Oscar Pistorius Is Being Re-sentenced for Murder. Here’s Why
(SOMERSET WEST, South Africa) — Oscar Pistorius is going back to jail. The only question now is for how
long? It could be 15 years.
The double-amputee Olympic runner’s sentencing hearing opens Monday after he was convicted of murder by
South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal for shooting girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
It’ll be the second time Pistorius has been sentenced for the killing following an appeal by prosecutors. The
three-year legal saga that began with the fatal gunshots in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine’s Day 2013 now
appears to be near its end.
A recap of the case:
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WHY IS PISTORIUS BEING SENTENCED AGAIN?
Pistorius was initially convicted of the lesser charge of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, at his 2014 trial for
shooting Steenkamp through a closed toilet door in his home. He testified he mistook the model and reality TV
celebrity for a nighttime intruder hiding in a bathroom, and shot with his 9mm pistol in self-defense fearing an
attack. The trial judge accepted part of Pistorius’ story, and he was given a five-year jail sentence based on the
judge’s ruling that he acted recklessly, but didn’t mean to kill. After serving a year in jail, Pistorius was released
on parole in line with South African procedure and has been living under house arrest at his uncle’s mansion
since October last year.
But following Pistorius’ manslaughter verdict, prosecutors appealed to the Supreme Court, saying that the
former star athlete, a multiple Paralympic champion, should have been found guilty of murder. They argued that
Pistorius intended to kill someone — even if he didn’t know it was Steenkamp in the toilet cubicle — when he
shot four times through the door with no justification.
In December, a panel of Supreme Court judges agreed with prosecutors, overturned Pistorius’ manslaughter
conviction, and raised it to a more serious murder conviction. Pistorius must now be sentenced for murder.
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