South African Olympic blade runner, Oscar Pistorius, scored a bit of a legal victory today — but it’s not over yet. The judge handling the case of Pistorius’ slain girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, has found him not guilty of premeditated murder. He’s not off the hook though, the judge still thinks that he was negligent and could very well be leaning towards a culpable homicide conviction (the killing of someone through reckless or negligent behavior).
You may recall in February 2013, Pistorius was charged with murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend. Neighbors reported the disturbance. According to Pistorius, the shooting was an accident. He says that it was dark and before dawn when he heard his someone in his home. The double amputee Olympian testifies that he mistakenly took his girlfriend for a burglar and fired four shots, fatally hitting her in the head, hip and arm through a closed bathroom door. It wasn’t until after he shot her that he realized she was just trying to deliver his Valentine’s Day gift. South African authorities weren’t immediately buying Oscar’s story, however. They say that there have been many calls to Oscar’s home for domestic situations in the past. Pistorius was charged with murder, two counts of unlawfully firing a gun in a public place in unrelated incidents and one count of illegal possession of ammunition (hollow point bullets).
If convicted of culpable homicide, Pistorius could still face up to 15 years behind bars. “I am of the view that the accused acted too hastily and with excessive force. Did the accused fail to take steps he should have taken? Yes, He failed to take any steps to avoid the death,” Judge Masipa said of Pistorius’ actions on the fatal night.
