Oscar Pistorius did not commit murder the night he killed Reeva Steenkamp , a judge said Thursday . He did not intend to kill her , Judge Thokozile Masipa said . But his conduct was `` negligent , '' she said before adjourning for the day , suggesting she will find the Olympian guilty of culpable homicide . There is no minimum sentence for culpable homicide in South African law . It 's up to the judge to decide . As he fired four bullets into the bathroom of his home in Pretoria on Valentine 's Day last year , he did not foresee the `` possibility that he would kill the person behind the door , let alone the deceased , as he thought she was in the bedroom at the time , '' Masipa said . Evidence suggests that Pistorius genuinely believed the person in the bathroom was an intruder , although that is irrelevant to the case , the judge said . Pistorius could have taken other actions when he thought there was an intruder , she said . `` All the accused had to do was to pick up his cell phone to call security or the police , '' she said . `` He could have run to the balcony and screamed in the same way he screamed after the incident , '' she added , noting that Pistorius called security after the incident and could have done so when he heard what he thought was an intruder . Judge : Pistorius ' background no excuse . Defense arguments that his upbringing `` in a crime-riddled environment and in a home where the mother was paranoid and always carried a firearm '' might explain his conduct that night , but `` it does not excuse the conduct , '' Masipa said . `` The accused had reasonable time to reflect , to think and to conduct himself reasonably , '' she said . `` I am not persuaded that a reasonable person with the accused 's disabilities in the same circumstances would have fired four shots into that small toilet cubicle . '' Following the country 's legal standard for determining culpable homicide , Masipa found that `` a reasonable person '' would have `` foreseen the reasonable possibility '' that whoever was in the bathroom might have been killed , and would have `` taken steps to guard against that possibility , '' she said . `` I am of the view that the accused acted too hastily and used excessive force , '' she said , adding that under the circumstances , `` it is clear that his conduct was negligent . '' Pistorius could be seen crying at times during the reading of the lengthy verdict . The Olympian 's trial in the death of his model and law graduate girlfriend started six months ago , transfixing the world with graphic details of how he fatally shot Steenkamp . Before she rejected the premeditated murder charge , Masipa questioned why he fired `` not one ... but four shots '' into the bathroom before he went to find his girlfriend . However , she said , the intention to shoot does not necessarily mean the intent to kill . Judge : Pistorius knew right from wrong . `` Court is satisfied that at the relevant time , the accused could distinguish between right and wrong , '' and act accordingly , she said . Masipa cast doubt on witness testimony and said she believes media coverage contaminated testimonies . She doubted state witnesses , saying they were in and out of sleep the night of the killing . `` Technology is more reliable than human perception and human memory , '' she said . She described the victim 's wound as `` immediately incapacitating '' and said she believed a scream heard by witnesses the night of the killing was Pistorius , ' not Steenkamp 's . The judge appeared to be accepting the defense timeline of events that the shots came first , then screaming that must have been Pistorius . She knocked down some aspects of the state 's case : the fact that Steenkamp took her phone and locked herself in the bathroom allegedly out of fear for her safety , phone messages between the couple that showed some rocky patches , and her stomach contents . Barry and June Steenkamp sat expressionless a few rows behind the man on trial for killing their daughter . Her father bowed his head as he heard about his daughter 's fatal wounds . Pistorius ' uncle , sister and brother also attended the hearing in the packed courtroom -- the latter in a wheelchair from a car accident . Lesser charges . Pistorius also faces three weapons charges . The most serious relates to ammunition found in his house when police searched it after the killing . He did not have a proper license for it , but he says he was storing it in his safe for his father . If he is found guilty of the ammunition charge , he could face up to 15 years in prison , though the judge could opt for a lesser punishment such as a fine or the loss of his gun license . Two other charges are related to allegations that he recklessly fired a gun in public -- once in a restaurant in 2012 , and again out of the sunroof of a car last year . Pistorius denies both . The maximum penalty for each charge is five years behind bars . If he is convicted of either , he could face a lesser sentence , such as a fine or the loss of his gun license .
Oscar Pistorius ' conduct was `` negligent , '' Judge Thokozile Masipa says . The judge said the athlete had been found guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced to five years in prison for shooting Steenkamp through a locked toilet door at his home on Valentine's Day last year. In addition to the murder charge , Pistorius faces three weapons charges . The most serious weapons charge is related to ammunition found in his house .