PRETORIA, South Africa — Oscar Pistorius, the disabled track star who once commanded stellar heights of international competitition, was found guilty on a charge of culpable homicide, equivalent to manslaughter, on Friday after being acquitted of murder charges in the killing of his girlfriend in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013.
The judge, Thokozile Matilda Masipa, also acquitted Mr. Pistorius of two of three firearms charges on Friday, convicted him of another. Judge Masipa said state prosecutors had “failed to establish that the accused is guilty” of firing a pistol through the sunroof of a car and “must be acquitted.” On a count relating to a shot fired in a crowded restaurant, she found Mr. Pistorius guilty, but acquitted him on a charge of illegal possession of ammunition.
To the surprise of some legal experts in South Africa on Thursday, Judge Masipa ruled that Mr. Pistorius, 27, did not commit premeditated murder when he shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, 29, on Feb. 14, 2013.
But, twisting the suspense in the oft-delayed trial a little tighter, the judge abruptly adjourned the hearings as she discussed the charge of culpable homicide — equivalent to involuntary manslaughter — which covers a range of allegations related to negligence rather than intent.
Although a sentence of premeditated murder would, under South African law, have left the judge no option but to impose a minimum jail term of 25 years, culpable homicide carries a maximum of 15 years but gives the judge wide latitude in sentencing.
The key to Judge Masipa’s finding on Thursday was her acceptance of the main argument in his defense — that he believed he was firing at an intruder rather than at his girlfriend when he opened fire.
Her assessment prompted a flood of tears from Mr. Pistorius, hunched over and sobbing in the wooden dock of the North Gauteng High Court here in the South African capital.
Mr. Pistorius was born without fibulas and had his lower legs amputated at the age of 11 months. As a runner, fighting adversity and competing against able-bodied as well as disabled athletes, Mr. Pistorius became an emblem of South Africa’s vaunted self-image as a land that punches above its weight.
Judge Masipa is expected to render her decision on the culpable homicide charge later in the day. There are no jury trials in South Africa, so it has been left to her, with the help of two aides known as assessors, to frame the verdict.
The judge acknowledged Thursday that Mr. Pistorius was particularly afraid of crime. But in a land where millions face danger without the gated residential complexes, security guards — and highly paid legal teams — of the rich elite, the judge was careful to note that his fears did not excuse his actions. “Many people in this country have experienced crime,” she said, “but they have not resorted to sleeping with a firearm under their pillow.”
