Oscar Pistorius convicted of culpable homicide

(Image credit: Kim Ludbrook/Pool/Getty Image)

last updated 8 January 2015

On Friday, a judge in Pretoria, South Africa, convicted double-amputee Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, for killing his girlfriend in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013. Judge Thokozile Masipa accepted Pistorius' assertion that he thought Reeva Steenkamp was an intruder, but ruled that he was negligent by firing four bullets through the locked bathroom stall door behind which Steenkamp was ensconced. "I am of the view that the accused acted too hastily and used excessive force," she said.

The homicide charge carries a maximum of 15 years in prison. Judge Masipa also found Pistorius guilty of one of three weapons-related charges — for discharging a firearm in a crowded restaurant — but acquitted him of another reckless discharge accusation and one of illegally possessing ammunition without a license.

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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.