Oscar Pistorius not guilty of murder

Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- A judge cleared Oscar Pistorius of murder in the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, but he could still end up behind bars.

The second day of reading the verdict starts Friday, with all the signs pointing toward a conviction for culpable homicide. That's the South African term for unintentionally -- but illegally -- killing a person.

Judge Thokozile Masipa, who has presided impassively for months over the high-profile trial, finally let the world know what she has been thinking on the first day of reading her verdict Thursday.

Pistorius did not intend to kill Steenkamp, Masipa said, accepting his defense that he thought someone had broken into his house and that he believed he was defending himself.

Pistorius, 27, has always admitted firing the bullets that killed his girlfriend Steenkamp, then a 29-year-old cover model about to turn reality TV star. He pleaded not guilty to murdering her in his home on Valentine's Day last year, claiming that the killing was a tragic mistake.

Photos: Oscar Pistorius murder trial

 

Pistorius judge, stern yet compassionate

But in grabbing his gun and heading toward the supposed threat, Pistorius "acted too hastily and used excessive force," Masipa ruled Thursday.

"His conduct was negligent," and not what a reasonable man would do in the circumstances -- not even a disabled one, she said before adjourning for the day.

 

From 'blade runner' to murder suspect

Defense arguments that his upbringing "in a crime-riddled environment and in a home where the mother was paranoid and always carried a firearm" might explain his conduct that night, but "it does not excuse the conduct," Masipa said.

 

Before and after the killing: the Pistorius I knew

"The accused had reasonable time to reflect, to think and to conduct himself reasonably," she said. "I am not persuaded that a reasonable person with the accused's disabilities in the same circumstances would have fired four shots into that small toilet cubicle."

Though she did not formally pronounce Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide, her statements from the bench essentially added up to a definition of the crime, said CNN legal analyst Kelly Phelps.

There is no minimum sentence for culpable homicide in South African law, so it will be up to the judge to decide his sentence if that is her verdict. Sentencing takes place in a separate phase of the trial that can come weeks after the verdict.

Not guilty of murder

Masipa found Pistorius not guilty Thursday of murder, premeditated or otherwise.

She said the prosecution had failed to prove its case that Pistorius and Steenkamp argued on the night of the killing, and that the Olympic track star then shot her in a rage.

Masipa was not persuaded by the testimony of neighbors who said they heard shouting, screaming and shots.

The neighbors' stories do not match the timings on phone records the night of the killing, she concluded, saying: "Technology is more reliable than human perception and human memory."

She also said she believes media coverage contaminated testimonies, and that state witnesses were in and out of sleep the night of the killing.

She knocked down other key aspects of the state's case: the fact that Steenkamp took her phone and locked herself in the bathroom allegedly out of fear for her safety, phone messages between the couple that showed some rocky patches, and stomach contents that might suggest the victim ate later than Pistorius said.

Pistorius could be seen crying at times during the reading of the lengthy verdict.

The victim's parents, Barry and June Steenkamp, sat expressionless a row behind and across the court from the man on trial for killing their daughter. Her father bowed his head as he heard about his daughter's fatal wounds.

Pistorius' uncle and aunt, sister and brother also attended the hearing in the packed courtroom -- the latter in a wheelchair from a car accident.

The Olympian's trial in the death of his model and law graduate girlfriend started six months ago, transfixing the world with graphic details of how he fatally shot Steenkamp.

Legal Q & A: 9 things to know

Lesser charges

Pistorius also faces three weapons charges.

The most serious relates to ammunition found in his house when police searched it after the killing. He did not have a proper license for it, but he says he was storing it in his safe for his father.

If he is found guilty of the ammunition charge, he could face up to 15 years in prison, though the judge could opt for a lesser punishment such as a fine or the loss of his gun license.

Two other charges are related to allegations that he recklessly fired a gun in public -- once in a restaurant in 2012, and again out of the sunroof of a car last year. Pistorius denies both.

The maximum penalty for each charge is five years behind bars. If he is convicted of either, he could face a lesser sentence, such as a fine or the loss of his gun license.

