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Oscar Pistorius will not be found guilty of murder.
The stunning development was revealed as Judge Thokozile Masipa read her summation of the evidence Thursday in front of a packed courthouse and a worldwide television audience.
Masipa has yet to hand down her final decision, which is expected later today. Pistorious could still be found guilty of culpable homicide, a conviction that comes with no mandatory jail time.
But a murder charge is out.
The prosecution, Masipa said, "failed to show requisite intention to kill the deceased, let alone premeditation."
All along, the prosecution pressed for a conviction for cold-blooded murder. But the Blade Runner has always maintained it was a tragic accident, that he shot his girlfriend in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine's morning last year in a moment of terror, believing that he was protecting them both from an intruder.
He can still be found guilty however of what would be second-degree of murder in this country.
Oscar Pistorius will not be found guilty of murder.
The stunning development was revealed as Judge Thokozile Masipa read her summation of the evidence Thursday in front of a packed courthouse and a worldwide television audience.
Masipa has yet to hand down her final decision, which is expected later today. Pistorious could still be found guilty of culpable homicide, a conviction that comes with no mandatory jail time.
But a murder charge is out.
The prosecution, Masipa said, "failed to show requisite intention to kill the deceased, let alone premeditation."
All along, the prosecution pressed for a conviction for cold-blooded murder. But the Blade Runner has always maintained it was a tragic accident, that he shot his girlfriend in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine's morning last year in a moment of terror, believing that he was protecting them both from an intruder.
Oscar Pistorius will not be found guilty of murder - Yahoo Sports
That would never happen in America. ......Wow a Black judge in south africa finding a white man not guilty, Imagine that
I see juries in South Africa are just as hopelessly stupid as juries here.
Actually, the fact they can still convict on 2nd degree is good. He is guilty as hell.
PRETORIA, South Africa – While Oscar Pistorius was found not guilty of murder, but convicted of culpable homicide, a lesser charge that comes with no minimum jail sentence, his family said Friday there are "no victors" coming out of Courtroom GD.
"We as a family remain deeply infected by the devastating tragedy event," Arnold Pistorius, the Paralympian's uncle, said outside the courtroom. "And it won’t bring Reeva [Steenkamp] back. But our hearts still go out for her family and friends.”
After 41 days of testimony spanning more than five months, the so-called trial of the century in South Africa is over. Judge Thokozile Masipa handed down her decision Friday, a day after revealing to a packed courthouse and worldwide television audience that no, she would not find Pistorius guilty of murder – premeditated or otherwise. Instead, her determination is that the death of 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp in the early morning hours of Valentine's Day last year was a tragic accident; that while Pistorius "acted hastily and used excessive force," he did not show intent to kill his girlfriend.
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Judge Thokozile Masipa reads her verdict as Oscar Pistorius sits in the dock. (AFP)
Asking Pistorius to stand, Masipa read her decision.
Not guilty of murder. "Instead," Masipa said as Pistorius, reactionless, looked on, "he's found guilty of culpable homicide."
As Masipa read the verdict, Steenkamp’s parents remained silent, their faces drawn. Steenkamp’s cousin Kim began sobbing in the public gallery.
Pistorius, 27, also faced three counts of gun charges – two for discharging a gun in public, one for illegal possession of ammunition. Masipa found him guilty of one of those charges – negligently handling a firearm in a restaurant.
Per South African law, the verdict of culpable homicide carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, but does not call for a minimum sentence. The gun charge carries no minimum sentence, meaning Pistorius could receive no jail time whatsoever.
As court adjourned briefly for the judge to finalize sentencing hearing dates, Pistorius sat alone, silent and pensive, his head bowed in the dock. Joined by his sister Aimee, who laid her head on his shoulder, he leaned against her and closed his eyes.
Outside the courtroom, Jackie Mofokeng, a spokeswoman for a provincial branch of the ANC Women’s League, said the Steenkamp family is "not happy."
"They are not in a good state," Mofokeng said. "They are not happy their daughter is no more."
She continued: “It’s a sad day for women of this country and actually for all of us, to actually be coming up with a judgement like this. For us it’s a miscarriage of judgement. ... We’ll see what happens to the culpable homicide, how many years is the man going to get. But if judgements like this will be going on now and then, our women in the country and our daughters are not safe.”
Arnold Pistorius relayed his family's gratitude toward Masipa for finding the Blade Runner not guilty of murder.
“That’s a big burden off us, off our shoulders and Oscar," he said. "We always knew the facts of the matter and we never had any doubt in Oscar’s version of this tragic incident."
Court will now be postponed until sentencing, which will begin Oct. 13. Then, Pistorius' defense will present their arguments for the mitigation of his sentence, with the prosecution likely countering with a push for an aggravation of the potential length of his prison time.
Legal experts say the arguments that follow could potentially constitute a "mini-trial" of sorts, with both sides able to lead evidence, request expert reports, or call witnesses to the stand – even previous witnesses including Pistorius himself – in their efforts to influence Masipa's decision. The prosecution can put a Steenkamp family member in the box as part of their argument for aggravation of sentence.
