charge of culpable homicide, which meant he killed her unintentionally, but still unlawfully.
Pistorius had said he mistook his girlfriend for an intruder. After he is released, he will face house arrest. In South Africa, due to prison overpopulation and lack of funding, parole boards will often consider correctional supervision as long as the inmate in question has good behavior in prison and isn’t a danger to society.
He had been serving one-sixth of his five-year sentence before the announcement he would be released.
Steenkamp’s parents, June and Barry Steenkamp, had written the parole board urging them not to release him. They did forgive Pistorius for what happened, but said that those who had been found guilty should be held accountable and not be released early.
As previously reported, the National Commissioner Correctional Services, Zach Modise, had said the recommended date for his release was August 21.
Prosecutors are still planning on appealing the verdict on which he was found guilty of.