Click: Breaking: Pistorius Guilty of 'Culpable Homicide'
The Judgement Day has come for Oscar Pistorius: it will literally be the 'Last Judgement'.
The 'Blade Runner', as he is known, appeard in court on Thursday where Judge Thokozile Masipa decided that the 27-year-old was not guilty of intentionally killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year.
Ruling that he has not committed 'premeditated murder' the judge strongly hinted that the olympic champion would be found guillty of 'culpable homicide' which could land him jail for up to 10 years. She will made her on Friday.
The melodramatic, action-packed plot of the nearly half-year trial has consumed much of the media's prime-time in every nook and cranny of the globe and all eyes will be glued to television sets or online platforms on Friday to see what fate lies for the fallen hero of South Africa.
Where to Watch Live
The Oscar Pistorius Virdict 2014 will likely begin at around 8am GMT (10am local time, 3am EST, 1:30pm IST). It is reported that the process of the judgement might extend until Friday as the judge will need to brief the audience with in-depth analysis and reasoning on how the judgement was reached.
The process will be broadcast live on the 24-hour pop-up channel launched specially for the Pistorius Trial on 2 March. The channel on DStv, called 'The Oscar Pistorius Trial: A Carte Blanche Channel' will be streaming round-the clock coverage of the judgement and might even feature documentaries and in-depth expert talks later on the day.
The live channel will be available on DStv Premium, Compact Plus and Compact. It will go on air on DStv's channel 199. See the list HERE.
The channel can be viewed online HERE. (You will require subscription, and a Connect ID)
In addition to that, follow the official Twitter handle of the Oscar Trial Channel 199 for minute-by-minute live tweeting of the events HERE. Also check the official Facebook page of the Oscar Trail Chennel 199 HERE for live updates.
Additionally check updates from the Twitter Handle of Oscar Pistorius' Public Relations team HERE. The PR team had claimed to give 'factural updates' and 'hard truth' about the events of the trial when a new handle was launched earlier in the year.
Live Updates on TV and News Websites
In addition to the live feeds we will receive from Facebook and live tweeting, many international news channels will be live-streaming the entire verdict, thereby allowing viewers to get minute-by-minute updates on the activities from the Pretoria High Court.
Television views could switch on to their trusted news channel while online browsers could try the following options: For the US viewers check HERE. For Britain or Asia, try the World Service of BBC HERE. Sky News will also have a live broadcast HERE. For Canada, check HERE.
Key Points:
- Judge Masipa will show in detail why she and her two legal assessors reached their decision
- The possible verdicts will be any of these three: Murder, Culpable Homicide or 'Acquitted'.
- It can't be said with certainty if Pistorius would remain free on bail until the trial is completed. A defendant's bail expires on conviction, meaning, Masipa must make a new ruling on bail, if Pistorius is convicted.
- There could be a 'second trial' if prosecutor and Pistorius' defense lawyers choose for it. There, they will have chance to present more witnesses including Steenkamp's family and psychiatrists.
- Premeditated murder calls for a life sentence (minimum of 25 years before parole)
- Culpable homicide calls for five years if a gun is used (but will depend on other factors such as time and place)
- Fire-arm charges will carry fines or suspended sentences.
