South African Oscar Pistorius was refused parole for killing his partner.
Before the murder prosecution that put a stop to his career a year later, Pistorius, also known as “The Blade Runner,” rose to international fame at the 2012 Paralympic Games.
After requesting an early release from prison ten years after fatally shooting and killing his fiancée, South African paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius was denied parole, according to his attorneys.
A lawyer for the victim’s family, Tania Koen, said on Friday, “We were… notified at this point that it has been denied and it will be evaluated again in one year.”
Pistorius had not served the minimum amount of time in custody necessary for parole, according to the Department of Correctional Services.
On Valentine’s Day 2013, Reeva Steenkamp, a model, was fatally shot by Oscar Pistorius, who fired four times through the bathroom door of their Pretoria home.
He was sentenced to prison in 2016 initially for a six-year term and became known as the “Blade Runner” due to his carbon-fibre prosthetics. Prosecutors filed an appeal, claiming that the initial sentence was too mild, and it resulted in the term being raised to 13 years.
He had entered a not guilty plea and said he had mistaken Steenkamp for a burglar before he killed her in a fit of rage.
The 36-year-old is being imprisoned in a prison outside the capital, where a hearing to determine his eligibility for parole was held on Friday.
In South Africa, after serving half of their sentence, inmates are automatically eligible for parole consideration. After he began serving in 2014, Pistorius has completed more than half of his term.
