Oscar Pistorius To Be Sentenced For Girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp’s Murder In June

Oscar Pistorius will be sentenced in June for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a South African judge announced Monday. Last December, the former Olympian was convicted of Steenkamp’s murder, overturning an October 2014 ruling that found him guilty of culpable homicide, which is equivalent to manslaughter in South African law.

“Your matter is postponed until June 13, and it will be heard until June 17, do you understand?” Judge Aubrey Ledwaba told Pistorius, who answered “Yes,” according to Agence France-Presse.

Pistorius went under trial after Steenkamp’s death in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013, at his Pretoria home. The 29-year-old, also known as “bladerunner” for running on prosthetic legs, had maintained that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder and fired at her in self-defense. However, prosecutors argued that Pistorius shot Steenkamp during an argument.

In March, the Constitutional Court of South Africa — the country’s apex court — dismissed Pistorius’ right to appeal against his conviction for the murder. In South Africa, punishment for a murder carries a 15-year minimum prison term. However, the punishment can be reduced under the law in exceptional circumstances.

Pistorius, who was sentenced to five years in prison under the previous ruling, was placed under house arrest last October after spending a year in jail. Last December, the Supreme Court of Appeal judges termed his testimony “unacceptable,” “vacillating” and “contradictory,” and added that if the double-amputee Olympian feared for his life, he should have acted more rationally. Furthermore, Pistorius did not fire a warning shot and shot four times, the judges said.