Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius, known as the "Blade Runner", was planning a future with the girlfriend he is accused of shooting dead this week,
Do we have a thread on this?

Edit to add required link back. (I guess this is the source you used.  I searched to find something. ) & edited subject line a bit. MB
http://news.yahoo.com/pistorius-slain-girlfriend-had-planned-future-uncle-083829368--finance.html

No, we didn't have a thread until you started this one, Blonde.  

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/9876309/Oscar-Pistorius-murder-charge-bloodied-cricket-bat-central-piece-of-evidence-against-him.html
Oscar Pistorius murder charge: bloodied cricket bat 'central piece of evidence against him'
The discovery of a bloodied cricket bat has reportedly been cited by authorities as "the central piece of evidence", forming a "rock solid" case that Oscar Pistorius murdered his model girlfriend in the early hours of Valentine's Day.
February 17, 2013

The bat, which had “lots of blood” on it, is being tested by forensic scientists, according to reports in South Africa. If the blood is that of Miss Steenkamp, it would strengthen the prosecution case for premeditated murder, sources said. If it came from Pistorius, police would argue that the model used it to defend herself.
A post mortem examination on the body of the 29-year-old model revealed that, as well as bullet wounds to the head, arm, hand and hip, she suffered a fractured skull, the City Press newspaper reported.
Pistorius, 26, who faces a bail hearing tomorrow, told an interviewer last year that he kept a cricket bat behind his door, along with a pistol by his bedside and a machinegun under his window.
His family have insisted that he shot at Miss Steenkamp through the bathroom door of his home in Pretoria, believing her to be an intruder.
More...

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/steenkamp-s-funeral-will-be-private-1.1471791
Steenkamp’s funeral will be private
February 17, 2013

Johannesburg - The family of Reeva Steenkamp said on Sunday that her body was back in her hometown of Port Elizabeth.

The model and reality TV contestant was shot dead inside the house of Oscar Pistorius. A private funeral will be held on Tuesday.

Adam Steenkamp, the brother of Pistorius's late girlfriend, told The Associated Press: “Reeva is back home.”

The family said that Steenkamp, who was shot multiple times and killed at the athlete's home early on Thursday, will be cremated in a ceremony closed to the public and the media in the southern coastal city.

Pistorius was charged with her murder and is expected to make a second court appearance - also on Tuesday - for the start of his bail hearing. He remains in custody in a police station in Pretoria ahead of that hearing.
More...

Oscar Pistorius murder charge: bloodied cricket bat 'central piece of evidence against him'
The discovery of a bloodied cricket bat has reportedly been cited by authorities as "the central piece of evidence", forming a "rock solid" case that Oscar Pistorius murdered his model girlfriend in the early hours of Valentine's Day.

(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b104/Blondeonahd/Reeva_2483686b.jpg)


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/9876309/Oscar-Pistorius-murder-charge-bloodied-cricket-bat-central-piece-of-evidence-against-him.html

 ::snipping2::
According to a source cited by City Press, Miss Steenkamp was wearing a nightdress, an overnight bag was found at the house and her iPad was on the bedroom floor. ::MonkeyShocked::
“It was clear that both of them had slept in the bed,” the source added.
The holster of a 9mm pistol similar to the weapon recovered by police was found on one side of the bed, the paper said. A bullet casing was also reportedly found in the bedroom and police are investigating whether Pistorius fired one shot and then “chased” Miss Steenkamp to the bathroom. ::snipping2::


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/9876309/Oscar-Pistorius-murder-charge-bloodied-cricket-bat-central-piece-of-evidence-against-him.html

OHANNESBURG (AP) — The family of Oscar Pistorius' slain girlfriend wants answers, her mother told a Johannesburg newspaper as the country waited to hear for the first time why prosecutors believe the iconic athlete murdered Reeva Steenkamp by shooting her multiple times on Valentine's Day morning.
June Steenkamp, Reeva Steenkamp's mother, told the Times in a front page interview: "Why? Why my little girl? Why did this happen? Why did he do this?"
"Just like that she is gone," the paper quoted her as saying in what it described as an emotional telephone interview. "In the blink of an eye and a single breath, the most beautiful person who ever lived is no longer here."
Pistorius, who remains in custody in a red-brick, one-story police station in Pretoria, is set to return to court Tuesday for the start of his bail hearing. That hearing will be the first opportunity for the prosecution to describe evidence police gathered against the 26-year-old double-amputee runner and the reasons why he was charged with murder. ::snipping2::

http://news.yahoo.com/girlfriends-mom-why-did-123312280--oly.html

Oscar Pistorius faces premeditated murder charge but denies intent to kill girlfriend

Oscar Pistorius denied that he "committed murder in the strongest point" and told how Reeva Steenkamp "died in my arms" after the track star was charged Tuesday with premeditated murder that could lead to him serving a life sentence in prison.

Oscar Pistorius, center with head covered, leaves the Brooklyn Police Station. (AP)
The athlete known as the Blade Runner released an affidavit read by his defense counsel Barry Roux at his bail hearing in a South African court after a prosecutor accused him of murdering Steenkamp while she was "unarmed, innocent and sitting in a toilet."
Pistorius, the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics and Paralympics, appeared distraught as Roux read his comments and had to be asked to compose himself by chief magistrate Desmond Nair. ::snipping2::

His version of the tragic events of the early hours of Valentine's Day morning were that he had left the bed he and Steenkamp shared to get fresh air on his balcony. According to the affidavit, as he came back inside he became aware of a noise from the bathroom, which he believed to be an intruder, and put on stumps instead of his prosthetic legs. Pistorius said he felt vulnerable without his prosthetics and was also worried because the window in the bathroom did not have burglar bars. ::snipping2::

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics--lawyers-square-off-in-oscar-pistorius--bail-hearing-095441840.html

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/20/17026594-prosecutors-non-stop-argument-heard-at-oscar-pistorius-home-before-fatal-shooting?lite
Prosecutors: 'Non-stop' argument heard at Oscar Pistorius' home before fatal shooting
February 20, 213

 ::snipping2::

The Olympic and Paralympic athlete stared fixedly at the floor, sobbing occasionally, as a senior detective investigator described the scene when officers arrived at the house in the early hours of Valentine's Day.
Pistorius wore a black suit and blue tie on the second day of a hearing that will decide whether he would be bailed over charges that the shooting of the model was premeditated.
Witnesses heard a "non-stop" argument at the home of Olympian Oscar Pistorius shortly before he fatally shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, prosecutors told a South African court Wednesday.
Shouting was heard for an hour from the sprinter's home in a Pretoria suburb around 2 a.m. on Valentine's Day, prosecutors said.
A detective also testified that needles and testosterone were found in the athlete's bedroom. The double-amputee's defense disputed the claim, saying the substance was in fact a herbal remedy.
 ::snipping2::
None of the phones found at Pistorius' house had been used to call police, the investigators said.
The investigator said Steenkamp's body was clothed and covered in towels, and that one bullet cartridge was discovered in the hallway of Pistorius' home, with three more found in the bathroom. A firearm was found on the shower mat.
More...

Video at Link

http://www.voanews.com/content/investigator-pistorius-account-consistent-with-crime-scene/1607186.html
Investigator: Pistorius Account Consistent With Crime Scene
February 20, 2013
A South African investigator says Oscar Pistorius' account of how he killed his girlfriend is consistent with what police have found at the crime scene.

Detective Hilton Botha made the acknowledgement under questioning from the Olympic runner's defense team Wednesday, on the second day of his bail hearing in Pretoria. The hearing is set to continue Thursday.
 ::snipping2::

The magistrate overseeing the hearing ruled Tuesday that premeditation cannot be excluded in the case, but that the charge could be downgraded later. Premeditated murder carries a possible lifetime prison sentence.

Investigators have said Steenkamp was shot by a 9-millimeter pistol registered to Pistorius.

