CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — On a fateful Valentine’s Day more than a decade ago, South African Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, forever altering his image as a sports superstar.
Pistorius, a renowned double-amputee sprinter who gained international fame by competing on carbon-fiber blades at the 2012 London Olympics, was released on parole Friday after serving almost nine years in prison for the murder.
The tragic incident, which took place in the predawn hours of Feb. 14, 2013, in Pretoria, the South African capital, was met with conflicting narratives. Pistorius maintained that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder in his home, while prosecutors alleged that he intentionally killed the 29-year-old model and reality TV star during a late-night argument and fabricated the intruder story.
Following a seven-month-long murder trial, Pistorius was found guilty of murder by South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal, overturning a lesser manslaughter conviction that was initially accepted by a judge.
One of the central points of contention in the trial was Pistorius’ claim that he shot Steenkamp through a locked toilet cubicle door as an act of self-defense, believing there was a dangerous intruder in his home. Prosecutors raised doubts about his account, questioning why he did not first check on Steenkamp’s whereabouts and highlighting the suspicious circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The prosecution also alleged that Pistorius deliberately put on his prosthetic legs before shooting Steenkamp, suggesting premeditation. However, Pistorius’ defense team presented evidence showing that he fired the shots while standing on his stumps, ultimately leading prosecutors to concede that he did not have his prosthetic legs on at the time of the shooting.
Ultimately, the Supreme Court of Appeal convicted Pistorius of murder, citing his reckless actions and disregard for the potential consequences of his decision to shoot through the door. He was sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison, although the question of whether Pistorius knew he was shooting specifically at Steenkamp and intended to kill her remains unanswered.
This tragic case has forever changed the lives of those involved, leaving behind deep scars and continuing to raise questions about the events of that fateful night.