Oscar Pistorius sentenced to 6 years in prison for murdering Reeva Steenkamp

On Wednesday, a judge sentenced South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius to six years in prison for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. While the prescribed minimum jail term for murder is 15 years, Judge Thokozile Masipa said she took into consideration "substantial and compelling reasons" to deviate from the recommendation, saying she believed Pistorius was remorseful. She called him a "fallen hero" whose life would forever be changed due to his actions, and said that a longer sentence would not bring Steenkamp back.

While the prosecution tried to paint Pistorius as prone to violence, the athlete has maintained he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder when he shot her four times through the bathroom door of his home. He was initially convicted of manslaughter, but that conviction was changed to murder when the prosecution appealed. You can read more about the trial and the judge's ruling at The Guardian.

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