Oscar Pistorius Murder Trial Update: Verdict Days Away, Judge Masipa to Determine Fate of Olympian
One week from now, Oscar Pistorius' trial will come to an end as Judge Thokozile Masipa pronounces the verdict on the Olympian's murder trial. After months of delays and countless witness testimonies, the final judgment will be laid down on Sept. 11.
In the early hours of Valentine's day in 2013, Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, at his home. Pistorius claims that it was an accident, and he said that he thought his home was being burglarized, which caused him to fire four shots at the locked bathroom door. The shots hit Steenkamp, whom he said he didn't know was on the other side of it.
It will all boil down to Masipa's decision, as with the South African legal system the trials are strictly decided by judges, unlike the American system wherein the fate of the one being tried is in the hands of the jury.
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Those who have stay tuned and watched the live broadcast of the trials have witnessed lead prosecutor Gerrie Nel openly accuse Pistorius of lying on the witness stand, and have seen witnesses being aggressively questioned to the point that they came out and said that they felt "attacked" after the experience.
People have also seen Pistorius break down in tears and vomit multiple times in court as the state pathologist delivered a very graphic testimony about the nature of Steenkamp's injuries.
It has been almost a month since the closing arguments of both sides were heard. It is being said that there is a range of possible outcomes possible next week, aside from the charge of premeditated murder that Pistorius is currently facing. There is also a possibility that he could escape the 25-to-life sentence, but there is a chance that he can get a shorter sentence for culpable homicide.
