Who was Oscar Pistorius’ girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and when was she killed?
NEARLY 11 years after killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, Oscar Pistorius has been freed from jail.
Pistorius was sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison in 2017 for the murder of his model partner.
Who was Reeva Steenkamp?
Reeva Steenkamp was a model and paralegal from South Africa who was killed in 2013.
Steenkamp was born in Cape Town on August 19, 1983.
As a child, Steenkamp broke her back while horse riding and went through rehabilitation to walk again.
Growing up she always dreamed of becoming a lawyer and in 2005 she graduated from the University of Port Elizabeth with a law degree.
Steenkamp then began working as a paralegal before applying to the bar.
As well as her legal career, Steenkamp worked as a model, and was the face of Avon in South Africa.
She also worked as a TV presenter and appeared in adverts for companies including Toyota.
When did she meet Oscar Pistorius?
Steenkamp was introduced to Oscar Pistorius in late 2012 and the pair began dating.
The couple had been together for three months when Reeva was tragically killed.
At his trial Pistorius, known as the "Blade Runner" because of his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs, described how the pair met over a lunch at a car racing track in November 2012.
He said: "I was very keen on Reeva. I think, if anything, I was maybe more into her than she was at times to me.
"I let her just take her space but it wasn't always easy. I was besotted."
What happened the night Reeva Steenkamp died?
Steenkamp was shot dead by Pistorius on February 14, 2013.
She was 29 years old at the time of her death.
On the night she was killed, the couple had spent their Valentine's evening inside Paralympian Pistorius's flat in Pretoria, South Africa.
Later in the evening, Steenkamp was shot four times through the closed door of their bathroom and Pistorius made a frantic call to emergency services.
She died from her injuries, having been shot in the head, hip and arm.
Steenkamp had gone to the bathroom and Pistorius claimed he woke in their bed and opened fire believing she was a burglar.
Pistorius served his sentence for the killing of Steenkamp at Atteridgeville Correctional Facility.
In January 2024 he was released from prison after serving over half of his 13 years and five months sentence.
Pistorius was believed to have been moved to his uncle's £2million mansion.
In November 2023, when Pistorius was granted parole, Steenkamp's mother spoke out about the court's decision.
June Steenkamp said in her victim statement: "I do not believe Oscar’s version that he thought the person in the toilet was a burglar. In fact, I do not know anybody who does."
She also revealed her husband, Reeva's father, had died of a broken heart just weeks prior.
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What has happened to Oscar Pistorius since he was charged with Reeva Steenkamp's murder?
- South African police charged Pistorius with premeditated murder and possession of unlicensed ammunition on August 19, 2013.
- Just over a year later, the runner was found not guilty of murder, but convicted of "culpable homicide", the equivalent to manslaughter in Britain.
- In October 2014 he was jailed for five years, beginning his sentence at Pretoria's Kgosi Mampuru prison. He was also handed a three-year suspended sentence for the firearms charge.
- Furious prosecutors appealed the manslaughter verdict and demanded a murder charge.
- In October 2015, Pistorius was released after just a year in jail. He was ordered to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest at his uncle Arnold's home in Pretoria
- Two months later the Supreme Court overturned Pistorius' manslaughter conviction, finding him guilty of murder.
- He was handed six years in prison in the hospital wing of the Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria for Reeva's murder.
- In October 2016, Pistorius was allowed to move to cushy Atteridgeville prison surrounded by acres of lush gardens and trees.
- In September 2017, prosecutors appealed to have Pistorious' sentence lengthened.
- South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal heard the case and on November 24, 2017, Pistorius had his jail sentence increased from six years to 13 years and five months.
- On March 28, 2018, Pistorius lost his appeal against his sentence,
- A documentary entitled The Trials of Oscar Pistorius aired on BBC iPlayer on November 7, 2020.
- In March 2023, Pistorius' parole was denied as he did not complete the minimum Detention Period.
- On January 5, 2024, Pistorius was released from prison after being granted parole in November 2023.
- His parole will last until December 2029 but Pistorius will be subjected to certain conditions for life.
- He will have to attend therapy for anger and "gender-based violence issues".