(photo cred: The Guardian)
Olympian Oscar Pistorius was undoubtedly the murderer of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, but wether or not it was pre-meditated was the big question for so many months and I commend Judge Masipa on her overall judgement in the end. I wasn’t very torn between which side of the story I fell on, before the trial, Pistorious’s version seemed fishy off the bat. Claiming that he thought Reeva was an intruder hiding in the bathroom seems doubtful when he could have easily seen she wasn’t next to him in the bed, but as the trial started and evidence was presented I started to question him more and more. He put on a very emotional face many times during the trial, including when he was finally found innocent of murder and instead found guilty of culpable homicide. Being in college for journalism allowed me to agree with Masipa’s decision easily, because there was probable doubt – you cannot convict someone of a crime unless it has been proved beyond any doubt that the defendant is guilty (thanks Media Law 101). It just couldn’t be proven that he knew she was in the bathroom, his past issues relating to guns was also skeptical but he’s either a good actor or he’s innocent. Sentencing has not been made yet, only verdict.
Laura Ω 