Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been convicted of murder, nearly two years after he killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his Johannesburg residence, in what he maintains was a tragic accident.
In the early hours of February 14, 2013, double-amputee runner Pistorius was said to have fired four shots at Reeva behind a closed toilet door, three of which struck her in the head, arm and hip before she succumbed to her injuries on the spot.
In a lower court session last year, Pistorius said he had fired at someone he thought was an intruder while being concerned about his and Reeva’s safety.
Judge Thokozile Masipa had then agreed that there was some substance in Pistorius’ story, while at the same time saying that the runner’s disability may have led to him acting in a disproportionate manner.
On Thursday, however, South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that Pistorius was indeed aware of the consequences of his actions, which led to the death of Reeva.
“As a result of the error of laws referred to and on a proper appraisal of the facts, he ought to have been convicted not of culpable homicide on that count but of murder,” Judge Eric Leach said.
“I have no doubt that, in firing the fatal shots, the accused must have foreseen, and therefore did foresee, that whoever was behind the toilet door might die, but reconciled himself to that event occurring and gambled with that person’s life,” Judge Leach said. “This constituted dolus eventualis on his part, and the identity of his victim is irrelevant to his guilt.”
Reeva’s mother June Steenkamp, who has till now only spoken to the press in exchange of money, said justice had finally been delivered in the case.
An appeal from Pistorius’ lawyers will only be heard by the apex court if a case of violation of his constitutional rights is found to have any substance.
Last year in November, Pistorius had been sentenced to five years in jail for culpable homicide – South African equivalent of unpremeditated murder.
On October 20 this year, Pistorius was released from prison after serving one-sixth of his sentence and moved to house arrest at his uncle’s mansion in Pretoria.
The murder conviction means Pistorius will now have to return to jail immediately before an announcement of the verdict takes place next year, for which the runner will have to be personally present in court.
Murder sentences in South Africa usually carry a minimum jail punishment of 15 years but the judge does have discretion to lower it.
A long sentence will most certainly mark the end of 29-year-old Pistorius’ athletics career as he will be past his prime by the time he is released.
The South African superstar has already lost all his lucrative sponsorship deals since the night of the shooting, which is fresh in his memories and continues to haunt him to date.
Before the incident, people in South Africa had for long idolized the blade runner, who has won several medals at the international stage and even competed alongside able-bodied athletes at the 2012 London Olympics.
Pistorius was last seen in public reporting for community service at a local police station, as required by his sentence. Wearing dark sunglasses and a baseball cap, the runner had chosen not to answer questions from journalists at the venue.
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