By Annie Ross
Ex-Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to six years in prison today for the 2013 killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp (above) after his initial manslaughter conviction was upgraded to murder.
Pistorius admitted he shot and killed Steenkamp in his South Africa home — claiming he believed she was an intruder.
He was convicted of manslaughter in 2014 and was living under house arrest as part of a five-year sentence — but the conviction was overturned and upgraded to murder.
He was facing up to 15 years behind bars — but the judge felt he only deserved six, partly due to the fact he’s shown remorse.
The 29-year-old was taken to prison immediately following today’s hearing. He will be eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence.
Pistorious has two weeks to appeal the sentence — though his legal team has suggested they will not initiate appeal proceedings.
