Murder on Valentine's Day: Paralympic Star Oscar Pistorius

South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to 6 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, model and law student Reeva Steenkamp. The crime took place back in February 2013. Pistorius shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp several times through a bathroom door in his home in Pretoria.

In 2015, he was found guilty of culpable homicide. He received a five-year prison sentence for culpable homicide and a three-year suspended prison sentence for another endangerment conviction. The 29 year old (at the time) killed his girlfriend with four shots from a 9mm pistol at his home in Pretoria.

Why?

Oscar claimed he didn't check to see whether his girlfriend was next to him when he woke up. He thought an intruder was in the house. Shots were fired multiple times and Reeva Steenkamp was killed. Is that the real reason behind this act?

Prosecutors argued during the six-month trial that Pistorius deliberately shot Reeva four times through a locked door where she was hiding after a fight. Pistorius argues that he believed an intruder was inside the bathroom.

"What happened in court is not the truth," Barry Steenkamp told Australian television channel Channel Seven in an interview. "He got nervous, she went to the bathroom, locked herself, then he pulled out his gun and fired," he added.

The defense's strategy was to show a fearful man who fired in an attempt to protect a loved one. The former athlete is said to be a vulnerable figure, who should have received a lower sentence for his girlfriend's murder, according to CNN at the time.

Pistorius removed the prostheses he wears on his legs during a hearing on June 15 2015 when the courts were deciding what his penalty would be. The lawyer claims that Pistorius was not wearing the prostheses at the time he fired.

Famous for having also competed in the London 2012 Olympics, prior to the Paralympic Games, Pistorius was known as "Blade Runner" for his carbon fiber prostheses. Oscar was already famous he needed no introduction but with this he became famous for murder the internet blew up and short parody clips were made to supposedly express this side of him. The internet is nobody's friend.

Pistorius was still in contact with his ex-girlfriend and minutes before he committed the crime he sent a message to her. Reeva would have picked up the phone and locked herself in the bathroom. Pistorius followed and after arguing with his girlfriend (screams were heard by the neighbors) he shot against the door. This is some of the content that the documentary shows.

This was the rise and fall of Oscar Pistorius. A documentary about Pistorius was created this goes deeper than just the trial and him being a blade runner, the documentary goes back to his childhood, family, struggles and achievements. You can find more about the documentary here.

Pistorius's sentence for killing his girlfriend rises from six to 13 years in prison

The Paralympic star was finally convicted of murder. The Supreme Court of Appeal (CSA) in November 2017 sentenced Pistorius to 13 years and five months imprisonment for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. But, things seem to always take a turn ......

Oscar Pistorius is now eligible for parole in March 2023

The Supreme Court of Appeals amended its decision to increase his sentence after admitting an error. In December 2017, Pistorius filed a petition with the Constitutional Court, annulling a higher prison sentence handed down by the Court of Appeals in November of the same year. The Supreme Court increased his sentence by 13 years and five months. The court more than doubled the six-year charge for shooting Steenkamp.

Mistakes were made the first was probably from Oscar and now the appeal court admits to an error in his case. Oscar remains behind bars and 2023 might change this forever.