Twitter explodes as Pistorius is cleared of murder charges, final verdict still to come
Oscar Pistorius wasn't found guilty of murder. He wasn't found guilty of premeditated homicide either.
South African Judge Thokozile Masipa said on Thursday: "There are just not enough facts to support such a finding."
If you were shocked by the verdict, don't worry, you weren't the only one.
Many took to social media to express their disbelief. "#PistoriusTrial" and "Judge Masipa" was trending worldwide on Twitter.
Some even suggested that the reason the former Olympic and paralympic star was found "not guilty" was because he is rich and famous.
Pistorius fired four shots through a locked toilet door in his upmarket Pretoria home last year, killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The sprinter said he thought he was shooting at an intruder, while the prosecution claimed he killed her in a fit of rage after an argument.
The high-drama trial, which has been receiving intense media attention, has seen Pistorius crying multiple times and even vomitting in court.
But not everyone was upset with the verdict. Some felt that the judge had made the right call.
Judge Masipa has yet to announce the verdict on the count of culpable homicide and three unrelated gun charges, but she called Pistorius "a very poor witness".
“The accused was, amongst other things, an evasive witness," she said.
Under cross-examination, “when contradictions were pointed out to him... the witness always blamed his legal team,” she said.
The final verdict could come on Friday, with sentencing expected weeks later.
Source: AFP
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