A South African judge ruled that Oscar Pistorius was not guilty of the premeditated murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius still faces lesser charges of culpable murder, or manslaughter.
Judge Thokozile Masipa is expected to rule on those charges tomorrow. He’s also facing several charges related to discharging firearms,
“We’ll have to stop here and resume tomorrow morning,” Masipa said, while alluding to a possible ruling on Friday.
Masipa ruled that the prosecution failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Pistorius fired four shots into his bathroom on the tragic evening, however, prosecutors argued, he never confirmed the whereabouts of Steenkamp before firing. He said he mistook her for an intruder and denied murdering her, but the judge said Pistorius still could have taken other action, like calling the police or security at his housing estate.
“The accused cannot be found guilty of murder dolus eventualis [legal intent] … that however is not the end of the matter as culpable homicide is a competent verdict,” she added, without rendering an official verdict on the latter charge.
As she indicated that Pistorius would likely be cleared of murder, he began sobbing quietly on the wooden bench, his shoulders shaking.
A guilty verdict on the lesser charges could result in a 15 year sentence.
