Oscar Pistorius appeal changes conviction to murder

(CNN)   Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of the murder of Reeva Steenkamp, after South Africa's Supreme Court overturned the previous conviction of culpable homicide.

Judge Eric Leach ruled Thursday that the Paralympic gold medalist should have foreseen that his firing of a gun would have killed whoever was behind the door, regardless of whether he thought it was Steenkamp or an intruder.

Pistorius shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a model, four times through a locked toilet door on Valentine's Day 2013, saying he mistook her for an intruder.

His jail term is yet to be decided but he faces up to 15 years in prison.

In October, Pistorius was allowed to move from prison, where he served a year of his original five-year sentence, to house detention.

Shakespearean tragedy

The judge called the circumstances surrounding Steenkamp's death "a human tragedy of Shakespearean proportions."

The ruling rested over the concept of "dolus eventualis," or whether Pistorius should have foreseen his actions would lead to death. "All the shots fired through the door would almost inevitably have struck the person behind it. There would be effectively no place to hide," Leach said.

He called Pistorius' testimony about his actions "unacceptable," "vacillating" and "contradictory."

Prosecutors had argued that the 29-year old -- known as the "Blade Runner" in a reference to the prosthetic legs he uses when he races -- intentionally killed Steenkamp following an argument.

Leach stated that although Pistorius had genuine beliefs that his life was in danger, he should have acted more rationally.

He never fired a warning shot, and shot not once but four times. "The identity of victim is irrelevant to his guilt," he said.

Steenkamp's family members were present, keeping a stony-face throughout the court proceeding, but hugged after hearing the verdict.

It is unclear when Pistorius will return to jail but a prison official told CNN prior to the re-sentencing that the athlete didn't receive any special treatment, although he was their first double-amputee inmate and required protection.