Following a ruling that cleared him of murder earlier this week, a judge convicted South African Paralympic Oscar Pistorius of “culpable homicide” in the killing of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day last year.
Throughout the trial, Pistorius maintained that he believed an intruder was in the bathroom of his South African home. He shot multiple times through the door, killing Steenkamp, who was actually inside the bathroom. On Thursday, Judge Thokozile Masipa called his actions “negligent,” saying that he “acted too hastily and used excessive force.”
Still, state prosecutors failed to prove Pistorius was guilty of murder. Pistorius was, however, convicted on one of three firearm charges.
From USA Today:
The judge ruled that the athlete 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.
Pistorius was acquitted on two other gun 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.
Culpable homicide, known as manslaughter in other nations, carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence. Judge Masipa granted Pistorius bail. He will return to court on Oct. 13 for sentencing.
We’ll keep you updated with the latest in Pistorius’ sentencing.
SOURCE: USA Today | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty | VIDEO SOURCE: News Inc.
