Oscar Pistorius trial

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State Wants Pistorius to Serve More Time in Prison

Appeal will be heard Nov. 3

(Newser) - South African prosecutors wanted Oscar Pistorius to spend 15 years in jail for the 2013 murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. A judge ended up sentencing him in July 2016 to just six , and now state prosecutors are appealing in a quest to make his "shockingly low" sentence less so....

Prosecutors to Appeal Pistorius Verdict, Sentence

Athlete began serving 5-year sentence Oct. 21

(Newser) - South African prosecutors say they will appeal Oscar Pistorius' verdict and five-year sentence . Prosecution spokesman Nathi Mncube said today that the next step is to file papers in court, which will happen in the next few days. The decision by South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority could see Pistorius face...

Reeva's Mom: Pistorius Never Slept With My Girl

June Steenkamp says daughter planned to leave him that night

(Newser) - Reeva Steenkamp's mother says the 29-year-old South African model "was scared to take the relationship to the next level" with Oscar Pistorius, so she never slept with the man who eventually killed her, the Sunday Times reports via the New York Daily News and the BBC . In the...

Next for 'Broken' Oscar Pistorius: Sentencing

Witnesses testify in latest hearings

(Newser) - Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of negligent killing—comparable to manslaughter, the New York Times notes—but the case isn't over: The next step is sentencing hearings, and they could last at least a week, the Times reports. With Pistorius facing anything from a fine to 15 years...

Pistorius Can Compete in Olympics, Is Writing Book

Well, he can compete as long as he's not in jail

(Newser) - Things are really looking up for Oscar Pistorius: Now that he's been been found guilty only of culpable homicide , not murder , in the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, the South African Olympic committee says he can still represent the country in the Games, so long as doing so...

Pistorius Guilty of Culpable Homicide

Sentence for negligent killing is at judge's discretion

(Newser) - Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of culpable homicide, or negligent killing, in the death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, the AP reports. South African Judge Thokozile Masipa found the athlete not guilty of murder or premeditated murder . Sentencing will begin Oct. 13, reports CNN , which says a typical sentence for...

Judge: Pistorius Not Guilty of Murder Charges

Judge rejects those charges, could find him guilty of culpable homicide

(Newser) - The judge in Oscar Pistorius' trial will not find him guilty of murder, but he could still be found guilty of lesser charges, including culpable homicide—the equivalent of manslaughter. As CNN puts it, "Under South African law, Pistorius will not be found guilty of 'murder.'"...

Defense Likens Pistorius to Abused Wife

But because of his disability, not actual abuse; verdict next month

(Newser) - Oscar Pistorius will know next month whether he's going to prison for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Closing arguments finished today, and Judge Thokozile Masipa said she would announce her verdict on Sept. 11, the AP reports. After prosecutor Gerrie Nel ripped into the defense's case yesterday, Pistorius' lawyer...

Prosecutor Rips Pistorius Case: He Meant 'to Kill'

Prosecution lays out its final arguments in the Pretoria murder trial

(Newser) - The prosecution is laying out its closing arguments in Oscar Pistorius' monthslong murder trial today, with the defense expected to wrap things up tomorrow. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel, known as "the pitbull," began by ripping into Pistorius' claims that he acted in self-defense when shooting Reeva Steenkamp—who Pistorius...

Pistorius Gets in Nightclub Fight

Athlete, clubgoer have very different versions of the story

(Newser) - Getting into a drunken fight at a nightclub is probably pretty high on the list of Things Not to Do During Your Murder Trial, yet that's what Oscar Pistorius did on Saturday night. Pistorius' rep confirms there was an altercation, but says Pistorius was minding his own business in...

Pistorius Emerges, Quotes Holocaust Survivor

Twitter appearance jibes with his legal strategy, paper says

(Newser) - Oscar Pistorius broke his radio silence last night by appearing on Twitter with quotations about love, religious feeling, and a possible allusion to suicide, the Telegraph reports. In his first tweets since killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last year, Pistorius started with a quote from Psalms 34:18: "The Lord...

Oscar Pistorius' Defense Team Rests Case

After revealing some witnesses refused to testify

(Newser) - Once again, the Oscar Pistorius murder trial is going on hiatus: The defense rested today, and closing arguments won't start until August 7. The last break took place so Pistorius' mental state could be evaluated ; the long delay this time around could be thanks to the fact that the...

Pistorius Camp Protests Over New 'Killing Video'

Channel Seven obtained it 'illegally,' defense lawyer says

(Newser) - Newly released video footage shows Oscar Pistorius participating in a re-enactment of how he says he fatally shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and then carried her out of a toilet cubicle in his home. Australian broadcaster Channel Seven showed the footage today, a day before the trial resumes. That prompted criticism...

Pistorius Wasn't Mentally Ill: Experts

Runner could appreciate 'wrongfulness of his act'

(Newser) - After a month-long break in the Oscar Pistorius trial for a mental health evaluation, the results are in: The South African runner wasn't mentally ill when he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a panel says. The chief prosecutor read the findings, the BBC reports: Pistorius "did not suffer from...

Pistorius' Psych Eval: 7 Hours a Day, 30 Days

Docs look to determine whether he had anxiety disorder

(Newser) - It's confirmed: Following a judge's order , Oscar Pistorius will undergo 30 days of daily psychiatric assessment, pausing his trial until June 30. An expert team will seek to determine the athlete's condition when he killed Reeva Steenkamp, NBC News reports. Pistorius will be an outpatient at a...

Court Orders 30-Day Mental Health Eval for Pistorius

Psychiatrist cites possible anxiety disorder; trial will again be delayed

(Newser) - Oscar Pistorius' murder trial could be on hold for a while— again . Judge Thokozile Masipa has ordered the athlete to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, the BBC reports. South Africa requires such an evaluation, Masipa said, when mental health issues are raised in a case. A forensic psychiatrist, testifying for the...

After 17-Day Hiatus, Pistorius Trial Restarts

Neighbor takes stand for defense

(Newser) - Witnesses for the defense are again taking the stand after a 17-day break in Oscar Pistorius' murder trial . Pointing to scheduling conflicts, prosecutor Gerrie Nel called for the break; judge Thokozile Masipa supported the idea given the lengthy trial, NBC News reports. It was originally supposed to take just three...

Columnist: Pistorius Took Acting Class Before Trial

Rep calls claims 'devoid of truth'

(Newser) - Has Oscar Pistorius' sobbing and vomiting in court all been an act? That's what a former South African columnist is alleging, to vehement denials from the runner's media rep. Jani Allan writes on her blog that Pistorius took acting classes from a friend ahead of his emotional trial,...

Pistorius: I Was Too Sad to Scream

Athlete faces last day of cross-examination

(Newser) - Today was the final day of Oscar Pistorius' grilling by Gerrie Nel, and once again, the prosecutor questioned the athlete's story of what happened the night Reeva Steenkamp died. When Pistorius realized he had shot his girlfriend, "Why would you not scream then?" Nel asked him, per NBC...

Pistorius Hammered About Reeva's Last Meal

Prosecutor also questions 2012 tweet about 'intruder'

(Newser) - Prosecutor Gerrie Nel hammered Oscar Pistorius on the details of the night Reeva Steenkamp was killed, asking about everything from the placement of her clothing on the floor to Pistorius' tone of voice. "Remember, the theme for the day is [that you have been] tailoring your evidence," Nel...

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