UPDATE (2:10 p.m.): Oscar Pistorius could return to prison soon after he is released.
It was reported Monday the Olympic runner could be released from prison in August for good behavior. That news came on the same day the South African court announced the prosecution’s appeal, which will seek a murder verdict, will be heard in November. This means Pistorius could return to prison three months after being released, this time facing a minimum of 15 years.
Original story: Oscar Pistorius could be out of prison as early as August, South African officials told CNN on Monday.
According to the report, a parole board in South Africa is recommending the double-amputee Olympian be released on Aug. 21 to serve the rest of his term under house arrest. The committee made the recommendation on the basis of Pistorius’ good behavior.
“He’s behaving himself very well,” Zach Modise, the Acting National Commissioner of Correctional Services, told The Associated Press, per ESPN.com. “He hasn’t given us any problems.”
Modise added that Pistorius’ parole could still be denied the early release if his good behavior doesn’t continue. If released on that date, he will have served just 10 months of his five-year sentence for shooting girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Under the country’s laws, Pistorius is eligible to be released under conditions after serving one-sixth of his sentence, which is 10 months in this instance. Steenkamp’s family, however, was highly critical of the decision. Steenkamp’s family members could have attended the parole hearing, but they opted to submit a written statement instead.
“Incarceration of 10 months for taking a life is simply not enough,” Steenkamp’s family said in a written statement to the parole board. “We have forgiven Mr. Pistorius even though he took the life of our precious daughter, Reeva. We do not seek to avenge her death and we do not want Mr. Pistorius to suffer; that will not bring her back to us. However a person found guilty of a crime must be held accountable for their actions.”
Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide in the killing of Steenkamp on Feb. 14, 2013. He was found not guilty of murder, but prosecutors will appeal that verdict later this year.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@NYDailyNews
