Oscar Pistorius was judged guilty of culpable manslaughter by the judge, after being declared innocent of premeditated murder and second degree murder.

Apathetic and with crossed hands, Pistorius accepted the judge’s decision. From the beginning of the case, Pistorius stated that he killed Riva, thinking she was a burglar.
The points of the decision:
1. Judge Thokozile Masipa does not consider the accused as guilty for carrying an illegal firearm
2. The judge does not consider Pistorius as guilty for shooting through the sunroof of a car
3. The judge finds Oscar Pistorius guilty of breaking the law when he fired his weapon in a Pretoria restaurant.

It should be noted that the above are not related to the case of Riva Steenkamp’s murder but had nonetheless been added to the charges.

According to Business Insider, Masipa also criticized Pistorius for not calling police or security forces when he thought he heard an intruder in his house.

“Calling security … and running to the balcony to scream for help and to attract attention probably would have taken as much time, if not less, as it took to go to the bathroom and to discharge those four shots,” she said.

Pistorius’ defense tried to justify his actions by detailing the paranoid environment he grew up in — his mother reportedly slept with a firearm under her pillow — but Masipa said many South Africans have been victims of crime and do not act the way Pistorius did.

“I believe the conduct of the accused might be better understood when looking at his background, however, the explanation of the conduct of the accused is just that: an explanation,” she said. “It does not excuse the conduct of the accused.”

Pistorius was charged with premeditated murder, firing a gun in a public space, and illegally possessing ammunition. His trial spanned about six months, and 37 witnesses testified.