How can an athletic champion, beloved by his country and considered as a national hero, fall from grace so hard in such a short amount of time?
The Oscar Pistorius trial garnered the attention, not just of South Africa, but the entire world as well. His status as an esteemed Olympic athlete did not stop the court from finding him guilty of culpable homicide. Society deemed him guilty of an even more serious crime.
During the seven-month trial, prosecution argued that the Blade Runner had malicious intent when he shot his girlfriend, model and law school student Reeva Steenkamp, through the bathroom door of their home on Valentines' Day last year.
Pistorius' lawyers defended that he was a remorseful man who fired those shots mistakenly, thinking that an intruder was behind the door and not his lover.
Now that Judge Thozokile Masipa has finally given her final verdict for the case - clearing him of murder but not of negligence - both parties met for the Oscar Pistorius trial once again to discuss and argue about the proper punishment the star athlete should receive.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel wants 10 years in jail for the double-amputee athlete.
"This is a serious matter," Nel pointed out during the sentencing according to CNN. "The negligence borders on intent. Ten years is the minimum."
He also insisted that Pistorius "shamelessly" used his disability to get sympathy from the court after Pistorius' probation officer noted that the accused could possibly become the target of notorious prison gangs.
However, defense lawyer Barry Roux argued that the athlete displayed "no deviousness" and "no conscious unlawfulness."
According to NBC, he further told the court, "He's lost everything. He was an icon in the eyes of South Africans. He wants to make good as far as possible. Serious regard should be given to a community-based sentence so something good can come out of this."
Followers of the case will find out the outcome tomorrow, when the Oscar Pistorius trial convenes to hear Judge Masipa's final decision regarding the star athlete's sentence.
