Oscar Pistorius sentenced to six years in jail
By Brad Weiss
It has been three and half years since Oscar Pistorius killed his girlfriend. On Wednesday, he heard his fate.
It has been a whirlwind three and half years for Oscar Pistorius, who fatally shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his Pretoria home on Valentine’s Day. After being convicted, then appealing, and then being convicted on a more serious charge, he was finally sentenced on Wednesday.
The ruling: six years.
For Pistorius, it could have been worse, as the mandatory sentence for a crime like this is 15 years. However, the judge stated that he did not feel Pistorius would reoffend, and the former “Blade Runner” will actually be up for parole in three years.
On Valentine’s Day 2013, Pistorius fired four shots through a bathroom door in his home that Steenkamp was behind. Three bullets hit her, killing the former model. Pistorius claimed that he thought she was a burglar, and he was initially cleared of murder.
He was convicted of culpable homicide, served one year in prison, and then was released on house arrest.
However, while in prison, the state appealed, and they were granted a new trial. The former Olympic athlete was found guilty of murder last year, and Wednesday was the culmination of a long process.
The courts also ruled that the year he spent in prison will not count towards the six years he was sentenced in this trial.
All along, Pistorius has said that he did not know it was Steenkamp behind the door, and he even stated that she would want him to be free.
No-one will ever know what really happened that night. The only thing for certain is an innocent woman is dead, and the man who killed her will have to live the rest of his life knowing that.
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