Oscar Pistorius will not be convicted of murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Judge Thokozile Masipa, who is overseeing the trial of the double-amputee Olympian, issued his ruling Thursday in Pretoria, South Africa, according to The Associated Press.
Pistorius still faces 15 years in prison if convicted of culpable homicide -- reckless or negligent action that leads to the death of a human being. Masipa offered her reasoning for ruling out a murder conviction.
"I am of the view that the accused acted too hastily and with excessive force," AP reports Masipa as saying.
The judge stopped short of revealing Pistorius' fate. She is expected to do so Friday.
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"Culpable homicide is a competent verdict," the judge said, but did not deliver any formal verdicts in the shooting death of Pistorius' 29-year-old girlfriend before adjourning for the day.
Culpable homicide refers to a negligent killing. If Pistorius is formally acquitted of murder, he could still be sent to jail for years if it's found he acted negligently in Steenkamp's death. Pistorius has admitted firing the four shots that killed Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year.”
Pistorius maintains that he mistook his girlfriend for an intruder in his home and he open fired on a closed bathroom door with Steenkamp inside. The prosecution believes that Pistorius planned to kill Steenkamp after the two had an argument.
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The possibilities for Pistorius going forward are being found guilty on culpable homicide and being sentenced, or to be found not guilty and be set free. There is no minimum sentence for culpable homicide in South African and it completely up to the judge to decide punishment.
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