The defense in the Oscar Pistorius murder case rested Tuesday and the judge ordered closing arguments in the trial for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp will be heard on August 7.
The case follows the 27-year-old Pistorius, who has admitted he fired the gun that killed his girlfriend, Steenkamp, but maintains that he mistook her for an intruder and was simply defending himself.
Pistorious Sells Home To Pay Legal Fees
The long delay between the defense resting and the closing arguments is believed to be due to the vast amount of pages in the case's transcript. The transcript is 4,000 pages long and covers the case's 39 days between March 3 and July 8.
There are only three possible outcomes in a case such as this. Judge Thokozile Masipa could find Pistorius guilty of murder and he will receive a sentence of 15 years to life as South Africa doesn't have the death penalty. If Masipa truly believes that Pistorius killed Steenkamp because he mistook her for an intruder he could find him guilty of culpable homicide. The final scenario is that the judge believes Pistorius was simply defending himself against who he thought was an intruder and acquits him on all charges.
Pistorius is a double amputee and former Olympian who ran for South Africa in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Pistorius is also a six-time gold medal winner at the Paralympic Games.
Too soon for excuses? #OscarPistorius lawyers end defense with complaint some witnesses wouldn't testify. @liezlthom https://t.co/dkln2CuM4Q
— Mark Mooney (@mxmooney) July 8, 2014
[CNN]
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