The South African amputee runner has received sentencing for shooting his girlfriend. The incident happened in early 2013, when the star athlete thought the person in the bathroom was an intruder, and shot trough the door. Oscar Pistorius has just been sentenced to 5 years in prison. Judge Thokozile Masipa found Pistorius not guilty of murder, but of culpable homicide. The athlete also received a suspended 3 year sentence for firearms.
In the early morning of February 14, 2013, Oscar Pistorius shot model Reeva Steenkamp. She was his girlfriend and was locked in the bathroom, he shot trough the door, and killed her on the spot. In his deposition Pistorius claims he thought the person in the bathroom was an intruder. A month before the incident, the athlete fired a gun in a crowded restaurant. He then asked a friend to take the blame for that incident, to spare him from public shame, considering his fame. A person from his table got injured from the gunshot, being grazed at foot level. The victim from the restaurant was a friend and didn’t have any severe injuries. The facts of the restaurant mishap came to light during the trial and might have contributed to the Pistorius sentence.
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The defence pleaded for a reduced sentence of 3 years of house arrest combined with 300 hours of community service. They argued that the disability of the amputee makes him unfit to serve prison time. Judge Masipa motivated that Pistorius can handle himself very well and will not spare him from prison. Oscar Pistorius was taken to serve his time this morning, shortly after the sentencing was announced. His defense team hopes he will be released into house arrest after 10 months, for good behavior. The district attorney is hoping for at least 20 months of time served in prison.