Her family held a private funeral Tuesday in Port Elizabeth, while the hearing was taking place.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article8175130.ece
State case against Pistorius 'strong': NPA
February 20, 2013

The State is confident about its murder case against paralympian Oscar Pistorius, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said on Wednesday.
nvestigating officer Hilton Botha had not been "discredited" by the defence’s examination earlier in the day, NPA spokesman Medupi Simasiku told reporters in Pretoria.

"It is normal for the cross-examination to happen like that. We believe that he [Botha] is strong enough to stand that [examination]," said Simasiku.

"The bail application is still on, but as the State we remain confident that we will get what we want. Until tomorrow [when the bail application resumes], the status quo remains the same."

The State is opposing Pistorius' application for bail in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court.

On Wednesday, advocate Barry Roux accused the police of contaminating the scene while investigating the St Valentine’s Day shooting of Pistorius' girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

He accused Botha of walking around the house, in Pretoria, without protective shoe covers.

Botha said he should have worn them, "but they were not around".

Roux again asked Botha if there was nothing in Pistorius' statement that was inconsistent with the scene.

"Yes, at this stage," said Botha.
 ::snipping2::
Pistorius was arrested early on Thursday morning after his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead in his home at Silver Woods country estate. He was charged with murder on Friday.

The State intends arguing that Steenkamp’s murder was pre-meditated.
 ::snipping2::
In the 10-page affidavit read to the court by Roux, Pistorius denied the murder allegation "in the strongest terms".

"I fail to understand how I could be charged with murder, let alone premeditated murder, as I had no intention to kill my girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp," he said.

http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Prosecutors-Pistorius-top-cop-should-be-dropped-4295803.php
Prosecutors: Pistorius top cop should be dropped
Posted February 20, 2013, Updated February 21, 2013

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Prosecutors reinstated attempted murder charges against a policeman leading the murder investigation into world-famous athlete Oscar Pistorius, in the latest twist in a case that has captivated South Africa and threatens to bring down a national idol.

The announcement that detective Hilton Botha faces reinstated charges in connection with a 2011 shooting incident came a day after he testified for the prosecution in Pistorius' bail hearing, and by all accounts bungled his appearance. He acknowledged Wednesday that nothing in Pistorius' account of the fatal Valentine's Day shooting of his girlfriend contradicted what police had discovered.

The spokeswoman for the nation's prosecutors urged that Botha be removed from the Pistorius case.
More...

http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/ca47f1004ea2d610a1fbfb7da4cd6ad7/Pistorius--murder-case-postponed-again-20132102
Pistorius murder case postponed again
February 21, 2013

Oscar Pistorius's bail application in the Reeva Steenkamp murder case has been postponed for the third time till tomorrow by the Pretoria Magistrate's Court.

Earlier, State Prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the court that Pistorius failed to provide exceptional circumstances why he should be granted bail. Nel says Steenkamp was defenceless when she was fatally shot inside a toilet. He says no court will ever accept that Pistorius acted in self-defence.

Nel has argued that that even on Pistorius’ own version, there was no imminent danger in the bedroom whatsoever. Nel says, Pistorius never woke Steenkamp up and asked her if she had heard an intruder. According to Nel, these were the actions of a man ready to arm himself and kill.

Arguing against Pistorius statement in the affidavit that he felt vulnerable, Nels says this can’t be true since Pistorius stormed the bathroom.

Nel also did not rule out the possibility that Pistorius had orchestrated the scene to his benefit.

In a dramatic day, investigating officer, Hilton Botha was himself implicated in an attempted murder case after he shot at the wheels of fleeing taxi. The court also had to be evacuated briefly after a security threat.
More...   

http://world.time.com/2013/02/21/oscar-pistoriuss-bail-hearing-on-third-day-lead-detective-pulled-off-the-case/
Oscar Pistorius’s Bail Hearing: On Third Day, Lead Detective Pulled Off the Case013
February 21, 2013

Is it possible to imagine a story more bizarre than that of Oscar Pistorius, the Olympic sprinter with no legs who shot his model girlfriend dead on Valentine’s Day only to be charged with premeditated murder by a police officer who, it turned out Thursday, is himself facing imminent trial on seven counts of attempted murder? As Pistorius’ application for bail entered its fourth day at Pretoria Magistrates Court Thursday, South African Police Service National Commissioner Mangwashi Phiyega confirmed that the lead police investigator, Detective Warrant Officer Hilton Botha, would face his own trial in May with two other officers.
More...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/21/us-safrica-pistorius-idUSBRE91K0FN20130221
South Africa puts top detective on Pistorius case
February 21, 2013

(Reuters) - South African police investigating Oscar Pistorius for murder pulled their lead detective off the "Blade Runner" athlete's case on Thursday after it emerged he himself faces attempted murder charges for shooting at a minibus.

Battling embarrassment in the glare of a global media spotlight, they named the nation's most senior detective to take over, as preliminary hearings to decide whether the Olympic and Paralympic star can go free on bail were adjourned until Friday.
 ::snipping2::
"From this point forward, I will take over," Lieutenant General Vinesh Moonoo told Reuters. A 32-year veteran of the force, he added: "It will not affect the court proceedings."

Charges against Warrant Office Botha over the taxi minibus shooting had been dropped but the National Prosecuting Authority told Reuters they were reinstated on February 4 - 10 days before Pistorius shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his Pretoria home.

"The decision to reinstate was taken on February 4, way before the issue of Pistorius came to light or the murder of Reeva was committed," NPA spokesman Medupe Simasiku told Reuters. "It's completely unrelated to this trial."

It is not clear whether the dismissal of Botha would affect the athlete's chances of securing release from custody pending his trial. After a fourth day of bail hearings, the judge said the court would sit again on the matter on Friday.
More...

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/02/21/murder-in-pretoria-mark-fuhrman-says-bladerunner-evidence-is-overwhelming/
Murder in Pretoria? OJ detective says 'Blade Runner' evidence is overwhelming
February 21, 2013

(Slide show with 25 images)

UPDATE 1-S.Africa's Pistorius awarded bail in murder case
Reuters – 11 mins ago

PRETORIA, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Star South African athlete Oscar Pistorius was awarded bail on Friday after being accused of murdering his girlfriend.
The decision by Magistrate Desmond Nair drew cheers from Pistorius' family and supporters at the Pretoria magistrate's court, although the athlete appeared unmoved as the decision was read out.
The decision followed a week of dramatic testimony about how the athlete shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his luxury home near Pretoria in the early hours of Feb. 14, Valentine's Day.
Prosecutors said Pistorius, 26, committed premeditated murder when he fired four shots into a locked bathroom door, hitting his girlfriend cowering on the other side. Steenkamp, 29, suffered gunshot wounds to her head, hip and arm. ::snipping2::

http://news.yahoo.com/1-africas-pistorius-awarded-bail-murder-case-143620740--spt.html

Magistrate says Oscar Pistorius to be granted bail
Published February 22, 2013

Oscar Pistorius has been granted bail and will be freed from custody pending his trial in the Valentine's Day shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair announced his decision Friday after four days of arguments from prosecution and defense in Pistorius' bail hearing, and after spending about one hour and 45 minutes announcing his decision.

Nair said Pistorius' affidavit, in which he gave his version of the events of the shooting on morning of Feb. 14 in a sworn statement, had helped his application for bail in Pretoria Magistrate's Court.

Nair set the bail at $113,000, with $11,300 in cash and proof that the rest is available. The magistrate said Pistorius must hand over his passports and also turn in any other guns that he owns. Pistorius also cannot leave the district of Pretoria without the permission of his probation officer, Nair said.

<snipped>

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/02/22/south-african-judge-grants-oscar-pistorius-bail/

In South Africa bail is seldom granted in cases where the charge of the prosecution is premeditation murder.  Nevertheless ... in today's ruling the judge affords bail to Oscar Pistorius without citing any "exceptional" reason/s.

Considering there is no jury system in South Africa ... considering the judge ultimately renders the verdict ... could it be that the writing is already on the wall in regards to the outcome?


