Luke Skywalker
Super Moderator
{vb:raw ozzmodz_postquote}:
Get the news
Log In or Subscribe to skip
[h=6]Share This Story![/h]Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about
[h=4]Judge finds Oscar Pistorius guilty of murder[/h]A South African judge on Thursday found Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius guilty of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, overruling a previous manslaughter conviction.
{# #}
[h=4]Sent![/h]A link has been sent to your friend's email address.
[h=4]Posted![/h]A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.
[h=6]Join the Nation's Conversation[/h]To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs
[h=2]UP NEXT[/h][h=2]03[/h]
A South African judge has found Oscar Pistorius guilty of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. This verdict overrules a previous manslaughter conviction for the Olympic athlete. VPC
South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius.(Photo: EPA)
A South African judge on Thursday found Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius guilty of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, overruling a previous manslaughter conviction.
The judge said the matter will be referred to the trial court to consider an appropriate sentence. South Africa's national prosecuting authority said it was waiting for<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the court in Pretoria to set a date.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>A retrial was not expected.
Pistorius is currently out of prison under house arrest after spending a year of a five-year sentence<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in jail.
Steenkamp was killed on Valentine's Day in 2013 after Pistorius shot her through a bathroom door. He maintains he shot her because he thought<span style="color: Red;">*</span>she was an intruder. Prosecutors believe he became enraged after the couple quarreled.
Judge Eric Leach said Thursday in the new ruling that Pistorius "never offered an acceptable explanation" for his actions.
USA TODAY
Oscar Pistorius has been released from prison into house arrest
Leach and four other judges found<span style="color: Red;">*</span>that an earlier trial made errors in delivering a verdict of culpable homicide, which is broadly equivalent to manslaughter.
In particular, the judge ruled that Judge Thokozile Masipa was wrong in applying<span style="color: Red;">*</span>dolus eventualis, or legal intention, when he decided to fire his gun.
"The accused must have foreseen and therefore did foresee that whoever was behind that door might die," he said.
A tearful Barry Steenkamp, Reeva Steenkamp’s father, said he was relieved at the verdict.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"It's a big relief. I feel it's a fair decision that the judge gave," he told South African TV station ANN7.
Gina Myers, one of Reeva Steenkamp’s best friends, told Channel 24: "Nothing can justify that she is gone." She added: "I hope this has brought so much needed peace for the Steenkamp family and all her friends. I know that we can all speak her name with love and honor. And forever."
Dubbed the "Blade Runner" due to his prosthetic legs,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Pistorius was born without a fibula in either leg and both limbs<span style="color: Red;">*</span>were amputated above the knee before his first birthday. In 2012, the sprinter<span style="color: Red;">*</span>became the first amputee to compete in the Olympics.
In a statement following the ruling,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the Pistorius family said: "We have taken note of the judgment that has just been handed down by the supreme court of appeal.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The legal team will study the finding and we will be guided by them in terms of options going forward."
0) { %> 0) { %>
0) { %>
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed