After six months of deliberating, the fate of Oscar Pistorius has finally come to a close—almost. A judge has ruled that the paraplegic 27-year-old did not willfully murder his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day of last year but may not be completely off the hook.
The sprint-runner claimed to have not known live-in girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was behind the locked bathroom door when he shot four times to confront a burglar. According to Associated Press, “Judge Thokozile Masipa said prosecutors have not proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Pistorius, 27, is guilty of premeditated murder.”
Pistorius has been visibly affected throughout his trial with tearful outbursts and vomiting when details of the murder were being discussed. But the victim’s mother believes otherwise. Back in April, June Steenkamp told Daily Mirror in an interview that she thinks Oscar Pistorius is faking his emotions saying he had fallen from “hero to devil”.
[IMAGE: GETTY/AP]
With the possibility of spending 25 years to life in prison off the table, he could still spend at 5-7 years behind bars on lesser charges, including firing a gun unlawfully.
“It’s clear that the his conduct was negligent.” said the judge. Pistorius admitted to firing his weapon without warning saying, “I fired before I could think. Before I even had a moment to comprehend what was happening. I pulled the trigger the moment I heard the noise (behind the door).”
The double amputee became known for his “blade-like” prosthetic legs and was named “blade runner” after becoming the first amputee to compete in track for the Olympics.