Flashback - February 19, 2013!

Oscar Pistorius denies charge of premeditated murder
February 19, 2013, 6:29 a.m

<snipped>

According to prosecutor Gerrie Nel, Pistorius’ actions amounted to premeditated murder.

But in an affidavit read in court, Pistorius said he was deeply in love with Steenkamp and denied any intent to kill her. “I know she felt the same way," he said in the document.

As the affidavit was read, Pistorius wept so bitterly that Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair had to halt the proceedings to allow the athlete time to compose himself.

But in a major blow for Pistorius, Nair agreed with the prosecution, ruling that for the purposes of Tuesday's bail hearing the charge against Pistorius was premeditated murder, a decision that will make it difficult for him to be granted bail.

Under South African law, those charged with a category six offense, the most serious category, must show exceptional circumstances as to why they should be released on bail.

<snipped>

http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-oscar-pistorius-denies-premeditated-murder-20130219,0,5663066.story?track=rss

Pistorius sobs, family cheers after bail is awarded
Date Feb 22, 2013
http://video.foxnews.com/v/2182342236001/

South Africa's Pistorius goes free on $113,000 bail
PRETORIA | Fri Feb 22, 2013 6:02pm GMT (Reuters)
 ::snipping2::
Nair set bail at 1 million rand ($113,000 or 74,059 pounds) and postponed the case until June 4. Pistorius would be released only when the court received 100,000 rand in cash, he added.
 ::snipping2::
Under the terms of his bail, Pistorius, 26, was also ordered to hand over firearms and his two South African passports, avoid his home and all witnesses, report to a police station twice a week and abstain from drinking alcohol.
 ::snipping2::
Pistorius said the killing was a tragic mistake, saying he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder - a possibility in crime-ridden South Africa - and opened fire in a blind panic.

However, in delivering his nearly two-hour bail ruling, Nair said there were a number of "improbabilities" in Pistorius's version of events, read out to the court in an affidavit by his lawyer, Barry Roux.

"I have difficulty in appreciating why the accused would not seek to ascertain who exactly was in the toilet," Nair said. "I also have difficulty in appreciating why the deceased would not have screamed back from the toilet."
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/22/uk-safrica-pistorius-idUKBRE91K06L20130222

-----------------
JMO
me too about the BBM, i didnt read but since the judge has ordered him to
abstain from drinking alcohol,was that a reason sited as a reason for the shooting
drunk and thought there was a burglar in the house/bathroom
i thought i had read the bathroom door was locked too,just odd

from the same article above,odd just odd

South Africa's Pistorius goes free on $113,000 bail
PRETORIA | Fri Feb 22, 2013 6:02pm GMT (Reuters)
  ::snipping2::
"DEEPLY IN LOVE"

In his affidavit, Pistorius said he was "deeply in love" with Steenkamp, leading Roux to stress his client had no motive for the killing.

Pistorius contends he reached for a 9-mm pistol under his bed because he felt particularly vulnerable without his prosthetic limbs.

According to police, witnesses heard shouting, gunshots and screams from the athlete's home, which sits in the heart of a gated community surrounded by 3-m- (yard-) high stone walls topped with an electric fence.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/22/uk-safrica-pistorius-idUKBRE91K06L20130222

Nevertheless ... the judge granted Pistorius bail nevertheless.  Unbelievable!!

We don't have a gun in the house but ... I advised my hubby to make sure that I was not  sleeping on the other side of our bed prior to assuming a prowler was was holed up in the bathroom ... prior to calling 911.

Thanks cw618!

Janet

+++++


South Africa's Pistorius goes free on $113,000 bail
Fri Feb 22, 2013

<snipped>

However, in delivering his nearly two-hour bail ruling, Nair said there were a number of "improbabilities" in Pistorius's version of events, read out to the court in an affidavit by his lawyer, Barry Roux.

"I have difficulty in appreciating why the accused would not seek to ascertain who exactly was in the toilet," Nair said. "I also have difficulty in appreciating why the deceased would not have screamed back from the toilet."

<snipped>

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/22/uk-safrica-pistorius-idUKBRE91K06L20130222

CNN SPECIAL - 7:00 PM PT

Blade Running - Murder or Mistake

Father of Oscar Pistorius' slain girlfriend speaks out
February 23, 2013, 8:00 AM

The father of Oscar Pistorius' slain girlfriend has told a South African newspaper that the athlete will have to "live with his conscience" if he is lying about how he killed her.
 
In its Saturday edition, the Afrikaans-language Beeld newspaper quotes Barry Steenkamp as saying Pistorius will "suffer" alone, according to The Associated Press, if his assertion that he accidentally shot 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp is false.
 
Barry Steenkamp says he might be able to forgive Pistorius one day if the double-amputee Olympian is telling the truth.

<snipped>

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57570886/father-of-oscar-pistorius-slain-girlfriend-speaks-out/
 

I am one with the family of Reeva Steenkamp.  I too believe that the reaction of Oscar Pistorius' family to the bail judgement was very insensitive.  An inward emotion of relief is one thing but the joyous outburst did not set right with me.

Janet

+++++


Family of Blade Runner’s deceased girlfriend slams reaction of athlete's family after bail release
Published February 23, 2013

The family of Oscar Pistorius' deceased girlfriend is criticizing the reaction in the court from the double-amputee athlete's family after a judge granted him bail.

"Everybody wants to jump up with joy," Mike Steenkamp, the uncle of Reeva Steenkamp, said, speculating on the mood of Pistorius' family after the judge's decision. "I think it was just done in the wrong context, completely."

<snipped>

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/02/23/father-blade-runners-girlfriend-says-shooter-will-have-to-live-with-his/?test=latestnews

Legal problems

Assault charge
In 2009 Pistorius was arrested and charged with common assault by South African police for slamming a door on a woman at his home. The charges were later dropped.[139][140]
Murder charge


Pistorius during his bail hearing
In the early morning of Thursday, 14 February 2013, Pistorius' girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was shot and killed at Pistorius' Pretoria home.[141][142] Pistorius was taken into police custody and was formally charged with Steenkamp's murder in a Pretoria court on 15 February.[143][144][145]
The bail hearing commenced on 19 February under Chief Magistrate of Pretoria Desmond Nair.[146] During the hearing, both prosecution and defence said that Pistorius had fired four shots through a locked bathroom door, hitting Steenkamp inside the bathroom.[147] The prosecution said that Steenkamp was hit three times.[148] Prosecutor Gerrie Nel claimed that Pistorius had put on his prosthetic legs, walked across his bedroom to the bathroom, and intentionally shot Steenkamp through the door.[147][149] Nel argued that the time required for this process was sufficient to establish the murder as "premeditated."[150] Pistorius said that he had thought Steenkamp was in the bed, and that the person in the bathroom was an intruder. He also said he had not put on his prosthetics before shooting into the bathroom.[147] ::snipping2::

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Pistorius#Legal_problems

he dosent appear to be the murdering type in these clips/vids
ya never know though

clips of Oscar Pistorius
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gkNlNp8mvg

Horrified family told Pistorius 'DID beat Reeva with cricket bat' as they are shown her extensive head injuries
By Barbara Jones
PUBLISHED:17:49 EST, 23 February 2013| UPDATED: 17:50 EST, 23 February 2013
 ::snipping2::
Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius crushed his girlfriend’s skull with a cricket bat before shooting her dead, police have told her family.
 
Details of the post-mortem examination of South African model Reeva Steenkamp were withheld from last week’s bail application hearing.
 
But grieving relatives who saw her body before Tuesday’s cremation in Port Elizabeth described horrific injuries from the cricket bat, and entry wounds from 9mm bullets fired by Pistorius.
 
They were also briefed about the model’s death by police and lawyers from the state prosecutor’s office.
  ::snipping2::
In a sworn affidavit read to the bail hearing in Pretoria magistrates’ court last week, Pistorius claimed that he used the bat to break down the toilet door after the shooting, saying he had not realised his girlfriend was in  the bathroom.
 
