In second sentencing, judge adds an extra year to Pistorius' prison term
Oscar Pistorius. Trevor Christopher / Shutterstock.com
A judge in South Africa is citing mitigating factors in sentencing track star Oscar Pistorius to six years in prison for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
Judge Thokozile Masipa said Pistorius has shown remorse by repeatedly trying to apologize to Steenkamp’s parents, the New York Times, CNN and the Washington Post report. Masipa also said Pistorius was a first-time offender who could be rehabilitated.
Prosecutors had sought a sentence of at least 15 years in prison. According to the New York Times, the sentence “surprised many legal experts” who had predicted a sentence of at least 10 years.
Pistorius’ lawyers say they don’t plan to appeal, but the option is also available to prosecutors.
Masipa had originally found Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced him to five years in prison. An appeals court upgraded the conviction to murder and South Africa’s top court denied Pistorius’ appeal.
Pistorius had maintained he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder when he fired a gun through a locked bathroom door, resulting in her death.
