PRETORIA, South Africa, Aug. 15 (UPI) — Oscar Pistorius is scheduled to walk out of prison next week, just 10 months after being jailed for killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
Pistorius, famed for being the first “blade runner” to compete in the Olympic Games in 2012, was acquitted of murdering the model after he shot and killed her through a locked bathroom door in 2013. He was instead convicted of culpable homicide, similar to manslaughter. He will be freed from prison Aug. 21.
The infamous South African athlete, 28, will be placed under house arrest at his uncle’s mansion in Waterkloof — a suburb of Pretoria.
According to The Independent, the late Steenkamp’s parents protested the early release, saying in a statement “incarceration of 10 months for taking a life is simply not enough.”
Pistorius is not in the clear yet, however, and may find himself returning to prison if the state’s appeal of his conviction succeeds. Prosecutors argue he should have been convicted of murder. If the Olympian’s culpable homicide conviction is overturned, he could face at least 15 years behind bars.
The state’s appeal will reportedly be reviewed in November by a panel of Supreme Court of Appeal judges in Bloemfontein.
Comment count on this article reflects comments made on Breitbart.com and Facebook. Visit Breitbart's Facebook Page.