The Washington Post reports Oscar Pistorius was found guilty of murder by the South Africa’s top appeals court, overturning an earlier charge of culpable homicide.
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Expressing his passionate response to the overturned verdict, the South African-born maverick batsman tweeted, “Cheeeeerrrriiiiio, #OscarPistorius!”
Pistorius, 29, was released on parole on October 19, having spent one day less than a year in prison for shooting model Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013. He will now be handed a new sentence.
Given that the minimum sentence in South Africa for murder is fifteen years, he could be going back to prison for a very long time.
Pistorius is now certain to head back to prison, because the South African legal system does not allow for someone to be placed under house arrest for more than five years.
This signals what may be the final chapter in a trial that was closely watched around the world. The sight of Pistorius racing at the 2012 London Olympics was one of the enduring and inspirational images of the games.
“It is inconceivable that a rational person thought he was entitled to fire at this person with a heavy-duty firearm”, said Judge Leach, who described Pistorius’ testimony as “vacillating and untruthful”. “In doing so he becomes an global celebrity”.
The trial also highlighted the issue of violence against women.
“It saddens me that 20 years after my sister Nicole’s murder, we are still seeing the same crimes, just different names, over and over again”, she said.
Facts considered in the case include: the number of shots fired assert an intent to kill whomever was on the other side of the door, and was not an act of self defense as he made no effort to warn the alleged intruder.
“The South African court is in recess right now, that’s for the holiday period”, Pistorius’ family spokesperson Anneliese Burgess said. “She was a joy in our life and that has gone out”.
Mr. Pistorius must have known that he could be killing a human behind the bathroom door, since the bullets from his pistol were tightly grouped and aimed at the centre of the person’s body, and there was no warning shot, the appeal court said.
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Leach added that “as a matter of common sense, at the time the fatal shots were fired the possibility of the death of a person behind the door was clearly an obvious result”. He speculated that prosecutors would want the sentencing process to proceed swiftly rather than let Pistorius remain under house arrest for an extended period. As the judge began to read the decision, broadcast live on TV, the uncle was seen rushing into the house.
