pistorius prison exclusive mckenzie dnt _00001310.jpg
CNN Exclusive: Pistorius in prison
02:20 - Source: CNN

Story highlights

Pistorius shot his girlfriend to death on Valentine's Day 2013

He has said he mistook her for an intruder

A judge sentenced him to five years in prison last year

Board members gathered Friday to consider whether to place him under house arrest

CNN  — 

A South African parole board is meeting to decide whether to keep Oscar Pistorius in prison – where he’s been since he was convicted last year in his girlfriend’s fatal shooting.

Board members gathered Friday to consider whether to place him under house arrest, marking the latest incident on the lengthy court battle.

Corrections officials declined to speculate on the outcome of the meeting, but said the decision will be communicated accordingly.

The former Olympian was sentenced in October to five years in prison for culpable homicide in the 2013 killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. But few expected him to be incarcerated that long.

In South Africa, culpable homicide means a person killed someone unintentionally but unlawfully.

Pistorius shot her on Valentine’s Day 2013, and has said he mistook her for an intruder.

Lengthy battle

During sentencing last year, his defense team believed he would be eligible to transfer to house arrest on August 21– 10 months after he was sentenced.

South Africa’s correctional services act allows convicted criminals who have served at least one-sixth of their sentence to serve the remainder under house arrest.

But South Africa’s justice minister made a last-minute intervention, blocking Pistorius’ release and asking a parole review board to look at his case.

The parole review board Monday referred the case back to the broader correctional supervision and parole board for reconsideration.

Why? As Pistorius’ lawyer Brian Webber explained, “The decision … is to refer the (matter) back to the parole board because they believe the decision (to possibly let him out of jail) was made prematurely.”

In addition to sending the case back, the parole review board also ordered that Pistorius “be subjected to psychotherapy in order to address criminogenic factors of the crime he committed,” according to the corrections department.

‘Blade Runner’

Pistorius was one of South Africa’s most famous athletes. He was known as the “Blade Runner” because he ran on special carbon-fiber prosthetics after having had both legs amputated below the knee as a toddler. Despite that, he excelled in sports, representing his country in Paralympic Games and the 2012 London Olympics.

Steenkamp was found shot to death in his home, and he acknowledged firing the fatal shots through his bathroom door.

In September 2014, Judge Thokozile Masipa found him “negligent” in Steenkamp’s death. But the judge said he did not commit murder nor did he intend to kill her.

Prosecutors are appealing the verdict, believing Pistorius, who is now 28, should be convicted of murder.

The state’s appeal is set to take place next month.

But the country’s justice minister ordered a review of that decision, on the grounds that the parole ruling may have been made too early.