Olympian Oscar Pistorius has been denied leave to appeal in regards to his conviction for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The Constitutional Court in South Africa rejected his right to appeal against his conviction, leaving his sentencing to take place in April, where he now faces a minimum of 15 years in jail. The South African High Court will hold the sentencing.
Pistorius shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through the door of a bathroom in his Pretoria home back in February of 2013. He alleged that he mistook her for an intruder when he fired the shots. A manslaughter verdict was overturned in December, and a murder verdict was introduced instead.
Pistorius is best known for becoming the first amputee sprinter to ever compete in the Olympics in the 2012 Summer Games in London.
The judge who originally cleared Pistorius of murder, Thokozile Masipa, will be the one sentencing him in April. BBC News is reporting that prosecutors are believed to be targeting a sentence of at least 15 years in jail for Pistorius.
Pistorius has now exercised all options, as the Constitutional Court was his last chance in overturning his murder conviction. He served less than a year in jail (on an original five-year sentence), and has been on house arrest, under which he’ll remain until his sentencing.
