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  5. Oscar Pistorius trial: Judge's verdict explained

Oscar Pistorius trial: Judge's verdict explained

PRETORIA, South Africa: Did Oscar Pistorius get away with murder? Judge Thokozile Masipa's decision to acquit Pistorius of murder has left many in South Africa asking that question. Masipa's decision hinged on a little-known Latin

India TV News Desk India TV News Desk Updated on: September 13, 2014 10:13 IST

 

MURDER
   
Pistorius' acquittal on a lesser charge of murder without pre-planning is viewed as the most contentious. Prosecutors had urged the judge to consider that even if it was shown that Pistorius believed there was an intruder and not Steenkamp in the cubicle, he still shot knowing that he could kill the person and without any justification. In South Africa, you can be found guilty of murder if you intended to kill one person and another died instead. But Masipa found that Pistorius -- in the moments he fired -- did not foresee that someone might die and therefore had no ultimate intent to kill.
   

While prosecutors said they were "disappointed" with the verdict, firearms lawyer Martin Hood said analysts were questioning Masipa's findings.
   
"Many of us feel she has made incorrect factual findings," Hood said. "And then the application of the law itself seems to have been misunderstood and possibly misapplied. I think there's a lot of uncertainty as to the correctness of the judgment."
   
Many people questioned how anyone could survive the four bullets shot into the small toilet cubicle.

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