奧斯卡·皮斯托留斯：不犯有謀殺罪，但不能清除尚未
由理查德·艾倫·格林 和信仰卡里米，美國有線電視新聞網
2014年9月12日 - 更新0644 GMT（1444 HKT）
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奧斯卡·皮斯托留斯沒有犯謀殺罪
新聞提要
奧斯卡·皮斯托留斯被清除了謀殺，但可能面臨“有罪殺人”的信念
皮斯托留斯仍面臨較小的槍指控
皮斯托留斯從未否定過，他槍殺了他的女友在情人節那天，去年
南非比勒陀利亞（CNN） -法官洗清謀殺女友Reeva Steenkamp殺害奧斯卡皮斯托留斯，但他最終仍然身陷囹圄。
閱讀判決書的第二日（星期五）開始，所有的跡象指向一個信念為刑事殺人罪。這是南非術語無意 - 但非法 - 殺一個人。
法官Thokozile Masipa，誰也面無表情地主持好幾個月了備受矚目的審判，終於讓世人知道她一直想在閱讀她的判決週四第一天。
皮斯托留斯並沒有打算殺死Steenkamp，Masipa說，接受他的防守，他認為有人闖入他家，他相信他為自己辯護。
皮斯托留斯，27歲，一直承認射擊殺死女友Steenkamp，那麼即將開啟電視真人秀明星29歲的封面模特的子彈。他不認罪謀殺她在他的家鄉在情人節那天，去年，聲稱殺害是一個悲劇性的錯誤。
組圖：奧斯卡皮斯托留斯謀殺案的審判 組圖：奧斯卡皮斯托留斯謀殺案的審判
皮斯托留斯法官，船尾還沒有同情心
但在抓住他的槍，並走向了所謂的威脅，皮斯托留斯“行動過於倉促和過度使用武力，”Masipa排除週四。
“他的行為是過失”，而不是他一個合理的人會做的情況下 - 甚至不是一個殘疾人之一，她為休會前一天說。
從“銀翼殺手”到殺人嫌犯
國防部的論點，他的成長經歷“中的犯罪困擾的環境，在一個家中​​的母親是偏執狂，總是攜帶槍支”或許可以解釋他的行為，那天晚上，但“不原諒的行為，”Masipa說。
前後殺害後：在皮斯托留斯，我知道
“被告有合理的時間來思考，思考和合理地進行自己，”她說。“我不認為一個合理的人在相同的情況下，被告的殘疾會連開4槍成小廁格。”
“被告有合理的時間來思考，思考和合理的進行自己。”
法官Thokozile Masipa

雖然她沒有正式發音皮斯托留斯犯有罪殺人罪，從凳子上她的發言基本上是添加了對犯罪的定義，美國有線電視新聞網說，法律的分析師凱利菲爾普斯。
沒有最低刑期在南非的法律構成罪行的殺人，所以它必達由法官來決定他的刑期，如果這是她的判決。判決發生在一個單獨的判決後，可以來個星期的試驗階段。
未犯有謀殺罪
Masipa發現皮斯托留斯沒有犯謀殺週四，有預謀的或以其他方式。
她說，控方未能證明其案件的皮斯托留斯和Steenkamp認為對殺的夜晚，奧林匹克田徑明星，然後拍了她的憤怒。
Masipa並沒有被鄰居說，他們誰聽到叫喊聲，尖叫和鏡頭的見證說服。
鄰居的故事不匹配的時序上的電話記錄被殺害的當晚，她得出的結論，他說：“技術是比人類的感知和人類的記憶更可靠”
她還表示，她認為媒體的報導被污染的證詞，以及國家證人進出睡眠的殺戮之夜。
她撞倒了國家情況等關鍵環節：事實上，Steenkamp了她的電話，並把自己鎖在浴室據稱由於擔心她的安全，這對夫妻之間的電話消息顯示，一些岩石的補丁，那可能意味著胃內容物受害人其後吃的比皮斯托留斯說。
皮斯托留斯可以看到冗長的判決書的閱讀過程中，有時哭泣。
受害人的父母，巴里和六月Steenkamp，面無表情坐在一排的後面，對面的法院從該名男子的審判殺害他們的女兒。她的父親低下頭，因為他聽說他女兒的致命傷。
皮斯托留斯的叔叔和嬸嬸，姐姐和弟弟也出席了聽證會，在擠滿法庭 - 後者在這起車禍坐輪椅。
奧海的審判在他的模型和法律研究生的女友死後開始半年前，transfixing世界與他是如何槍殺Steenkamp圖形細節。
法律Q＆A：9的事情知道的
較小的費用
皮斯托留斯也面臨著三種武器指控。
最嚴重的涉及到彈藥的發現在他家時，警察被殺後，搜索到它。他沒有為它適當的執照，但他說，他將其存儲在自己的安全，他的父親。
如果他被判有罪的彈藥費，他將面臨最高15年徒刑，但法官可以選擇從輕處罰，例如罰款或他的槍牌的損失。
其他兩項指控都與指控，他不顧一切地一炮打響的公共 - 在餐廳曾在2012年，又出一輛車的天窗去年。皮斯托留斯否認兩者。
的最高刑罰為每一項指控是身陷囹圄五年。如果他被裁定犯任何一種，他可能會面臨較小的句子，如罰款或他的槍牌的損失。