The bloodstained bat, which is currently being examined by a police forensics team, will be key evidence when Pistorius goes on trial for premeditated murder.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2283507/Horrified-family-told-Pistorius-DID-beat-Reeva-cricket-bat-shown-extensive-head-injuries.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

janet tell hubby to double check
the more i read, the more the story, dosent add up
a snip from the article above

PUBLISHED:17:49 EST, 23 February 2013| UPDATED: 17:50 EST, 23 February 2013
 ::snipping2::

The athlete claims that during the night he heard a noise in the bathroom and feared it was an intruder. Pistorius, 26, said he felt ‘vulnerable’ without his prosthetic legs, so he got a gun from under his bed and fired through the bathroom door, shouting at the ‘intruder’ to get out of the house and for Reeva to call the police.
 
At that point Pistorius thought she was still in bed.
more at link
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2283507/Horrified-family-told-Pistorius-DID-beat-Reeva-cricket-bat-shown-extensive-head-injuries.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Depending what the outcome of the trial is ... maybe after 47 years ... he will attempt a "Pistorius".

 ::MonkeyHaHa::

Hey ... the judge may have afforded bail but he also questioned aspects of the "intruder" story that came from Pistorius' lips.

Janet

+++++

South Africa's Pistorius goes free on $113,000 bail
Fri Feb 22, 2013

<snipped>

However, in delivering his nearly two-hour bail ruling, Nair said there were a number of "improbabilities" in Pistorius's version of events, read out to the court in an affidavit by his lawyer, Barry Roux.

"I have difficulty in appreciating why the accused would not seek to ascertain who exactly was in the toilet," Nair said. "I also have difficulty in appreciating why the deceased would not have screamed back from the toilet."

<snipped>

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/22/uk-safrica-pistorius-idUKBRE91K06L20130222

 ::MonkeyShocked::

I hope the family Oscar Pistorius was not aware of the blood on the bat when they cheered the outcome of the bail hearing.

Thanks cw618.

Janet

When I consider the bloodied bat ... I conclude that Oscar Pistorius IS a flight risk.  I know I would be in the same situation.

Why was the judge not privy to this information prior to granting bail?

Considering the premeditated charges by the prosecution ... what were the "exceptional circumstances" that deemed Pistorius should be afforded bail?

Janet

++++++

Oscar Pistorius denies charge of premeditated murder
February 19, 2013, 6:29 a.m

<snipped>

Under South African law, those charged with a category six offense, the most serious category, must show exceptional circumstances as to why they should be released on bail.

<snipped>

http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-oscar-pistorius-denies-premeditated-murder-20130219,0,5663066.story?track=rss


Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius crushed his girlfriend’s skull with a cricket bat before shooting her dead, police have told her family.
UPDATED: 23:16 GMT, 23 February 2013

<snipped>

Details of the post-mortem examination of South African model Reeva Steenkamp were withheld from last week’s bail application hearing.

But grieving relatives who saw her body before Tuesday’s cremation in Port Elizabeth described horrific injuries from the cricket bat, and entry wounds from 9mm bullets fired by Pistorius.

They were also briefed about the model’s death by police and lawyers from the state prosecutor’s office.

<snipped>

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2283507/Horrified-family-told-Pistorius-DID-beat-Reeva-cricket-bat-shown-extensive-head-injuries.html

cw618

Oscar Pistorius' brother facing culpable homicide charge
Published February 24, 2013

JOHANNESBURG –  The brother of the Olympic paraplegic athlete Oscar Pistorius, accused of murdering his girlfriend, is facing culpable homicide charges in a 2010 road death.

Pistorius family lawyer Kenny Oldwage tells Fox News the charges against Carl Pistorius stem from his alleged involvement in the death of a bicyclist in 2010 in Pretoria.

Oldwage claims his client is innocent and that the bicyclist ran into Pistorius. He also claims the athlete's brother was not intoxicated at the time of the accident.

<snipped>

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/02/24/oscar-pistorius-brother-faces-homicide-charge-in-2010-road-death-lawyer-says/


Oscar Pistorius' brother Carl accused in 2010 death
updated 10:05 AM EST, Sun February 24, 2013

Johannesburg (CNN) -- As Olympic icon Oscar Pistorius faces a murder trial for shooting his girlfriend, his older brother is also charged in the death of a woman.

Carl Pistorius is accused in the 2010 death of a female motorcyclist, Pistorius family attorney Kenny Oldwage said.

Culpable homicide refers to "unlawful negligent killing," South African police say.

Prosecutors say Carl Pistorius was driving recklessly in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa, when he crashed with the motorcyclist in the daytime.

<snipped>

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/24/world/africa/south-africa-pistorius-brother/index.html

Carl Pistorius, the Brother of Oscar Pistorius Also Facing Homicide Charges in Death of a Female Motorcyclist in 2008 Traffic Accident

Posted February 24, 2013 by Scared Monkeys

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2013/02/24/carl-pistorius-the-brother-of-oscar-pistorius-also-facing-homicide-charges-in-death-of-a-female-motorcyclist-in-2010-traffic-accident/

http://abcnews.go.com/International/oscar-pistorius-case-reeva-steenkamps-father-blade-runner/story?id=18588566
with back to back vids
Oscar Pistorius Case: Reeva Steenkamp's Father Wants 'Blade Runner' to Come Clean
By AMY ROBACH
PRETORIA, South Africa, Feb. 25, 2013
 ::snipping2::
In their first televised interview since their daughter was shot to death by her boyfriend, Oscar Pistorius, Reeva Steenkamp's parents said they want the world-famous Paralympian to come clean about what happened in his South African home on Valentine's Day.
 ::snipping2::
In the emotional interview, Steenkamp's mother, June, described how police called her Feb. 14 asking whether she had a daughter:
 
"I said, 'Yes,' and he said, 'There's been an accident, and she's been shot.' And I said, 'All I want to know is if she's alive or she's dead.' And he said, 'I'm sorry to have to tell you, but she's dead.'"
 
MORE@link
----------------
Full Coverage: Oscar Pistorius Case
http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/oscar-pistorius.htm

Feb 22, 2013 | admin |
Attached below are the Defence’s Heads of Argument in the Oscar Pistorius Bail Hearing:
http://oscarpistorius.com/downloads/Oscar-Pistorius-Heads-of-Argument.pdf

Oscar Pistorius website
media-statements
http://oscarpistorius.com/category/media-statements/

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/06/world/africa/pistorius-image/?google_editors_picks=true
Not everyone surprised at Oscar Pistorius' fall from grace
March 7, 2013

Slide show with 19 images.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/07/world/africa/south-africa-pistorius-case/?google_editors_picks=true
Botha, former Pistorius detective, off police force
March 7, 2013

(CNN) -- Hilton Botha, the former lead detective in the Oscar Pistorius murder case, cited "private reasons" for resigning from the police force, South African Police spokesman Brig. Neville Malila said Thursday.
Botha was pulled from the Pistorius case last month after prosecutors reinstated attempted murder charges against him in a 2011 case. The 22-year South African Police veteran is accused of chasing and firing on a minibus full of people while drunk. He is charged with seven counts of attempted murder.
 ::snipping2::
"We are not going into the reasons," Malila said. "He has indicated to us it is for private reasons."
His removal from the high-profile murder case came just days after his testimony at a bail hearing for Pistorius that included admissions that police could have contaminated the crime scene and failed to properly catalog evidence.
More...

Video at Link

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/07/world/africa/pistorius-steenkamp-family/?google_editors_picks=true
Uncle: Victim's family won't attend Oscar Pistorius' trial
March 7, 2013

Video at Link

The Definition of Entitlement

Pistorius challenges bail conditions, including travel ban and drug testing Add to ...
JOHANNESBURG — Reuters
Published Friday, Mar. 08 2013, 1:09 PM EST
Last updated Friday, Mar. 08 2013, 8:31 PM EST

Lawyers acting for “blade runner” Oscar Pistorius, accused of shooting dead his girlfriend, want his bail conditions relaxed and passports returned so he can travel overseas, South African media reported on Friday.

