Oscar Pistorius Released on Parole After Serving Half His Sentence for Killing Reeva Steenkamp

The South African double-amputee and sprinter who broke world records shot his model girlfriend through the bathroom door in 2013, saying he thought she was an intruder

After spending 11 years in prison for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, former South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was released from prison on parole on Friday.

On Feb. 14, 2013, the famed athlete made headlines around the world when he killed Steenkamp, 29, a model and law school graduate, by shooting four times through the bathroom door of their home in Pretoria.

A statement issued by South Africa's Department of Correctional Services on Friday confirmed "that Oscar Pistorius is now a parolee, effectively from 5 January 2024. He was admitted into the system of Community Corrections and is now at home."

The Department of Correctional Services did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

The double-amputee known as “Blade Runner” because of the state-of-the-art prosthetic legs that carried him to victory at top speeds said he fired his gun because he thought there was an intruder inside their home. He pleaded not guilty but prosecutors argued he intentionally killed her in a fit of rage.

In 2014, he was convicted of culpable homicide or manslaughter, and not murder and was sentenced to five years in prison.

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He appealed, but in 2015, the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the previous conviction and found him guilty of murder. In 2016, he was sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison for murdering Steenkamp.

Following his release on Friday, Steenkamp's mother, June Steenkamp, released a statement where, per the BBC, she said, in part: "Has there been justice for Reeva? Has Oscar served enough time? There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back. We, who remain behind, are the ones serving a life sentence."

June also detailed her wishes for the future and the legacy of her late daughter.

"My only desire is that I will be allowed to live my last years in peace with my focus remaining on the Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation, to continue Reeva's legacy," she said.

In an interview broadcast in 2016 on REELZ, just before he was sentenced, an emotional Pistorius addressed his actions in 2013.

“I did take Reeva’s life, and I have to live with it,” he said through tears. “I can smell the blood. I can feel the warmness of it on my hands. And to know that that’s your fault, that that’s what you’ve done.

Related: Oscar Pistorius Set to Be Released from Prison in January, Nearly 11 Years After His Murder Conviction

“And I understand the pain people feel that loved her and miss her,” he added. “I feel that same pain, I feel that same hate for myself, I feel that same difficulty in understanding this. And I look back and I think – I always think, how did this possibly happen?”

On Nov. 24, Pistorius was granted parole and was scheduled to be released after serving half of his sentence.

He will finish the rest of his sentence in South Africa’s community corrections system, South Africa's Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said in November, Reuters reported.

He will remain under DCS supervision until the end of his sentence in December 2029, per Reuters.

Subject to parole conditions, Pistorius will report to a parole officer and will be required to notify the officer if he moves or gets a job, the BBC reported. Pistorius will be required to attend gender-based violence classes and continue anger management therapy, a lawyer for the Steenkamp family said, per Reuters.

During November’s parole board hearing, June said in a letter that she was concerned that Pistorius's "huge anger issues" were thoroughly addressed in prison, according to the BBC.

She said in the statement that she would be "concerned for the safety of any woman" who comes into contact with him, per the BBC.

Earlier this year, Reeva’s father and June’s husband, Barry Steenkamp died, she noted in the statement.

"My dear Barry left this world utterly devastated by the thought that he had failed to protect his daughter,” she said in the statement, according to the outlet.

“I've no doubt that he died of a broken heart," the statement read.

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