Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to five years in prison for killing Reeva Steenkamp on Tuesday by a South African judge who cited the "gross negligence" the runner showed when he shot his girlfriend multiple times through a toilet cubicle door in his home, according to Reuters.
Judge Thokozile Masipa convicted him of culpable homicide, or negligent killing, but acquitted him of murder, Reuters reported.
Masipa said the sentence is for a maximum of five years in prison, but Pistorius could be released after 10 months in jail to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, according to Reuters. His sentence starts immediately.
Pistorius' defense lawyer Barry Roux said he expected the jailed athlete to serve only 10 months of the five-year sentence behind bars, and the remainder under house arrest, Reuters reported.
Masipa also ordered a sentence of three years in prison for unlawfully firing a gun in a restaurant in a separate incident weeks before Steenkamp's 2013 shooting death be wholly suspended, Reuters reported.
Pistorius killed Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year, shooting her through a toilet door in his home, according to Reuters.
In his testimony, Pistorius said the shooting was an accident because he mistook his girlfriend for a nighttime intruder, according to Reuters.
The parents of Reeva Steenkamp told BBC they were happy with the sentence and relieved the case was over.
Justice was served," said Dup De Bruyn, the lawyer for the Steenkamp family, Reuters reported. He told reporters the judge had given "the right sentence".
