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South Africa: Oscar Pistorius found guilty of culpable homicide
Oscar Pistorius listens as judge delivers verdict on Friday, Sept.12, 2014. PHOTO/Alon Skuy/AP
A South African judge on Friday found Oscar Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide in the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and declared him not guilty of murder. Prosecutors said they were disappointed by the ruling but would decide on whether to appeal only after sentencing.
Judge Thokozile Masipa said there was not enough evidence to support the contention that Pistorius knew Steenkamp was behind a locked toilet door in his home when he shot through the door in the predawn hours of Valentine’s Day last year. Masipa said prosecutors had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Pistorius intended to kill Steenkamp.
Masipa ordered Pistorius, 27, to stand before she delivered the formal verdict on the multiple counts against him, and said it was a unanimous verdict, meaning she and her two legal assessors agreed on the findings. The conviction of culpable homicide, similar to manslaughter, can bring a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.
Unlike many other times during the trial that began in March, Pistorius showed no emotion as he stood in his dark suit with his hands crossed in front of him. He was hugged by relatives when the judge ordered a recess soon after announcing her verdicts. The judge later ruled that Pistorius be granted bail with the same terms as before.
Masipa said Pistorius’s sentencing hearing would begin on October 13. Both sides will be able to call witnesses to argue ahead of the judge’s ruling on if, or for how long, Pistorius is sent to prison for negligently killing Steenkamp.
Some legal analysts said they understood why Pistorius was found not guilty of premeditated murder but were surprised that the runner was not convicted of murder.
“We believe there is sufficient and credible evidence to secure a conviction” on a murder charge, said Nathi Mncube, spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority. He said, however, that any decision to appeal the judge’s ruling would come after the case is “concluded” with sentencing.
The sentence for a culpable homicide conviction is at the judge’s discretion, and it can range from a suspended sentence and a fine to up to a maximum of 15 years in prison. Sentencing was expected to be announced at a later date.
The judge also ruled that Pistorius was guilty of unlawfully firing a gun in a public place when a friend’s pistol he was handling discharged under a table in a restaurant in Johannesburg in early 2013 – weeks before Steenkamp’s killing.
He was acquitted on 2 other weapons charges, including a count of firing a gun in public and a count of illegal possession of ammunition in the Pretoria home where he killed Steenkamp.
Pistorius fatally shot Steenkamp in his home in the pre-dawn hours of February 14, 2013. He said he mistook her for an intruder, while the prosecution said he killed her intentionally after an argument.
On Friday, armed security officers stood at each of the three entrances to the courtroom, while others stood near Judge Masipa as she explained her verdicts from her dais overlooking the court.
Source: Associated Press