FOUR THINGS ABOUT THE PISTORIUS MURDER RULING

1 MURDER VERSUS MANSLAUGHTER

It was never disputed that double-amputee Olympian Oscar Pistorius killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013. The judge convicted him of culpable homicide, or negligent killing, but acquitted him of murder, ruling that Pistorius could not have anticipated that someone might die before he shot four times at a suspected

intruder.

2

NO DOUBTS

In overturning the trial ruling, on Thursday a Supreme Court of Appeal Justice found that when Pistorius fired

hollow bullets from a 9mm pistol through the door of a “very small”

toilet cubicle, the identity of the victim did not matter. “I have no doubt that in firing the fatal shots the accused must have foreseen and therefore did foresee

that whoever was behind the toilet door might die,” said Justice Lorimer

Eric Leach.

3

BACK TO PRISON?

Now found guilty of murder, Pistorius faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison

and a maximum sentence of 20 years as a first-time offender.

Under exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the judge, Pistorius could receive a lesser sentence than the minimum. For now, Pistorius will remain under house arrest.

4 WHAT HAPPENS

NEXT?

The Supreme Court of Appeal sent the case back to the trial court in South Africa’s capital Pretoria for sentencing. No date for sentencing has been set. Pistorius

can appeal to South Africa’s highest court,

the constitutional court, but only if he is able to prove that his constitutional right to a fair trial was infringed during the highly publicized hearing.