South African appeals court to rule on Pistorius

JOHANNESBURG — A South African appeals court will soon rule on whether to overturn a manslaughter conviction against Oscar Pistorius and find the double-amputee Olympian guilty of murder for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The registrar's office of the Supreme Court of Appeal has said the judgment is to be announced on Thursday.

Pistorius, 29, was convicted of manslaughter for shooting Steenkamp through a toilet door in his home early on Valentine's Day 2013.

The former track star was put under house arrest at his uncle's mansion on October 19 after serving one year of a five-year prison sentence.

If convicted of murder, Pistorius faces a return to jail and a 15-year prison sentence. The appeals court can also order a retrial or rule that the manslaughter conviction was correct.