Oscar Pistorius: From Olympic fame to murder conviction
The Paralympic sprinter was earlier found guilty last year of culpable homicide, a charge equivalent to manslaughter
PHOTO: AFP
PRETORIA:
Oscar Pistorius, the South African amputee sprinter who shot dead his girlfriend dead in 2013, was convicted of murder on Thursday after an appeal by state prosecutors.
The Supreme Court of Appeal threw out his earlier conviction of the lesser crime of culpable homicide, for which Pistorius had served one year of a five-year jail sentence.
He now risks a minimum of 15 years in prison.
Pistorius lawyers battle to avoid murder charges
Here is a snapshot of events that began more than two years ago with the shooting on Valentine's Day 2013.
February 14: Police arrest the Paralympic and Olympic sprinter for killing model Reeva Steenkamp, 29, who was shot four times at his Pretoria home.
February 15: Pistorius bursts into tears as he is charged, denying murder "in the strongest terms".
February 19: Pistorius claims in an affidavit he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder. He fired through a locked bathroom door in what prosecutors term "premeditated" murder.
February 20: Police searching Pistorius's home find testosterone and needles in a dresser in his bedroom. Testosterone is on the list of substances banned by the International Olympic Committee.
Pistorius freed on parole after year behind bars for killing girlfriend
Pistorius's lawyers poke holes in the prosecution's murder case, challenging flawed police work.
February 22: Pistorius is granted bail.
March 11: Pistorius is in mourning, but is "certainly not suicidal," his family says.
February 14: A year after the shooting, Pistorius says in an online message he is still consumed with "sorrow".
February 25: A judge rules that most of his trial can be broadcast live, but not his testimony.
March 3: The trial opens in Pretoria before an army of journalists from around the world, with the testimony of a neighbour who tells the court she heard "terrible screams" from a woman.
March 13: Pistorius vomits when a picture of Steenkamp's body is flashed on the court's television screens.
April 7-15: Pistorius takes the stand and begins with a tearful apology to Steenkamp's family. This is followed by five days of often intense cross-examination, marked by bouts of tears and breaks in the session. Pistorius steadfastly denies any intention to kill Steenkamp.
June 30: After a six-week break, a panel of three psychiatrists and a psychologist conclude that Pistorius does not suffer from mental illness.
September 12: Pistorius is found guilty of culpable homicide or manslaughter.
October 21: Judge Thokozile Masipa sentences Pistorius to a maximum of five years in jail. The athlete is immediately taken to Pretoria prison.
December 10: The judge grants prosecutors -- who describe the sentence as "shockingly light and inappropriate" -- leave to appeal.
October 19: Pistorius is allowed out of prison after just one year to spend the remainder of his sentence under house arrest at his uncle's mansion in Pretoria.
November 14: Pistorius reports for his first day of community service.
December 3: The Supreme Court of Appeal convicts Pistorius of murder, saying his testimony was "vacillating and untruthful".
Oscar Pistorius, the South African amputee sprinter who shot dead his girlfriend dead in 2013, was convicted of murder on Thursday after an appeal by state prosecutors.
The Supreme Court of Appeal threw out his earlier conviction of the lesser crime of culpable homicide, for which Pistorius had served one year of a five-year jail sentence.
He now risks a minimum of 15 years in prison.
Pistorius lawyers battle to avoid murder charges
Here is a snapshot of events that began more than two years ago with the shooting on Valentine's Day 2013.
February 14: Police arrest the Paralympic and Olympic sprinter for killing model Reeva Steenkamp, 29, who was shot four times at his Pretoria home.
February 15: Pistorius bursts into tears as he is charged, denying murder "in the strongest terms".
February 19: Pistorius claims in an affidavit he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder. He fired through a locked bathroom door in what prosecutors term "premeditated" murder.
February 20: Police searching Pistorius's home find testosterone and needles in a dresser in his bedroom. Testosterone is on the list of substances banned by the International Olympic Committee.
Pistorius freed on parole after year behind bars for killing girlfriend
Pistorius's lawyers poke holes in the prosecution's murder case, challenging flawed police work.
February 22: Pistorius is granted bail.
March 11: Pistorius is in mourning, but is "certainly not suicidal," his family says.
February 14: A year after the shooting, Pistorius says in an online message he is still consumed with "sorrow".
February 25: A judge rules that most of his trial can be broadcast live, but not his testimony.
Pistorius killed our daughter deliberately - Steenkamps
March 3: The trial opens in Pretoria before an army of journalists from around the world, with the testimony of a neighbour who tells the court she heard "terrible screams" from a woman.
March 13: Pistorius vomits when a picture of Steenkamp's body is flashed on the court's television screens.
April 7-15: Pistorius takes the stand and begins with a tearful apology to Steenkamp's family. This is followed by five days of often intense cross-examination, marked by bouts of tears and breaks in the session. Pistorius steadfastly denies any intention to kill Steenkamp.
June 30: After a six-week break, a panel of three psychiatrists and a psychologist conclude that Pistorius does not suffer from mental illness.
September 12: Pistorius is found guilty of culpable homicide or manslaughter.
October 21: Judge Thokozile Masipa sentences Pistorius to a maximum of five years in jail. The athlete is immediately taken to Pretoria prison.
December 10: The judge grants prosecutors -- who describe the sentence as "shockingly light and inappropriate" -- leave to appeal.
October 19: Pistorius is allowed out of prison after just one year to spend the remainder of his sentence under house arrest at his uncle's mansion in Pretoria.
November 14: Pistorius reports for his first day of community service.
December 3: The Supreme Court of Appeal convicts Pistorius of murder, saying his testimony was "vacillating and untruthful".