The former South African sprinter, who was sentenced to nine years in prison for the murder of his partner, will be released on parole in a few weeks. It will never be known whether Oscar Pistorius knew he shot his girlfriend more than a decade ago.
They called it Blade Runner
Oscar Pistorius, who amazed and touched the world by competing as a bilateral amputee with carbon fiber prostheses on the night of February 14, 2013, struggles to compete with healthy athletes. killed his partner Reeva Steenkamp with four gunshots. He states that he thought he was a thief, that he fired in panic, and that he was not aware that the person he heard moving in the locked bathroom was his girlfriend.
they passed More than a decade has passed since Pistorius pulled the trigger He shoots his girlfriend in the head and body four times with his 9mm pistol, but the question remains the same: Who knows or was known by Tink Tink, the Blade Runner, the fastest man without legs, citing some of his best-known nicknames? Wasn’t Reeva Steenkamp behind that door on Valentine’s Day 2013?
Oscar Pistorius case
Pistorius always said no but Steenkamp’s family never believed it. The girl’s parents were always convinced that the former sprinter knew exactly what he was doing, planning to shoot the then twenty-nine-year-old model with a law degree after a nightly argument. What is certain is that only Oscar Pistorius knows exactly what happened that night, and this secret will probably stay with him forever.
Pistorius at the beginning not found guilty of murderbut instead he was sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter in 2014, with the possibility of serving the sentence under house arrest. But in 2015, when the South African Supreme Court of Appeal declared him guilty of murder, he was first sentenced to six years in prison and then in 2017 the sentence was increased to 13 years definitively. In its decision, the court wrote that the judges were “clearly too lenient” in the first sentence.
The man who shocked and fascinated millions of people and, above all, told the ugly story of Steenkamp’s death, came to the fore again with the award given to him a few weeks ago. Conditional release from South African commission A freedom he can begin to enjoy in murder cases from January 4, 2023.
Pistorius will be constantly monitored by parole officials until the end of his sentence of 13 years and 5 months, which is set for December 2029. Blade Runner, which recently turned 37 years old, will have served less than nine years in prison When will it be published?
Reeva Steenkamp’s mother June has decided not to oppose Pistorius’ parole, despite reiterating that she does not believe in the former Paralympian’s rehabilitation. Also for this reason Ms Steenkamp decided not to participate directly in the hearingThe court, held in Atteridgeville prison just outside the capital Pretoria, approved Pistorius’ freedom decision: “I do not have the energy to face Pistorius again.” Reeva Steenkamp’s father But Barry died last September.
All doubts about the night Pistorius killed Steenkamp
In its hearing report, the Supreme Court stated that the statements given by Oscar Pistorius regarding the events on the night of February 14, 2014 “differed significantly” during various interrogations and The boy “shot without reasonable fear or the fact that his life is in danger.”
In her statement before the commission that decided to release Pistorius on parole, June Steenkamp said: Don’t believe Oscar’s story He said he thought the person in the bathroom was a thief. The situation got worse when the neighbors heard his daughter’s screams.
Steenkamp also reiterated that he doubted whether Pistorius could be considered rehabilitated, because rehabilitation requires someone to make an honest commitment. share the full truth of his crime and accepting the consequences was, in his view, a commitment Pistorius never made.
The statement was read not by June Steenkamp, who chose not to attend the hearing as noted above, but by Rob Matthews, the South African whose daughter was murdered in 2004. Family friend of the Steenkamps. Matthews pointed out before the Court that Pistorius’ parole was granted the day before the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
The Steenkamp family’s lawyer, Tania Koen, very clearly outlined the family’s feelings regarding Pistorius’ possible release and announced that no prison sentence would be imposed. Could have made any difference to the Steenkamps.
