Homicide Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Homicide - Case Study Example This paper, therefore, seeks to describe the characteristics of the criminal incident of Oscar Pistorius the amputee athlete who killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. Further, it will discuss more about this type of crime in terms of its prevalence, trends and costs. Additionally, the paper will discuss three theories that include: rational choice theory, trait theory, social structure theory in relation to this kind of homicide incident. Finally the paper will provide a brief conclusion on the suitable theory that most explains Pistorius’ Murder, discuss the implications of the theory for criminal justice policy, and what the criminal justice system should do to try to address the kind of murder committed by Pistorius. The criminal incident of focus is that of Oscar Pistorius, the amputee athlete who killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. Harvey (2015) espouses that, in the month of February 2013, Pistorius, shot and killed Steenkamp in a toilet cubicle that was locked in Pretoria, South Africa. According to him, he shot the 28-year-old girlfriend believing she was an intruder. He was then arrested the next day, and the legal procedure ensued. In a case classified as a homicide, on September 12, 2014, Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison. Smit, de Jong, & Bijleveld, (2012) discuses: culpable homicide as existing in various jurisdictions of countries in the commonwealth and involves the illegal murder of an individual either intentionally or without the intention depending on the definition of the offence by the given jurisdiction. It adds that, as a cause of premature deaths globally, the evidence around this incident are more often scarce or hampered due to the missing information that characterizes the relationship between the victim and offender. As of 2013, 13.5% of homicides that took place were committed by partners in an intimate relationship. Of this, the proportion of