Pistorius, charged with the Valentine’s Day murder of his Reeva Steenkamp, 29, was released on strict bail conditions two weeks ago. He was ordered to pay a bond of one million rand ($110,000 U.S.), hand over his passports and forbidden from returning to his house, the scene of the crime.

<snipped>

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/pistorius-challenges-bail-conditions-including-travel-ban-and-drug-testing-bail/article9519162/

Reeva's family mulling civil suit against Pistorius
2013-03-09 05:10:49
March 09, 2013

<snipped>

Attorney Mike Venter said a civil claim was being considered against the Paralympian, who is charged with murdering Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine’s Day.

A source close to the family said no decision had yet been taken. Pistorius (26), who has admitted to firing at Reeva through a locked bathroom door at his Pretoria home mistaking her to be an intruder, was granted bail last month and will return to court in June.

http://www.mid-day.com/sports/2013/mar/090313-sports-reevas-family-mulling-civil-suit-against-pistorius.htm

Pistorius family feuds over father's gun comments
Last Updated: Mar 5, 2013

The family of Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee Olympian charged with murdering his girlfriend, is feuding publicly over whether guns are a necessary protection against crime in South Africa.

British newspapers quoted Pistorius' father, Henke Pistorius, as saying the family owns handguns for self-defence and suggesting that South Africa's government shares blame for "white crime levels" in the country where police register more than 15,000 murders per year.

In a statement Tuesday quoting the runner's uncle, Arnold Pistorius, the family subsequently distanced itself from the father's comments.

<snipped>

His uncle, who has acted as the family spokesman following Steenkamp's killing, said in the statement that "the Pistorius family own weapons purely for sport and hunting purposes."

That contradicts Oscar Pistorius' testimony to the magistrate who freed him on bail.

In an affidavit, the athlete known as "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fibre prosthetic running legs said he owned the 9 mm handgun and slept with it under his bed because "I have also been a victim of violence and of burglaries before."

<snipped>

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2013/03/05/sp-paralympics-oscar-pistorius.html

Not everyone surprised at Oscar Pistorius' fall from grace
March 7, 2013

<snipped>

The South African media has long adored Pistorius, some would say even protected him, by minimizing his problems. Yet, some of his friends and colleagues have cast doubt on the idyllic image of Pistorius portrayed by the press.

"It's like we were waiting for something like this to happen," said Marc Batchelor, a South African soccer player who socialized with Pistorius in South Africa's glamor and sports circles.

Batchelor described Pistorius as someone who "had a trip switch," quick to get angry and fight. Pistorius caused "a lot of problems," he said.

Batchelor said Pistorius once wanted to fight him because the track star thought his girlfriend was cheating on him. Pistorius, who Batchelor described as drunk, started yelling and swearing over the phone.

"He said he's not scared. If I want to come down there, he knows where I am, and blah blah blah. But I left it," Batchelor told CNN.

One thing many people don't know, Batchelor said, is that Pistorius was armed nearly everywhere he went. He even applied to become a licensed gun collector so he could buy more guns than the four that South Africans are allowed, according to Carvel Webb, chairman of an umbrella organization for South Africa's private gun collectors, including Pistorius.

Just last January -- though the facts are in dispute -- Pistorius' friend and boxer Kevin Lerena said the track star was holding a gun at an outdoor café when it went off. Lerena said Pistorius was showing the gun to a friend.

<snipped>

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/06/world/africa/pistorius-image/index.html

Uncle: Victim's family won't attend Oscar Pistorius' trial
March 7, 2013

<snipped>

Mike Steenkamp said the family has no plans to attend Pistorius' trial.

"We won't be present, I can tell you that now," he said.

That's because the family wants to focus on Reeva.

"I have to concentrate on her," Kim Martin explained. "I know that sounds crazy, but that's how I get from day to day.

"It's easier to deal with it if you don't concentrate on anything else other than the fact that Reeva's not here, and at the end of the day, she's not coming back."

<snipped>

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/07/world/africa/pistorius-steenkamp-family

Oscar Pistorius - What Really Happened

Saturday - 7:00 PM PT - CBCNN

thanks Janet,but you can't get it outside of canada
not sure if this one is the same one on CBCNN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj8TF4MrO8Q
canada
http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeye/episode/oscar-pistorius-what-really-happened.html
http://www.cbc.ca/gsa/?q=Oscar+Pistorius

http://www.voanews.com/content/judge-clears-pistorius-for-travel-abroad/1630230.html
Judge Clears Pistorius for Travel Abroad
March 28, 2013

A South African judge has ruled that runner Oscar Pistorius, who is charged with murdering his girlfriend, is allowed to travel abroad.

Judge Bert Bam said Thursday that Pistorius can leave the country to compete in athletic events as long as he submits an itinerary to authorities a week in advance.


South African Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius appears at the Magistrate Court in Pretoria on February 22, 2013.
​​The ruling came after lawyers for Pistorius challenged his bail terms at a hearing in the capital, Pretoria.
 ::snipping2::

Mr. Pistorius should be presumed innocent until proven guilty imo, but allowing him (or any other murder suspect) to travel abroad is a real stretch imo.  Is this typical treatment of all murder suspects in South Africa, or is it just for certain celebrities and/or those with high powered lawyers?  We need to remember Reeva Steencamp is dead and Oscar Pistorious is a suspect in her death.    He can leave the country to compete in athletic events as long as he submits an itinerary to authorities a week in advance.  That sounds like a lot of wiggle room if he decides to bolt.  I'm really sorry for the family and friends of Reeva, not only for their loss, but also for the leniency and support shown to Oscar Pistorious.  Innocent until proven guilty yes, but he should be kept close enough to ensure he will show for trial and possibly for incarceration if found guilty.  JMHO 

 ::MonkeyNoNo::

Oscar Pistorius can leave South Africa, judge says, with conditions
Published Thursday, March 28, 2013 6:09AM EDT
Last Updated Thursday, March 28, 2013 8:48AM EDT

PRETORIA, South Africa -- Oscar Pistorius can leave South Africa to compete in international track meets, a judge ruled on Thursday as he upheld the Olympic athlete's appeal against some of his bail restrictions.

Judge Bert Bam said Pistorius, who is charged with murder in the Valentine's Day shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, must travel under certain conditions. His passport will be held by a court while he is in South Africa, and he can only leave the country if he provides an itinerary of his travel plans at least a week before he is due to leave. Pistorius must also hand his travel documents back to the court within 24 hours of returning home.

The ruling in North Gauteng High Court opens the way for the Paralympic champion, who is facing a life sentence if found guilty of murder, to run in international competition again.

<snipped>

The judge also ruled in favour of Pistorius on three other conditions. He no longer has to be regularly supervised by a probation official and a ban against him drinking alcohol was lifted. Bam also slammed one of the bail conditions imposed by another judge, saying that a condition that he would be in breach of his bail if he was accused of another crime against women was "fraud." It went against Pistorius' constitutional right to be innocent until proven guilty, and being accused of a crime should not count against him, Bam said in a ruling that came three hours after the hearing began.

Another two restrictions  that he was not allowed to return to his house, where he shot Steenkamp dead on Feb. 14, and had to report regularly to a police station should be disregarded, the judge said.

It meant Pistorius' legal team succeeded in all its appeals. Pistorius' lawyers smiled after the judge ruled in their favour.
<snipped>

http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/oscar-pistorius-can-leave-south-africa-judge-says-with-conditions-1.1214581

http://olympictalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/16/oscar-pistorius-not-welcome-at-london-grand-prix/
Oscar Pistorius not welcome at London Grand Prix
April 16, 2013

South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, who was charged with murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp back in February, won’t be welcome at this July’s London Grand Prix in Olympic Stadium, even though he’s been cleared to travel for competition.

