Oscar Pistorius' 'Lenient' Sentence In Reeva Steenkamp's Murder Increased To 13 Years

UPDATE 4:12 a.m. EDT — Reeva Steenkamp's parents June and Barry responded to Oscar Pistorius' sentencing increased to 13 years, saying that they had faith in the justice system and the verdict confirmed that faith.

"This is justice for Reeva. She can now rest in peace," they said.

Original Story:

Oscar Pistorius' sentencing in the 2013 murder of Reeva Steenkamp was increased to 13 years Friday by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein. The verdict was delivered after the state argued that the previous sentencing of six years given to the former Paralympian was "shockingly lenient."

Pistorius was found guilty of shooting and killing his girlfriend Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013 at his Pretoria home. He claimed that he fired his gun at the bathroom door (behind which Steenkamp is said to have been) because he thought an intruder was in his house.

Pistorius' brother Carl responded to the sentencing on his Twitter account.

In court Friday, the State argued that it was not possible to accept the claim that Pistorius had shown remorse unless he gave a valid explanation as to why he fired the four shots which killed Steenkamp. Prosecutor Andrea Johnson argued how remorse was required if the High Court deviated from the prescribed minimum sentence.

Pistorius, known as "Blade Runner" for the carbon-fiber prosthetics he wears when racing, was originally sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of culpable homicide, but after 10 months in jail, the Supreme Court of Appeals overturned his conviction to replace it with a stronger, more serious conviction of murder. He was then sentenced to another six years in Pretoria’s Kgosi Mampuru II prison, where he remains now.

The 29-year-old's lawyer Andrew Fawcett said in an affidavit opposing the appeal in October that there was no reason to believe that the current sentence was too lenient, as Pistorius believed he was shooting at an intruder when he killed his girlfriend. “The state’s application evokes a feeling that enough is enough,” Fawcett said.

In August, reports surfaced that Pistorius was hospitalized after the athlete deliberately slit his wrists. But later his brother Carl said Pistorius slipped in his prison cell and injured himself, and that there was nothing serious.