The snail-paced Oscar Pistorius murder trial finally produced a verdict -- if not a conclusion -- Friday, but buzzing remains about the acquittal on murder charges despite the fact that he lied on the witness stand.
Multiple media outlets reported Friday that the Judge Thokozile Masipa found the South African double-amputee sprinter guilty of culpable homicide - the equivalent of manslaughter - but sentencing for his crime won't take place until Oct. 13. According to the Los Angeles Times, both the defense and prosecution will make submissions at the sentencing hearing.
Pistorius faces anywhere from no jail time to 15 years for the negligent killing of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early morning hours of Valentine's Day, 2013. Pistorius contends he thought Steenkamp was an intruder that had broken into their Pretoria home and was hiding in the bathroom when he fired four shots through the door.
USA TODAY Sports reported that on Thursday, Masipa told the court Thursday that she found Pistorius "acted too hastily and used excessive force" when he fired his weapon.
Pistorius also was convicted of one of three unrelated firearms charges.
The Times added that the reaction from South Africans at the acquittal on murder charges came as a surprise, considering the fact that Masipa accused Pistorius of being a "very poor witness" and found him to be dishonest when he insisted that he never intended to open fire into the bathroom door.
Masipa cited a legal precedent that forces a judge to proceed with caution before delivering a guilty conviction just because an accused person lied under oath, the Times stated.
According to reports, Pistorius, who has cried on several occasions and vomited during the six-month trial, looked straight ahead without showing much emotion as he received the verdict.
"The conduct of the accused shortly after the incident is inconsistent with the conduct of someone who intended to commit murder," Masipa said, as reported by the Times, which went on to explain that "Pistorius shouted for help, called an ambulance and security, tried to save Steenkamp's life and prayed to God to save her."
"From the above it cannot be said that the accused did not entertain a genuine belief that there was an intruder in the bathroom who posed a direct threat to his life," Masipa said.
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