“It would overshadow every other athlete that was there,” UK Athletics Chair Ed Warner told BBC Radio. “It’s not about innocent or guilty, it’s about how you handle an individual with a difficult moral situation hanging over them.
 ::snipping2::
Event organizers think the media circus that would surround Pistorius would overshadow the rest of the Grand Prix, which will probably be true of any event he would choose to compete in before a judgment comes down. Earlier this month the IPC cleared Pistorius to race at the Paralympic Worlds in France this July.

Pistorius’s murder trial has been adjourned until June 4.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/05/31/graphic-new-photos-crime-scene-where-pistorius-shot-girlfriend/
Graphic new photos of crime scene where Pistorius shot girlfriend
May 31, 2013

Link to photos in article.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/oscar-pistorius-judge-warns-media-scandalous-reporting/story?id=19317735
Oscar Pistorius Judge Warns Media on 'Scandalous' Reporting
June 4, 2013

(2 pg. article)

Oscar Pistorius emerged from self-imposed isolation today for the first time in four months, appearing in court before a magistrate who warned the media to steer clear of any "scandalous" reporting that might taint the Olympian's murder trial.

Pistorius, wearing a dark suit and black and white tie, stood emotionless during the 15-minute hearing at the Pretoria Magistrate's Court in South Africa. The prosecution's request for postponement was granted and the case was pushed back to Aug. 19 so detectives can finish their investigation.
The magistrate warned that "scandalous and possibly contemptuous" reporting by some in the media could impede Pistorius' right to a fair trial, adding that it's important that everyone respect the judicial process.

Magistrate Daniel Thulare also told the National Prosecuting Authority to "seriously look" at whether any of the coverage of the case had scandalized the court. Thulare has asked anyone with information about the crime to contact investigators.

The magistrate's concern comes after Sky News released images Friday of the blood-stained bathroom where Pistorius fatally shot Steenkamp Feb. 14. Sky News said it "obtained" the collection of photographs of Pistorius' home, but did not divulge the source. One picture shows bloody shoe footprints, possible evidence that investigators contaminated the crime scene.
More...


Video at Link


 

http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/sports/olympic_sports/20130813_ap_7fd9c83b559c419b9c3f1e90f38da076.html?c=r
Police complete Pistorius shooting investigation
August 13, 2013

JOHANNESBURG (AP) - A South African police spokesman says Oscar Pistorius will be served with an indictment now that police have completed an investigation into the shooting death of his girlfriend. Spokesman Lt. Gen. Solomon Makgale said Tuesday the investigation team is convinced Pistorius has a charge to answer. Pistorius will appear in a Pretoria court Monday. Makgale said it is expected Pistorius will be served with the indictment and a trial date will be set.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/866d0dae4ee94eb99290ab41555a6383/OLY-Pistorius-Shooting
Prosecutors: Oscar Pistorius trial in early 2014, main charge remains premeditated murder
August 16, 2013

OHANNESBURG — Prosecutors say Oscar Pistorius will be indicted for premeditated murder on Monday and he will go on trial in early 2014 for shooting dead his girlfriend.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Medupe Simasiku tells The Associated Press the exact date for the trial has not yet been set and will likely be decided on Monday, the double-amputee Olympian's next appearance in court.

Simasiku declined to comment Friday on South African media reports that charges will be added relating to Pistorius allegedly discharging a firearm recklessly in two other incidents.

But Simasiku said the main charge on the indictment would "definitely" be premeditated murder, meaning Pistorius faces a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison if convicted on that charge.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/18/world/africa/south-africa-pistorius-case/?sr=google_news&google_editors_picks=true
Oscar Pistorius trial in death of Reeva Steenkamp to begin in March
August 18, 2013

(CNN) -- The trial of Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, will begin in March 2014, his attorney Kenny Oldwage told CNN on Sunday.
The first phase will take place in March, but the entire trial could take place at various times across a year or more due to potential motions and postponements along the way.
Pistorius will be served with an indictment Monday following the completion of the investigation. It's the day that would have been Steenkamp's 30th birthday.
Pistorius is charged with premeditated murder over the February shooting death.
 ::snipping3::
The athlete's family said in June that he would resume running using his blade-shaped prosthetic legs.
Pistorius has started sprinting again for the sake of his emotional health, not for training to compete again, the family said.

http://www.wfaa.com/sports/Oscar-Pistorius-indicted-on-murder-charge--220173251.html
Oscar Pistorius indicted on murder charge
August 19, 2013

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Oscar Pistorius was indicted Monday on a charge of murdering his girlfriend, and prosecutors said witnesses heard a woman screaming before the sound of fatal gunshots fired by the double-amputee Olympian in the early hours of Valentine's Day.
Pistorius, who was in court for the indictment and wept before proceedings began, also will face a charge of illegal possession of ammunition when he goes on trial March 3 in a court in the South African capital, Pretoria.
The much-awaited indictment in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court yielded new detail about how prosecutors will pursue a case that has gripped the world because of the celebrity status of Pistorius, who overcame his disability to become a global phenomenon. His model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, would have celebrated her 30th birthday on Monday.
Prosecutors said Pistorius shot "with the intention to kill a person," and a prosecution spokesman said after the hearing that it was premeditated murder.
The prosecution also will attempt to show the couple argued before she was killed as part of its case that Pistorius intended to kill Steenkamp.
"Some of the state witnesses heard a woman scream, followed by moments of silence, then heard gunshots and then more screaming," the prosecution said in the 11-page indictment.
The court set March 3-20 as the trial period for Pistorius, who has said he shot Steenkamp by mistake, believing she was an intruder in his upscale home in Pretoria. Prosecutors submitted a list of more than 100 witnesses, including Pistorius' uncle Arnold, sister Aimee and brother Carl, as well as a number of people who lived in the same gated community where Steenkamp was killed.
If convicted, Pistorius could face a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison before parole. There is no death penalty in South Africa.

 ::snipping3::

Pistorius, 26, appeared in court for Monday's indictment, crying and holding hands with his siblings before proceedings started. Wearing a dark suit, the athlete wiped away tears with a tissue and sat in the dock with his head bowed.
Pistorius also stood and spoke twice, first responding to the magistrate's question on whether he was OK by saying: "Under the circumstances, ja (yes)." He also was asked if he understood the indictment and he said he did.
The case will be sent to the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, where a judge will ultimately pronounce the athlete innocent or guilty. South Africa does not have trial by jury.
Although the word "premeditated" was not contained in the indictment, prosecutors said afterward that it was a case of premeditated murder.
"When you talk of intentional, it's premeditated. Intentional. He wanted to do that," prosecution spokesman Medupe Simasiku said. "In as far as a sound case, let the court decide on that. We believe it will go through in our favor."
Prosecutors said the second charge of possession of illegal ammunition relates to a lack of proper licensing for .38 caliber bullets found at Pistorius' home. Pistorius shot Steenkamp with his licensed 9mm handgun.
This month, the office of South Africa's police commissioner said in a statement that detectives, forensic experts, ballistics experts, psychologists and other professionals are confident they have the evidence to convict Pistorius.
The most telling evidence — apart from the witness testimony — may be in records on cellphones found at Pistorius' home and through examination of the toilet cubicle door through which Pistorius shot.
The angle or trajectory of the bullets could show if Pistorius was standing on his stumps when he shot, as he says, or if he was on his prosthetics, as the prosecution maintains — a marked difference in the two accounts along with the alleged fight between him and Steenkamp.
There was no mention in the indictment of whether prosecutors still believed Pistorius was on his prosthetic legs when he shot, nor was there reference to the cellphones or door. But the prosecution only needed to give a broad outline of its case.
Pistorius' legal team now has just over six months to prepare his defense before trial.
___

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/pistorius-case-indictment-20003326
A Look at the Pistorius Case After His Indictment
PRETORIA, South Africa August 19, 2013 (AP)


A look at the Oscar Pistorius case after the double-amputee Olympian was indicted on a charge of premeditated murder Monday in girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp's killing:

NDICTMENT:

Pistorius was indicted for premeditated murder in Steenkamp's killing and his trial will start on March 3 at a high court in the South African capital, Pretoria — just over a year after he fatally shot Steenkamp. The athlete also will face a charge relating to illegal possession of ammunition after prosecutors say .38-caliber ammunition was found in his home, which he didn't have proper licensing for. Pistorius shot Steenkamp with his licensed 9mm Parabellum pistol. The murder trial will run March 3-20 next year, the court said, and will be presided over by a judge, who will ultimately pronounce Pistorius innocent or guilty. There is no trial by jury in South Africa.

