The South African Supreme Court of Appeal has found Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius guilty of murder for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day two years ago, throwing out his previous manslaughter conviction.
Judge Lorimer Leach made the announcement Thursday, December 3, 2015 at the court in Bloemfontein.
Pistorius, 29, was convicted of culpable homicide of Steenkamp by High Court Judge Thokozile Masipa and handed a five- year jail sentence has in October last year. He was eligible to serve the rest of his term at home after 10 months.
The Olympian has been under house arrest since October when he was released from jail.
Pistorius shot Steenkamp with four hollow-point bullets in his bathroom o Valentines day of 2013.
A murder conviction carries a minimum sentence of 15 years in South Africa.
Finally reeva gets justice ……shame on the judge who handled his case earlier. It so obvious he killed her knowingly.
I hate to judge people, cos nobody holy pass, but in this case, I’ll say it serves Oscar and his legal team right, they disrespected Reeva’s memory with that move of him staying under house arrest after 10 months in jail. I know is his constitutional right to evoke that clause of his sentence, but sometimes out of respect you let somethings go. It’s not being stupid, it’s courtesy, like a gentleman leaving the door open for a lady, standing up from a seat for a lady, or the “ladies first” rule.
I know it may not be intentional, but ah ba, out of 5years prison sentence, and spending it in a private area in the prison where he has everything at his disposal, even in the USA you spend half of it before you’re considered for parole. Fine they added those months he spent during his first arrest and trial, but that development cause public outcry, and a slap to steenkamp parent’s face, at least give them a closure, and respect their emotions, what they did is a death blow, it’s like killing Reeva again, shooting her parent in the heart.
They should have let the sleeping dog lie, but now they’ve awaken the beast, and under the law you can’t appeal this ruling, if he had spent almost the five year sentence, the public may even overlook his fault, he could have drawn public sympathy. He brought this on himself, by trying to be smart.
I also know this may seems unfair, and it also seems the judges were swayed by the public outcry, but sometimes life could be unfair.
Their ain’t no justice in the world
– Lemar Obika