PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) – Oscar Pistorius has arrived in a South African courtroom ahead of the verdict in the murder trial of the double-amputee athlete.
Pistorius hugged his brother Carl, who was seated in a wheelchair because of injuries suffered in a recent car crash. The parents of Reeva Steenkamp, the girlfriend fatally shot by Pistorius in his home last year, were also in the packed gallery on Thursday. There were also many journalists at the courthouse, where the sensational trial has unfolded over the last six months.
Judge Thokozile Masipa’s verdict is expected to take hours and possibly two days to present as she reviews testimony and legal arguments.
Pistorius faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder for shooting Steenkamp.