Oscar Pistorius granted bail, will appeal murder conviction
Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius was granted bail on Tuesday, permitting him to remain under house arrest following his conviction on murder charges last week, the Associated Press reports.
Last Thursday, a South African appeals court overturned Pistorius’s previous manslaughter conviction for the 2013 killing of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. A murder conviction carries a minimum of 15 years in prison, and his sentence will be handed down on April 18.
Pistorius plans to appeal the conviction, which the Constitutional Court may decline to hear. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel was doubtful the appeal attempt to South Africa’s highest court would be successful, according to the AP, and Pistorius’s lawyer has not revealed on what grounds he will submit the appeal.
Pistorius, who became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics during the 2012 Games in London, has maintained that he accidentally shot and killed Steenkamp because he believed she was an intruder who had broken into his home. In the decision to convict him of murder, the appeals court ruled that Pistorius should have predicted that firing his gun would result in the death of a person, regardless of the mistaken identity.
His bail was set at $692, and the terms of his house arrest will require him to stay within 12 miles of his uncle’s home at all times.
- Erin Flynn
