Disgraced former Olympian Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to 6 Years in prison for the shooting death of his girlfriend, model and reality TV personality Reeva Steenkamp in Pretoria, South Africa in 2013.
Judge Thokozile Masipa ignored the minimum sentencing guidelines of 7 years and sentenced the ‘blade runner’ to 6 years in prison. With time served and good behavior, he is expected to be released in 2019.
Judge Masida presided over the original murder case that was overturned on appeal after Pistorius had already served 12 months in prison for the Valentine’s Day 2013 murder.
Pistorius, 29, looked pale, drawn, and exhausted when he arrived to court Wednesday morning.
A long line of sympathetic fans bearing gifts awaited him outside the court.
Since his release from prison in October, Pistorius had been living in the lap of luxury at his uncle’s mansion in Pretoria.
During his retrial, Pistorius cried uncontrollably and hobbled across the courtroom on his stumps in an effort to gain sympathy from Judge Masida who went easy on him during the first trial.
Legal experts had predicted a sentence of between 11 and 14 years, according to the UK’s Daily Mail.
His ex-girlfriend, Jenna Edkins, who moved in with him while he was out on appeal, sat directly behind him in court.
After the sentencing, Pistorius hugged Edkins and his other supporters before being led back to prison.
As he moved slowly along the bench, Pistorius tried to make eye contact with the parents of his victim, who sat across the courtroom.
Pistorius will likely return to the hospital wing of Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria, where he will be segregated from the general prison population.
His legal team or the state can immediately appeal the sentencing. The judge called a recess to allow either side to consider whether to launch an appeal.
Pistorius was born without calf bones. He had both legs amputated below the knee when he was11 months old. He was fitted with prosthetic legs as a toddler.
He became the first Paralympian to compete at the 2012 London Olympics.