———

POSSIBLE SENTENCE:

Pistorius faces a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison if he is convicted of premeditated murder. There is no death penalty in South Africa. The 26-year-old also could be found guilty of a lesser charge of murder without premeditation, which has a 15-year sentence in South Africa. Prosecutors said he was guilty of murder even if he didn't know it was Steenkamp in the toilet because "he shot with the direct intention to kill a person."

Legal experts say a culpable homicide or negligent killing conviction is also still possible, which carries a five-year prison sentence when a firearm is used. Should he be convicted of premeditated murder, Pistorius will likely be older than 50 by the time he leaves prison.
More...

August 19, 2013 Tweets
https://twitter.com/vinniepolitan (https://twitter.com/vinniepolitan)

Vinnie Politan ‏@VinniePolitan 4h
Does #OscarPistorius' story about his girlfriend's death make sense? http://ow.ly/o3ZTg  See all the evidence @ 10 on @HLNAfterDark

http://www.hlntv.com/poll/2013/08/19/does-blade-runners-story-make-sense
Does the Blade Runner's story make sense?
1:03 PM EDT, Mon August 19, 2013

Vote!  At the time I posted, 14% said yes, 86% no.  I went with no.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/08/19/pistorius-from-adored-blade-runner-to-blade-gunner/
Pistorius: From adored 'Blade Runner' to 'Blade Gunner'
August 19, 2013

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA (AFP) –  South African Olympic hero Oscar Pistorius was publicly adored, but the killing of his girlfriend has exposed a private life filled with rash behaviour, guns, beautiful women and fast cars.

Before the Valentine's Day shooting of cover girl Reeva Steenkamp, 26-year-old Pistorius was one of the world's most recognisable and admired sportsmen.

 ::snipping3::

In 2009 Pistorius spent a night in jail after allegedly assaulting a 19-year-old woman at a party. Last year he allegedly fired a gun through the sunroof of his ex-girlfriend's moving car.

Weeks before he shot his lover, he reportedly discharged a gun by accident at a Johannesburg restaurant.

"Oscar is certainly not what people think he is," said ex-lover Samantha Taylor last November -- two months after a magazine covered the couple's Seychelles holiday.

Taylor is among the 107 witnesses to testify at the trial which opens on March 3.

After Taylor, Pistorius started dating model Reeva Steenkamp, whom he shot in the dead of the night on February 14 after, he claims, mistaking her for an intruder.

Pistorius has long been open about his love for guns.

The sprinter slept with a pistol under his bed at his upmarket home in a high security Pretoria estate for fear of burglars, he told Britain's Daily Mail last year.

He once took a journalist interviewing him to a shooting range.
 ::snipping3::
A turbulent family life marked his childhood. His parents divorced when he was six and his mother died when he was 15. The date she died is tattooed on his arm.

The middle child between a younger sister and elder brother, he has a problematic relationship with his father, Henke, but the two brothers are close.

Just weeks after he shot Steenkamp, Pistorius's father said white South Africans must own guns because the ANC government does not protect them.

That statement caused discomfort and forced the family to publicly distance itself from the remarks.

The athlete has cut a more humane figure, breaking down and sobbing during his several court appearances this year. On Monday he cried while holding hands and praying with his siblings.

For now his sprinting career is off track, he has pulled out of all races this season.

Days following the murder which has drawn inevitable comparisons with American ex-football star O.J. Simpson, acquitted of killing his ex-wife, Pistorius suffered a huge financial blow.

US sportswear giant Nike and French cosmetic firm Clarins scrapped lucrative endorsement deals they had signed with him.

Video at Link

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20130820_ap_19b20c6dd3db421c96abdfcbed45af9e.html
Pistorius, Steenkamp family reps 'talking'
August 20, 2013

JOHANNESBURG (AP) - The families of Oscar Pistorius and his slain girlfriend are in contact, a lawyer for Reeva Steenkamp's parents said Tuesday. The communications between the two families is over a possible out-of-court settlement that would compensate the Steenkamps for the killing of their daughter by the double amputee Olympian, according to South African press reports. A South African newspaper reported that negotiations were initiated by Pistorius' lawyers, who the paper said were "desperately trying" to negotiate a settlement before Pistorius goes on trial in March on a charge of premeditated murder for Steenkamp's shooting death. Dup de Bruyn, the lawyer for the Steenkamp family, told The Associated Press that "the two sides are talking" but declined to comment further because of the delicate situation. Before her death Steenkamp reportedly gave financial help to her parents, Barry and June. She was killed by Pistorius on Feb. 14, with prosecutors indicting the world-famous athlete on a charge of premeditated murder Monday. His trial is set for March 3-20 in the South African capital, Pretoria, where a conviction could also make him liable to a substantial civil suit by Steenkamp's family. Pistorius denies murder and says he shot Steenkamp by mistake, thinking she was a dangerous nighttime intruder in his house. South Africa's Times newspaper reported that lawyers for Pistorius had approached Steenkamp's family, and the newspaper said Steenkamp's parents were seeking around $300,000 for loss of income and emotional stress. "Pistorius' lawyers want to settle the lawsuit before the outcome of the criminal trial, in an attempt to reduce a possible payout," The Times said in its front-page story.
More...
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20130820_ap_19b20c6dd3db421c96abdfcbed45af9e.html#VcSbEgaiEuY8fpe1.99

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/08/25/witnesses-expected-to-testify-about-oscar-pistorius-temper-use-guns-in-murder/
Witnesses expected to testify about Oscar Pistorius' temper, use of guns in murder trial
August 25, 2013

JOHANNESBURG –  Oscar Pistorius' character, his temper and his use of guns are expected to be examined in his murder trial for the killing of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, based on the prosecution's list of witnesses.

Members of Oscar Pistorius' family, an ex-girlfriend, some of his friends and neighbors, men connected to firearms clubs, a professional cage fighter, a boxer and a host of police specialists and experts are listed as prosecution witnesses for the double-amputee Olympian's murder trial next year.

The Associated Press takes a closer look at some of the 107 state witnesses after Pistorius was indicted on a charge of premeditated murder for the killing of Steenkamp. His trial is set to start on March 3, 2014.

___

FIRST ON THE SCENE

Pistorius said in an affidavit, his only testimony so far, that Johan Stander was the first person he phoned after he shot Steenkamp in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14. He asked Stander to call an ambulance. Stander, who Pistorius described as an administrator of the gated community where the athlete lived, arrived at the house as Pistorius carried a fatally wounded Steenkamp downstairs, according to Pistorius.
More...

sports.ndtv.com/othersports/athletics/213170-south-africas-minister-wants-toughest-sentence-for-oscar-pistorius
South Africa's Minister wants toughest sentence for Oscar Pistorius
August 29, 2013



Pretoria:     Murder-accused Paralympian Oscar Pistorius must be punished with the toughest sentence, South Africa's Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities Lulu Xingwana said.

"We are saying to the courts: we want to see the toughest sentences and we also want to make sure that the accused does not run away, that they finally face justice," Xingwana said Monday as Pistorius re-appeared at the Pretoria Magistrate's Court to hear murder charges against him.

