Oscar Pistorius cannot be found guilty of intentionally killing Reeva Steenkamp, the judge in his trial confirmed Thursday that he is not guilty. The judge has not issued a verdict, and the proceedings continue. Pistorius faces other possible verdicts, including culpable homicide.


Under South African law, Pistorius will not be found guilty of “murder.”
 Pistorius could not have foreseen that the person he was shooting at, who was behind the bathroom door, would die, and therefore the state has not proven an intent to kill, said Judge Thokozile Masipa.

She also said evidence suggests that Pistorius genuinely believed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was still in the bedroom, and that the person in the bathroom was an intruder, although that is irrelevant to the case, she said.
Pistorius’ trial started six months ago, transfixing the world with graphic details of how he fatally shot Steenkamp.

Before she rejected the premeditated murder charge, Judge Thokozile Masipa questioned why he fired “not one … but four shots” into the bathroom before he went to find his girlfriend.

However, she said, the intention to shoot does not necessarily mean the intent to kill.