Oscar Pistorius to be freed from prison 11 years after killing girlfriend
Oscar Pistorius murdered Reeva Steenkamp by shooting her multiple times through a locked toilet door with a pistol
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Paralympian gold medalist Oscar Pistorius will be released from a South African prison on Friday, 11 years after he killed his model girlfriend.
The double amputee was convicted of murdering Reeva Steenkamp after he shot her multiple times through a locked toilet door with a 9mm pistol on Valentineās Day at their Pretoria home in 2013.
Now, reportedly a grey-haired smoker who has turned to religion, the 37-year-old will begin his new life on parole a few miles away from the South African capital behind the high walls of his wealthy uncleās guarded property, according to The Times.
A gun enthusiast, Pistorius claimed he thought Ms Steenkamp was an intruder but was convicted of culpable homicide, a crime similar to manslaughter, in 2014.
He was found guilty of the more serious charge of murder in 2015 and he was later sentenced to 13 years in prison after prosecutors won an appeal on the grounds that his initial sentence was too lenient.

Last November, a private parole board hearing at Atteridgeville prison, where Pistorius is said to work on a farm and host Bible classes, set his release for 5 January 2024.
Once released, he will have to attend therapy for anger management and be unable to leave the area of Waterkloof, where he will be staying with his uncle, for five years.
He will not be allowed to consume alcohol and other prohibited substances and will be barred from conducting media interviews, according to the Department of Correctional Services (DCS).
Pistorius will also be under the eye of a monitoring official, who will have to be kept informed when he is seeking job opportunities or moving homes.
The prison refused to release logistical details of how he will be released on Friday.

āDisclosing such details may result in a security threat for the inmate and other stakeholders involved. Therefore, DCS has to carefully manage that particular risk,ā the DCS said.
A journalist and friend of Pistorius, Mark Williams-Thomas, said: āThere is still a lot of anger out there and no doubt there are those who would love the scalp of Oscar Pistorius.ā
Pistorius will live on his uncleās estate which is fortified by armed guards, security technology and canine patrols, which should provide a high level of protection.
Once rich from sponsorship deals with designer brands like Nike, Pistorius is said to have used his time in prison to learn about the stock market.
Mr Williams-Thomas said it was likely he could follow his uncleās lucrative web of businesses, which include property, farming and tourism after his sentence expires.

In the meantime, Mr Williams-Thomas said Pistorius could get involved in manual work and ādefinitelyā charity work at some point.
Ahead of Pistoriusās parole hearing last year, Ms Steenkampās mother June said she did not believe he had thought her daughter was an intruder.
She said her child āscreamed for her lifeā during the killing, which had left a āmassive holeā for her family. But she also said she had forgiven Pistorius as she āwould not be able to survive if I had to cling to my angerā.