Oscar Pistorius sentenced to 5 years in jail for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp

Oscar Pistorius sentenced to 5 years in jail for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
(Image credit: Herman Verwey/Foto24/Gallo/Getty)

On Tuesday at South Africa's Pretoria High Court, Judge Thokozile Masipa sentenced Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius to five years in prison for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in February 2013. Masipa also gave the double-amputee runner a three-year suspended sentence for an unrelated charge of recklessly firing a gun in a crowded restaurant. In September, Judge Masipa found Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide — akin to manslaughter — but cleared him of murder charges.

Pistorius, 27, probably won't serve the full five years in prison. After about a year — the defense says 10 months, the prosecution, 20 months — he will be eligible for transfer to house arrest. Both the prosecution and Pistorius' legal team have two weeks to decide whether to appeal the ruling. --Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.