Lawyers for convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius hope a South African parole review board will release him to home confinement today.
Pistorius, 28, was found not guilty of murder and convicted of the lesser charge of culpable homicide in the shooting death of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013.
Pistorius claimed he thought an intruder was in his Pretoria mansion when he fired five shots through a bathroom door.
Pretoria High Court Judge Thokozile Masipa sentenced Pistorius to five years in prison in December 2014.
He was set to be released on August 21. But his release was delayed when state prosecutors filed an appeal saying the judge made a mistake when she convicted Pistorius of the lesser charge of culpable homicide instead of murder.
Miss Masipa said she chose the lesser verdict based on her interpretation of the law.
Lawyers for the former Paralympics sprinter said he faces double jeopardy if he is tried again. Pistorius also told the court he can’t afford a retrial if he is not released today.
His lawyers say Pistorius is “frail, broken, and living a nightmare” in prison.
In 2012, Pistorius became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics with able-bodied runners.
More from Sandrarose.com:
