Oscar Pistorius has been found ‘Not Guilty’ of pre-meditated murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
Judge Masipa in her judgement on Thursday, September 11, 2014 read much of her judgement and she’s just found Oscar Pistorius not guilty of murder.
Oscar Pistorius has been cleared of the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, a vindication for the athlete who vehemently protested his innocence during a trial in South Africa that gripped millions around the world.
But the judge abruptly adjourned the trial on Thursday afternoon with the culpable homicide – manslaughter – charge still outstanding. In delivering her ruling, judge Thokozile Masipa said it was clear Pistorius had acted unlawfully in shooting the person behind the toilet door on Valentine’s Day last year.
She said a “reasonable person” would not have fired four shots into the toilet cubicle, and that Pistorius acted “too hastily and used excessive force … It is clear his conduct was negligent.”
The court will resume on Friday to hear her decision on whether the athlete was guilty of culpable homicide, which could result in a prison sentence of up to 15 years.
The Olympic and Paralympic athlete slumped forward in the dock and sobbed quietly as the judge ruled that the state had failed to prove he was guilty of murder or premeditated murder, and that the evidence was “purely circumstantial”.
The not guilty verdicts will bring some relief to his family, who were in court to support him every day, and the legion of fans who believed in him. It even raises the prospect that the Paralympian could one day resurrect his career on the track.
But the judgment is likely to be condemned by friends and supporters of Steenkamp, including the African National Congress women’s league, who were regularly represented in the public gallery and danced and sang outside court on Thursday. It will also fuel fears that Pistorius has received preferential treatment because of his wealth and fame.
