Oscar Pistorius Is Up for Parole

Athlete who killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp might meet with her parents in South Africa
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 8, 2021 8:55 AM CST
Oscar Pistorius Is Up for Parole
A 2014 court photo of Oscar Pistorius.   (AP Photo/Daniel Born, Pool, File)

The name Oscar Pistorius is once again back in the headlines, this time because he is up for parole. And as the BBC reports, that process might result in him sitting down with the parents of the woman he killed, Reeva Steenkamp. The former South African Olympian fatally shot Steenkamp in 2013 and was eventually sentenced to 13 years for murder. An attorney for parents June and Barry Steenkamp tells SABC that they are willing to meet with Pistorius as part of what's known as a "victim-offender dialogue." It's not entirely clear, however, whether that would play out in Pistorius' favor.

"June has always said that she has forgiven Oscar, however that doesn't mean that he mustn't pay for what he has done," says attorney Tania Koen. "Barry battles with that a bit, but that is something he will have to voice at the appropriate time." Pistorius, the first runner to compete in the Olympics with prosthetic "blades," has maintained that he fired four times through his bathroom door because he thought an intruder had entered his home. He initially got six years for the slaying before the sentence was increased. (A prison altercation may not help his case for good behavior.)

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