South African Olympic Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius will now serve 13 years and five months for the murder of his model and law graduate girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. The South African Supreme Court of Appeal decided that the initial prison sentence of six years be lengthened to 13 years, which is more in line with the prescribed minimum sentence of 15 years for murder.
According to eNCA legal journalist Karyn Maughan’s Twitter feed, the Supreme Court of Appeal stated that there were “ no compelling reasons ” for Judge Masipa to deliver a sentence of less than 15 years for Oscar Pistorius murdering Reeva Steenkamp. In fact, the Appeal Court labeled the six-year sentence originally handed down by the judge as “shockingly lenient.”
Oscar Pistorius’ trial gained international attention due to the fact that he is the first double-leg amputee to participate in the Summer Olympics. The following year, he shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his home, and claimed that he thought that she was an intruder. In 2014, Judge Thokozile Masipa handed down a verdict that Pistorius was guilty of culpable homicide, not murder. He received a five-year sentence for the culpable homicide portion of his verdict.
However, in December of 2015, the South African Supreme Court of Appeals found that Oscar was indeed guilty of murder and not culpable homicide. The sentencing was again handed over to Judge Masipa to deliver an appropriate sentence for murder. The honorable judge, however, only imposed a six-year sentence for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp. Again, the South African National Prosecution Authority approached the Supreme Court of Appeal as they felt that a sentence of six years for the crime of murder was inappropriate.
According to EWN, the decision was unanimous and the presiding judges confirmed the decision that Oscar Pistorius should receive the maximum sentence of 15 years for the murder of Steenkamp. A full bench of five judges heard the appeal and took into consideration that Pistorius has already served some time in prison, thus the sentence of 13 years and five months.
There is now a strong possibility that Oscar will be moved from his current facility, the Atteridgeville Correctional Center, to the Kgosi Mampuru II prison.
[Featured Image by Themba Hadebe/AP Images]