Oscar Pistorius convicted of Murder

[bennythedip2]

Pistorius scar Pistorius (Dec 3 2015)

A South African appeals court has convicted Paralympian Oscar Pistorius of murder, overturning an earlier conviction of manslaughter for shooting his girlfriend to death in 2013.

The double amputeee killed Reeva Steenkamp in the early morning of Valentine's Day.

He insisted he thought she was an intruder behind a door in his home. The prosecution said Pistorius shot Ms Steenkamp during an argument.

Justice Lorimer Leach of the Supreme Court of Appeal delivered the ruling by the five-judge appeals court on Thursday in Bloemfontein and said the trial court, the North Gauteng High Court, should impose sentence.

Mr Leach said, regardless of who might have been behind the door, Pistorius should have known someone could be killed if he fired.

"The accused ought to have been found guilty of murder," Justice Leach said to the courtroom, in which Miss Steenkamp's mother sat.

A 15-year prison sentence is the minimum punishment for murder in South Africa. However, the law allows for a lesser sentence to be imposed in exceptional circumstances.

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

He had been sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter. His lawyers can also argue that he should be shown leniency because he is disabled.

Pistorius, 29, killed Miss Steenkamp in the early morning of Valentine's Day. He said he thought she was an intruder behind the door of a bathroom in his home. The prosecution said Pistorius shot Miss Steenkamp during an argument.

Justice Leach said regardless of who might have been behind the door, Pistorius should have known someone could be killed if he fired.

"The identity of his victim is irrelevant to his guilt," the judge said.

Under the concept of "dolus eventualis" in South African law, a person can be convicted of murder if they foresaw the possibility of someone dying through their actions and went ahead anyway.

Reeva Steenkamp's mother, June, sat quietly in the courtroom during the announcement, which was carried on TV. Pistorius was not there.

Pistorius, a multiple Paralympic champion, became one of the world's most famous athletes and the first amputee to run at the Olympics and the able-bodied world championships.
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Benny view .

'For the family of that poor girl , I hope they can now find some peace in their lives..... For him i hope he rots in hell'