What did Oscar Pistorius do?
On the 14th February, 2013, Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in his home in Pretoria, South Africa. He claimed to have mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder who was hiding in the bathroom in the middle of the night. He was subsequently arrested and charged with murder.
Who was Oscar Pistorius before his arrest?
Oscar Pistorius was born in 1986, and when he was 11 months old, he had both of his feet amputated due to a congenital defect, which left him missing the outside of both of his feet. He grew up to become a Paralympic champion and an inspiration to disabled people across the globe. He also competed at the Olympic games, becoming the tenth athlete to take part in both the Paralympic games and Olympic games.
What happened during the trial and appeals?
Not since O.J Simpson‘s trial of the century back in 1995 had a criminal case garnered such attention across the world. Oscar Pistorius was a hero to many, and after one fateful night, he had become the villain of his own story. The trial was televised and gripped audiences throughout, with his explanation for why he killed Reeva Steenkamp not ringing true with the prosecution. He used his disability to claim he was vulnerable and fearful of intruders in a crime-ravaged South Africa. In reality, it was one of many domestic murder cases that happen so frequently in South Africa, and it was clear to many that Pistorius had intentionally killed Steenkamp.
Pistorius took to the witness stand during his trial and prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, found many inconsistencies in his version of events, leading to the former Paralympian becoming ”emotional” on many occasions.
The day of the verdict arrived, and Pistorius’ fate would be decided by Judge Thokozile Masipa, due to criminal cases in South Africa not featuring a jury. He was found not guilty of murder, but instead, guilty of culpable homicide, and was given a five-year prison sentence. The verdict caused outrage, with the public shocked he was not found guilty of murder.
The case went to an appeal, and Pistorius was temporarily released on house arrest while the panel at the Supreme Court re-assessed the case. They overturned the culpable homicide verdict and convicted him of murder. In July 2016, Judge Masipa extended his sentence to six years. The state appealed the sentence, and it was increased to fifteen years.
On the 19th December 2017, Pistorius filed papers with the Constitutional Court to appeal the increased fifteen-year sentence and have his previous six-year sentence reinstated. On 28 March, 2018, the appeal was dismissed by the courts.
Where is Oscar Pistorius now?
Pistorius was denied parole in March 2023. He will not be eligible for parole again until August 2024.
He is currently serving his sentence at the Atteridgeville Correctional Centre in South Africa.
What do you think of Oscar Pistorius’ case? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Thank you so much for the update! I did not know that his sentence was increased. So glad to hear that. The original sentence was a joke.