The mother of Reeva Steenkamp, who was shot dead by Oscar Pistorius, has lambasted Judge Thokozile Masipa for her 'culpable homicide' verdict alleging the judge of buying the athlete's story that it was an 'accident'.
This comes as there are growing concerns among some experts as well as public that the judge, by ruling out the charge of 'premeditated murder' might have made a very obvious 'error of law' that could lead to a miscarriage of justice.
"This verdict is not justice for Reeva," her mother, June Steenkamp told NBC News. "I just want the truth."
Reeva Sttenkamp died a "horrible, painful, terrible" death, she said condemning the judge for seemingly falling prey to Pistorius' story that he really thought a burglar was hiding in his bathroom.
"He shot through the door, and I can't believe that they think it was an accident," she said adding:
"I don't care what happens to Oscar...It's not going to change anything because my daughter is never coming back. He's still living and breathing and she's gone...forever."
Pistorius, who had been repeatedly crying throughout the half-year trial and was sobbing even until the ultimate verdict was pronounced, was strangely stone-faced when Judge Masipa said he was guilty of 'culpable homicide'.
According to the judge, prosecutors failed to give evidence that Pistorius was guilty of premeditated murder but she did agree that the prosecution was able to prove that Pistorius was "negligent" when he chose to fire his 9-mm pistol four times through the closed bathroom door in his Pretoria house.
But experts have been alleging that the premise in which the judge announced her verdict was wrong. "The judge got it right when she ended up concluding that it doesn't matter who was behind the door, so as long as there was intention to kill whoever was behind the door," New York Daily News quoted James Grant, who teaches law at the University of Witwatersrand.
But the judge went ahead one step and focused on "whether he foresaw the possibility of killing Reeva behind the door," Grant said adding that it was not the "right question."
