Oscar Pistorius has been declared a free man after serving nearly nine years in prison for killing his girlfriend, the model Reeva Steenkamp.
Pistorius quietly left the Atteridgeville Correctional Center in Pretoria and was processed at a parole office before being released to his family, Department of Corrections spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo told The Associated Press.
“I can only tell you he was released this morning,” Nxumalo said.
Pistorius served nearly nine years of his murder sentence of 13 years and five months for the fatal shooting of Steenkamp at his home on Valentine’s Day 2013.
He became eligible for early release having served at least half his sentence, and was approved for parole in November.
Pistorius and his brother and sister grew up under the care of their uncle and aunt, Arnold and Lois Pistorius, after becoming estranged from their father.
Oscar insists that he shot the 29-year-old Steenkamp in error after mistaking her for a dangerous intruder hiding in a bathroom in his Pretoria villa in the middle of the night. According to him, he thought she was an intruder.
Prosecutors alleged at his trial that he killed her intentionally in anger during a late-night argument. Few
