A.J. Perez

USA TODAY Sports

Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius appears to be out of legal options after a South African court denied his motion to appeal his murder conviction on Thursday, according to published reports.

The Constitutional Court, South Africa’s version of the Supreme Court, ruled that Pistorius’ appeal “had no reasonable grounds of success.” He is scheduled to be sentenced in April, where he could get as many as 15 years in prison.

Defense attorney Barry Slotnick, a who successfully defended "The Subway Vigilante" Bernard Goetz, told USA TODAY Sports in an email that Pistorius' fame will work to his advantage when he's sentenced.

"He’ll get jail time, but not for that full time," said Slotnick, a founding partner at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney. "Additionally, his celebrity status will likely have a positive impact for him. He’s a well-known and very much liked person in South Africa and I think that will help his cause. His disability also makes him sympathetic which will work in his favor, too."

Pistorius became the first amputee runner to compete in the Olympics when he represented South Arica in the 2012 London Games.

Pistorius is currently under house arrest. He was originally convicted of manslaughter in the death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who was shot through a bathroom door by Pistorius on Valentine’s Day in 2013. Pistorius claims he thought Steenkamp was an intruder.

The charge was upgraded to murder by the Supreme Court of Appeal in December, which superseded the manslaughter conviction that drew a five-year sentence. Pistorius served a year in prison before he was granted house arrest in October.

PHOTOS: THE OSCAR PISTORIUS MURDER TRIAL