Oscar Pistorius is on target to leave prison as early as August after a parole board in South Africa approved his release to serve out the rest of his term under house arrest, officials said Monday.
In October, the double-amputee athlete was sentenced to five years in prison after shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his luxury home in Pretoria, South Africa. Under the country's laws, he is eligible for release after 10 months.
In a statement, South Africa's Acting National Commissioner of Correctional Services Zach Modise confirmed that the parole board sitting on Friday approved "the placement of Oscar Pistorius under correctional supervision" from August 21.
The statement said under South African law Pistorius was eligible to "serve only one-sixth of his sentence in custody, and continue to serve the remaining period of the sentence under correctional supervision."
It said that Steenkamp's family was invited and participated in parole board's deliberations.
Known as the "Blade Runner" because of his prosthetic legs, Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide last year. He was found not guilty of murder, but prosecutors are set to appeal this verdict later this year.
