A South African appeals court has found Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius guilty of murder in the death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, overturning a lower court’s conviction of culpable homicide. The murder charge carries a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Oscar Pistorius convicted of murder by South African appeals court
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On Valentine’s Day of 2013, Steenkamp was shot to death by Pistorius in his home in an affluent suburb of Pretoria. Pistorius admitted to firing four bullets through a bathroom door, contending that he had mistaken Steenkamp for a home intruder.
Pistorius was convicted in 2014 of the lesser charge of culpable homicide, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The judge in that case, Thokozile Masipa, found that Pistorius had not intended to kill Steenkamp. Pistorius was sentenced to five years in prison, serving one before beginning house arrest in October.
Pistorius, whose two carbon-fiber prosthetic legs earned him the nickname “Blade Runner,” ran for South Africa in numerous international events, including the 2012 Olympic Games and several Paralympic Games.
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