The China Mail - Pistorius: Murder, trial and prison

Here is a timeline of events following the shooting on Valentine's Day in 2013, in a case that shocked the world:

- Shot four times -

February 14, 2013: Police arrest the Olympic and Paralympic sprinter for killing Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, who was shot four times at his Pretoria home.

February 15: Pistorius bursts into tears as he is charged, denying murder "in the strongest terms".

February 19: Pistorius claims in an affidavit he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder. He said he fired through a locked bathroom door, in what prosecutors term "premeditated" murder.

February 21: Global sportswear manufacturer Nike suspends its sponsorship contract with the athlete.

February 22: Pistorius is granted bail.

- The trial begins -

March 3, 2014: The trial opens in Pretoria before crowds of journalists from around the world, with the testimony of a neighbour who tells the court she heard "terrible screams" from a woman. Ten days later, Pistorius vomits when a picture of Steenkamp's body is flashed on the court's television screens.

April 7-15: Pistorius takes the stand and begins with a tearful apology to Steenkamp's family. This is followed by five days of often intense cross-examination, marked by bouts of tears and breaks in the session. Pistorius steadfastly denies any intention to kill Steenkamp.

June 30: After a six-week break, a panel of three psychiatrists and a psychologist conclude Pistorius does not suffer from mental illness.

September 12: Judge Thokozile Masipa finds Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide or manslaughter.

October 21: The judge sentences him to a maximum of five years in jail. He is taken to Pretoria prison.

- Under house arrest -

October 20, 2015: Pistorius is allowed out of prison after just one year to spend the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.

December 3: The Supreme Court of Appeal convicts him of murder, saying his testimony was "vacillating and untruthful".

December 8: Pistorius is released on bail pending sentencing, and remains under house arrest.

- 'Shockingly lenient' sentence -

March 2, 2016: Pistorius, now 29, loses his final bid to appeal his murder conviction.

July 6: He is sentenced to six years in jail for murder.

August 14: South African media reports say Pistorius is put on 24-hour suicide watch.

September 15: Prosecutors say they will petition the Supreme Court of Appeal for a tougher sentence for Pistorius, having described the six-year term as "shockingly lenient".

November 14: Prison authorities say Pistorius has been transferred to a prison adapted for disabled inmates just outside Pretoria to serve the rest of his sentence.

- Jail term extended -

November 3, 2017: The appeal court adjourns to consider its ruling after prosecutors argue that Pistorius's jail term is too short, while defence lawyers say the judge handed down a fair sentence.

November 24: The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein more than doubles Pistorius's sentence of six years to 13 years and five months.

- Quest for parole -

March 28, 2018: South Africa's highest court rejects Pistorius's leave to appeal, ending the long legal battle over the killing.

November 29, 2021: Prison services say Pistorius has been temporarily moved to a detention facility in the southern city of Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, as part of his parole process, having become eligible for early release a few months earlier, after serving half his sentence.

July 1, 2022: Prison services say Pistorius has met with Steenkamp's parents as part of his rehabilitation process.

March 31, 2023: A parole board is called to decide on whether the 36-year-old former athlete should be released early.

L.Kwan--ThChM