Oscar Pistorius, a paralympian, was released from prison on parole in South Africa, almost 11 years after killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
After serving half of his more than 13-year sentence, Pistorius was officially verified as “at home” on Friday morning by officials.
The mother of Ms. Steenkamp stated that although she understood the decision to free the former athlete, her family was the ones “serving a life sentence”.
Pistorius, now 37, shot Ms Steenkamp multiple times in 2013 through a door.
The double amputee later claimed he had mistaken her for a burglar.
In 2015, an appellate court reversed an earlier finding of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, and Pistorius was found guilty of murder.
Once an offender has served half of their whole sentence—Pistorius’s term was ultimately established at 13 years and five months—they are all eligible to be considered for parole, which is early release under specified conditions.
He will be subject to severe restrictions until his sentence expires in 2029, including being confined to the house during specific hours of the day and being prohibited from consuming alcohol. Additionally, he is not allowed to address the media.
Pistorius will also need to attend therapy sessions to address his anger management and gender-based violence concerns.
It is thought that he moved to reside in an upscale Pretoria suburb at his uncle Arnold Pistorius’ house.
Pistorius worked in the prison library, cleaned cells for other offenders, and operated a tractor on the prison property, as reported by South African writer Karyn Maughan.
She told the BBC’s Newsday show that good evaluations about him were also written by social workers and psychologists.