"We have never had any doubt in Oscar's version of the incident," the defendant's uncle, Arnold Pistorius, told reporters on Friday.

Just hours before, Oscar Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide, South Africa's equivalent of manslaughter. The paralympian had been accused by the prosecution of intentionally murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on February 14, 2013, when he shot four times through a locked bathroom door.

However, Pretoria court judge, Thokozile Masipa, ruled that the prosecution had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant murdered his girlfriend.

Witness testimony of events after shooting Steenkamp – including his attempt to resuscitate her – showed that his behavior was "inconsistent with the conduct of someone who had the intention to commit murder."

Pistorius maintained that he had a believed an intruder to be in the locked bathroom. No evidence presented had disproved that he "didn't really entern the belief that there was [one]."

Steenkamp's family and friends wept in court during the two-day reading of the verdict.

"On behalf of our family, we would like to show how grateful we are to judge Masipa," Pistorius told reporters after the controversial verdict.

"It won't bring Reeva back, but our hearts go out to her family and friends."

Steenkamps: 'just not served'

While the Pistorius family reaction followed soon after the court adjourned on Friday, the parents of Reeva Steenkamp refrained from reacting for several hours.

In an interview with the United States' broadcaster NBC, June Steenkamp, the mother of the victim, said her daughter had died a "horrible, painful, terrible death."

"I just don't feel that this is the right [verdict]," she added, saying it could not have been an accident.

"I really don't care what happens to Oscar...it's not going to change anything because my daughter is never coming back."

Sentencing in October

The Pretoria court is to reconvene on October 13 for the sentencing. A culpable homicide conviction in South Africa could result in a prison sentence of five to ten years.

The defense and prosecution will have the opportunity to present new arguments and call witnesses when the court session resumes next month.

"[We are] disappointed that we were not successful in securing a conviction on the original charge of premeditated murder," the National Prosecuting Authority said after the verdict was handed down on Friday, adding that it would wait for the sentence before announcing further legal steps against Pistorius.

kms/hc (AP, AFP, dpa)