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| Oscar Pistorius to Be Sentenced in Killing of Girlfriend | Oscar Pistorius to Be Sentenced in Killing of Girlfriend |
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| LONDON — Oscar Pistorius, the disabled South African athlete found guilty a month ago of killing his girlfriend, appeared in a Pretoria courtroom on Monday to discover what sentence he will face. | |
| Mr. Pistorius, 27, was acquitted early September of the more serious murder charges in the shooting of Reeva Steenkamp, a law graduate and photogenic model. If convicted of premeditated murder, the runner — a Paralympic star who had competed against able-bodied athletes at the 2012 Olympics in London — would have faced a mandatory minimum jail term of 25 years. | Mr. Pistorius, 27, was acquitted early September of the more serious murder charges in the shooting of Reeva Steenkamp, a law graduate and photogenic model. If convicted of premeditated murder, the runner — a Paralympic star who had competed against able-bodied athletes at the 2012 Olympics in London — would have faced a mandatory minimum jail term of 25 years. |
| But Judge Thokozile Matilda Masipa found him guilty of the lesser charge of culpable homicide, the equivalent of manslaughter, after he admitted shooting Ms. Steenkamp, 29, to death. | But Judge Thokozile Matilda Masipa found him guilty of the lesser charge of culpable homicide, the equivalent of manslaughter, after he admitted shooting Ms. Steenkamp, 29, to death. |
| Mr. Pistorius depicted the killing as a mistake inspired by the belief that an intruder had entered his home on Feb. 14, 2013. By his own account, he fired four rounds from a handgun through a locked toilet cubicle door, only to discover Ms. Steenkamp’s bloodstained body inside. | Mr. Pistorius depicted the killing as a mistake inspired by the belief that an intruder had entered his home on Feb. 14, 2013. By his own account, he fired four rounds from a handgun through a locked toilet cubicle door, only to discover Ms. Steenkamp’s bloodstained body inside. |
| The prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, said Mr. Pistorius killed her deliberately after a quarrel, but Judge Masipa rejected the prosecutor’s argument. Her decision left the prosecution smarting and likely to press for a harsh punishment while the defense argues for leniency. Both sides will be able to appeal her decision. | The prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, said Mr. Pistorius killed her deliberately after a quarrel, but Judge Masipa rejected the prosecutor’s argument. Her decision left the prosecution smarting and likely to press for a harsh punishment while the defense argues for leniency. Both sides will be able to appeal her decision. |
| South African news reports said sentencing procedures could take several days. Judge Masipa has discretion over possible punishments ranging from a fine to a 15-year prison term. | South African news reports said sentencing procedures could take several days. Judge Masipa has discretion over possible punishments ranging from a fine to a 15-year prison term. |
| Broadcast around the world, the case fascinated many who had seen Mr. Pistorius’s track achievements as an emblem of a broader human resolve to overcome physical challenges. Born without fibulas, the athlete, nicknamed the Blade Runner for the scythe-like prosthetics he used to compete, lost both legs below the knee in a double amputation at the age of 11 months. | Broadcast around the world, the case fascinated many who had seen Mr. Pistorius’s track achievements as an emblem of a broader human resolve to overcome physical challenges. Born without fibulas, the athlete, nicknamed the Blade Runner for the scythe-like prosthetics he used to compete, lost both legs below the knee in a double amputation at the age of 11 months. |
| But, 20 years after the formal end of apartheid, the hearings also confronted many South Africans with worrisome questions about the nature of justice in a society still riven by racial distinctions and suspicions among the black majority that wealthy whites enjoy preferential justice. | But, 20 years after the formal end of apartheid, the hearings also confronted many South Africans with worrisome questions about the nature of justice in a society still riven by racial distinctions and suspicions among the black majority that wealthy whites enjoy preferential justice. |
| The trial opened in March and was initially set to last three weeks. Through moments of high drama and frequent delays, the trial has offered an iconoclastic vision of a black female judge presiding over a courtroom in which the defendant, most witnesses and the legal counsel were all white males. | The trial opened in March and was initially set to last three weeks. Through moments of high drama and frequent delays, the trial has offered an iconoclastic vision of a black female judge presiding over a courtroom in which the defendant, most witnesses and the legal counsel were all white males. |