Oscar Pistorius to be released from jail next week

Less than a year after being jailed for killing his girlfriend, Oscar Pistorius is released from jail and will serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.

Olympic and Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius will be released from South African prison less than a year after being jailed for killing his girlfriend. A judge ruled that Pistorius can serve the remainder of his five-year sentence for culpable homicide under correctional supervision due to good behavior. 

If Pistorius serves his sentence from his uncle Arnold's home in Waterkloof, Pretoria, he may be required do community service, take part in regular mental health checks and refrain from drinking alcohol. South African correctional services believe Pistorius will remain under supervision until 2019.

Pistorius shot girlriend Reeva Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door at his home on Valentine’s Day in 2013. His defense argued that he mistook his girlfriend for a burglar. He was officially charged with murder in Aug. 2013.

Steenkamp's parents are against Pistorius' early release.

Pistorius's family confirmed his release:

"We have now been informed that Oscar will be released into correctional supervision on the 20th of October. We will not be releasing a statement, and simply wish to confirm the information we have received."

The prosecution is expected to argue that the sprinter's conviction should be scaled up to murder, which carries a minimum 15-year jail term. That Supreme Court hearing could take place in November, when Pistorius will turn 29. 

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Pistorius rose to fame as the first athlete to compete in both the Paralympics and Olympics at the 2012 Summer Games in London. Pistorius lacked fibulas and had both legs amputated below the knee at the age of 11 months.

In Oct. 2014, the International Paralympic committee banned Pistorius from competition until 2019, which would rule him out of the 2016 Summer Games in Rio. His house arrest conditions could limit his travel, which would also hinder any return to competition. Pistorius will be 33 when he is eligible to compete at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

- Christopher Chavez