Judge Clears Pistorious of Murder

South African Judge Thokozile Masipa has cleared Olympic and paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius of all murder charges, saying prosecutors had failed to prove Pistorius’ intended to kill his girlfriend or an imagined intruder on Valentine’s Day last year.

Masipa said it was clear he did not subjectively foresee this as a possibility that he would kill the person behind the door, let alone Steenkamp as he thought she was in the bedroom.

Tears streamed down Pistorius’ face as Masipa read the verdict. The reading took more than three hours, during which time the judge first cleared him of the charge of premeditated murder.

“In count one, the accused is charged with premeditated murder. In respect of this charge the evidence is purely circumstantial. That evidence is in essence about shots, about the screams and about the sounds of a cricket bat. The fundamental rule in considering circumstantial evidence.”

The ‘Bladerunner’ is not fully out of the legal problems as he could be found guilty of culpable homicide.

VIDEO by Reuters