Oscar Pistorius Released From Prison on Parole 11 Years After Killing Girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp

Oscar Pistorius is no longer behind bars.

The Olympic sprinter, who served time for the 2013 shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, was released from a South African prison on parole Jan. 5, officials confirmed to NBC News.

In a statement obtained by the outlet, the South African Department of Correctional Services confirmed that the 37-year-old "is a parolee, effectively from 5 January 2024," and "was admitted into the system of Community Corrections and is now at home."

Pistorius' release comes nearly 11 years after he shot and killed Steenkamp, then 29, in his Pretoria home on Feb. 14, 2013. The former professional athlete claimed he had mistaken the model for an intruder hiding in the bathroom and fired in self-defense.

After police arrived at his home, he was subsequently arrested and charged with murder. At his 2014 trial, Pistorius was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of culpable homicide.

Though he originally faced a five-year prison sentence, prosecutors appealed the verdict, during which Pistorius spent some of his time under house arrest. He was subsequently sentenced to serve six years in prison for Steenkamp's murder.

After Pistorius' release, Steenkamp's mother June Steenkamp, reflected on her daughter's memory and the circumstances surrounding her passing.

"Now, almost 11 years later, the pain is still raw and real, and my dear late husband Barry and I have never been able to come to terms with Reeva's death," she said in a statement obtained by NBC News, "or the way she died."

She noted, "There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back."

Pistorius, a Paralympic champ who earned the nickname "Blade Runner," competed in the 4x400 meter relay and 400-meter semifinal at the 2012 London Olympics. At the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, he became the first double-leg amputee participant, earning a silver and two gold medals.

(E! News and NBC News are part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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