PISTORIUS FOUND NOT GUILTY OF PREMEDITATED MURDER

Oscar Pistorius not guilty of premeditated murder; ‘Blade Runner’ could still face lesser charges
The Olympic and Paralympic track star was accused of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day 2013. Judge Thokozile Masipa said the runner could not have known that
Oscar Pistorius is not guilty of premeditated murder, a judge ruled Thursday.
Previous Next

A South African judge ruled that Oscar Pistorius is not guilty of premeditated murder because he didn’t know that firing through a closed bathroom stall “would kill the person behind the door.”
Judge Thokozile Masipa began reading her verdict Thursday after a marathon six-month trial.
The Olympic and Paralympic track star was accused of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day 2013 when he shot through his bathroom door in the middle of the night.
Pistorius’ defense maintained that the “Blade Runner” athlete fired at the bathroom because he thought a home intruder was inside. He pleaded not guilty to murder charges, saying he made a tragic error.
“The question is, ‘Did the accused forsee the possibility of the death and proceed reckless?’ In the circumstances of this case, the answer would be no,” she said. “How could the accused see the shot he fired would kill the deceased? He could not forsee the possibility that he would kill the person behind the door, let alone the deceased.”
The prosecution alleged the athlete intentionally killed the 29-year-old model after a loud quarrel — which neighbors heard.
A key part of the prosecution’s case was its assertion that Steenkamp screamed during a late-night alleged fight with Pistorius before he killed her. But Masipa said some of those witnesses who testified to hearing a woman scream in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14, 2013 were “genuinely mistaken in what they heard, as the chronology will show.”
Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, was shot dead on Feb.14, 2013. AFP / Getty Images Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, was shot dead on Feb.14, 2013.
During the verdict, Masipa also called Pistorius a “poor witness,” explaining that he was evasive and that his story often contradicted itself.
Still, she doubted the testimonies from some of the 37 witnesses, prompting her to rule out the possible murder conviction.
Outside the South African courtroom Thursday, about 100 members of the African National Congress Women’s League protested violence aganist women.
The group had paid for June Steenkamp — Reeva’s mother — to attend the trial and has stood by her side for all 41 days of the court proceedings, which spanned six months due to breaks and delays.
Both Pistorius’ and Steenkamp’s families were in the courtroom for the verdict Thursday. Before the session began, Pistorius hugged his brother Carl, who was seated in a wheelchair because of injuries suffered in a recent car crash.
Meanwhile, Steenkamp’s friend Gina Myers cried uncontrollably during the reading.
KIM LUDBROOK / POOL / EPA Judge Thokozile Masipa began reading her verdict Thursday.
The decision to drop the murder charges relieves Pistorius of the mandatory life sentence that comes with a premeditated murder conviction in South Africa.
Pistorius could still a face a lesser charge of culpable homicide. That charge does not carry a mandatory sentence.
If Pistorius is convicted on any charge, the case will likely be postponed until a later sentencing hearing.