Oscar Pistorius found guilty of murder

On Thursday morning, Pistorius’s culpable homicide conviction in Steenkamp’s death was overturned, replaced by a murder conviction.

In a challenge to the court’s decision to sentence him for “culpable homicide”, judges in Bloemfontein ruled on the state’s appeal against Oscar Pistorius’ culpable homicide conviction.were deciding today whether to send Oscar back to jail.

It is now official: The once beloved Paralympian gold medalist is guilty of murder for firing four shots into a toilet cubicle, killing his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp behind a locked door.

Pistorius had said he accidentally shot dead Ms Steenkamp after believing there was an intruder in his house.

Judge Leach, who read the ruling, described Pistorius as a young man who overcame huge adversity to reach the Olympics as an athlete, only to throw it all away.

Pistorius was placed under house arrest in October after serving one year in prison.

South African law calls for a minimum 15-year sentence for murder, but local reports say judges can apply their discretion. She ruled that he didn’t intend to kill anyone when he pulled the trigger, and sentenced him to five years in prison.

The initial judgment was “fundamentally flawed”, Leach said.

Reeva Steenkamp’s mother, June, sat quietly in the courtroom during the announcement, which was shown live on television.

Leach said the evidence of the police’s ballistics expert, Chris Mangena, was of “particular importance”, but was “seemingly ignored” by the trial court.

There was initial confusion in the court when the judge preceded his reading of the Pistorius ruling by saying an appeal had been dismissed.

Leach said it was common sense that the possibility of death existed as a result of the shooting. “The legal team will study the finding and we will be guided by them in terms of options going forward”.

” ‘Let us now all get on with our lives, ‘ Barry Steenkamp said”. A person can not serve more than five years of their sentence on house arrest either.

A date for the sentencing hearing had not been set as WENN went to press. He has been living with an uncle.

He fought back tears as he added: “I’m sure that Reeva sitting up there… will be able to rest as well now”.