Pistorius' brief court reappearance coincided with the 30th birthday of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp whom he allegedly shot dead at his Pretoria home on the Valentine's Day of Feb 14 this year, reports Xinhua.

Xingwana was at the court, saying she was there to represent the Steenkamp family.

Pistorius was formally served with an indictment for Steenkamp's death.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel also announced Pistorius' trial date which is set for March 3 next year.
More...

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/top-news/pistorius-calls-in-american-forensic-experts/nbCCz/
Pistorius calls in American forensic experts
October 1, 2013

JOHANNESBURG — Oscar Pistorius' lawyers are working with a team of American forensic specialists to help prepare the double-amputee Olympian's defense, and likely counter any evidence given by the nearly 50 police officers and criminal experts that prosecutors could call at his murder trial early next year.
The U.S. forensic team is now in South Africa, Pistorius' spokeswoman told The Associated Press on Tuesday, although she could not give any details of their identities or areas of expertise, or if they would stay for the trial, which begins in March and has been scheduled to last just over two weeks.
 ::snipping3::
Pistorius will go on trial at the North Gauteng High Court in the South African capital Pretoria from Mar. 3, accused of premeditated murder in the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his house on Feb. 14. The 26-year-old athlete, for years the inspiring poster image of disabled sport, faces a possible life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison if convicted. He could also be convicted of a lesser murder charge that has a 15-year mandatory sentence, or even of culpable homicide or negligent killing, which has a 5-year prison term in South Africa if a firearm is used.
South African police took six months to investigate the shooting before indicting Pistorius in August on charges of murder and illegal possession of ammunition, including nearly 20 forensic experts in their list of over 100 state witnesses for the blockbuster trial. Pistorius' lawyers now have seven months to prepare his defense and draw up their own list of witnesses.
The U.S. experts could be used to counter the state's assertion that Pistorius committed premeditated murder because he knew there was someone in his bathroom in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine's Day and shot through a toilet cubicle door anyway. In the indictment served on Pistorius on Aug. 19 — when his trial date was set — prosecutors also said they have witnesses, most likely neighbors or security guards at the gated community where the Olympian lived, who will testify that they heard a woman scream before the sound of gunshots, insinuating that Pistorius must have known where the 29-year-old Steenkamp was before he fired four shots, hitting her three times and killing her.
Pistorius maintains he mistook the model and reality TV star for a dangerous intruder in his home and shot in fear and in self-defense.
Key forensic evidence will probably include the toilet door through which Pistorius shot, a cricket bat that Pistorius said he used to break down the door when he realized Steenkamp may have been in the cubicle, and records on the multiple cellphones found in his upscale villa in the eastern suburbs of Pretoria after the killing.
If Pistorius' team can prove that he did not have his prosthetic legs on when he shot — and forensic experts may decipher that from the height of bullet holes in the door and the trajectory of the bullets — it will help his defense against the premeditated murder charge and hinder the prosecution, which initially insisted he fired after taking the time to put on his artificial limbs.
There also has been persistent speculation that cellphone records, as well as witness accounts, may hold evidence of a fight between the couple on the night of the shooting and point toward a possible motive.
 ::snipping3::

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/pistorius-served-papers-gun-charges-20948768
Pistorius Served Papers With 2 More Gun Charges
November 20, 2013

Oscar Pistorius was served with new indictment papers Wednesday containing two extra charges believed to allege that he recklessly shot his gun out the open sunroof of a car last year and fired someone else's handgun at a restaurant weeks before he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The double-amputee Olympian has already been indicted on a main charge of murder for the Feb. 14 shooting death of Reeva Steenkamp and another firearm charge for illegal possession of ammunition in his home.

He now faces the two additional charges relating to firing guns in public.

Pistorius will likely face all four charges at his trial starting in March, although his lawyers can argue against the new gun charges being added to his current indictment as the offenses are alleged to have taken place in Johannesburg — a different court jurisdiction to Pistorius' fatal shooting of Steenkamp at his upscale villa in the South African capital, Pretoria, in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine's Day.
 ::snipping3::
Mncube declined to give the exact details of the new charges, only saying they "relate to the contravention of the firearms act." Mncube also said there had been no indication from Pistorius' lawyers if they would challenge the adding of the charges to Pistorius' indictment for the trial.

Prosecutors sought special permission to include the two gun charges against Pistorius on the indictment because they did not fall in the same jurisdiction. Permission was granted by South Africa's director of public prosecutions last month.

It's reported in South Africa that the new charges relate to two alleged incidents where Pistorius recklessly shot a gun in public: The first when Pistorius is alleged to have fired his own licensed 9mm handgun — the gun used to kill Steenkamp — out the open sunroof of a car in Johannesburg while traveling with friends last year.

In the second in January this year, and just weeks before Steenkamp's shooting death, Pistorius is said to have accidentally shot a friend's gun under the table at a Johannesburg restaurant, apparently while admiring it.

For both alleged offenses he could be charged with public endangerment and damage to property.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/24820258/bakery-apologizes-for-bad-taste-pistorius-cookies
Bakery apologizes for bad taste Pistorius cookies
February 25, 2014

JOHANNESBURG (AP) - A South African bakery apologized Tuesday for producing a line of cookies with bad taste messages relating to the upcoming trial of Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee Olympian charged with murder in his girlfriend's shooting death.

Charly's Bakery did that on Twitter after South African media said the bakery posted photos of cookies decorated with images of Pistorius and messages such as "And the Oscar goes to ... jail," and one of a toilet door and a sign reading "Caution using toilet please don't shoot!"

Another cookie had an image of track athlete Pistorius in front of the logo of his former sponsor, Nike, and the words "Just do it. He did it," according to a picture published by South African newspaper The Citizen on its website.

Pistorius fired shots through a toilet door at his house that killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, and will stand trial on a charge of murder. He says he killed Steenkamp by mistake and thought he was acting in self-defense fearing she was a dangerous intruder.

His trial starts Monday, and a judge ruled Tuesday that some parts of the court case could be broadcast live on TV, developments that dominated news headlines in South Africa.
 ::snipping3::

Reeva Steenkamp was a very beautiful young woman. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-26334682
Pistorius case: Partial televising of trial allowed
February 25, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/LrhO0Lg.jpg)
South Africa was stunned when Oscar Pistorius shot dead his model girlfriend

A South African judge has ruled that the trial of athlete Oscar Pistorius can be partially televised.

Mr Pistorius shot his girlfriend, the model and reality TV star Reeva Steenkamp, more than a year ago, and his murder trial begins next Monday.

State prosecutors allege the killing was premeditated, but he claims he mistook her for an intruder.

The BBC's Pumza Fihlani says it will be the first time parts of a trial in South Africa are televised live.
udge Dunstan Mlambo at the court in Pretoria was asked to decide how much, if any, of the proceedings could be filmed and broadcast live.

The application was brought by media groups MultiChoice, eNCA and Eyewitness News, reported Sapa news agency.

Justice Mlambo said the entire audio of the trial could be broadcast live, and sections of the trial could be filmed and televised live.

These included opening arguments, evidence of experts, police witnesses and closing arguments.

The testimony of the accused and his witnesses were exempt, the judge said.
More...

Video and a clickable 3D Model of Oscar Pistorius' house in article.

http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Pistorius-trial-Who-are-the-witnesses-5282259.php
Pistorius trial: Who are the witnesses?
March 2, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/0NiGFTe.jpg)
Photo: STR/AP
FILE: In this file photo taken Feb, 14, 2014 Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, right, heads to the holding cells at the Boschkop police station, east of Pretoria, South Africa. Pistorius goes on trial Monday, March 3, 2014 for the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Prosecutors pressing the murder charge have listed 107 witnesses they're able to call and some will say that the world-famous athlete had a fight with Steenkamp and then intentionally killed her.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Prosecutors have named 107 witnesses they can call at Oscar Pistorius' trial. Here's a look at some of them and what they might testify about:

WHO SCREAMED AND WHEN?

Did Steenkamp scream before she was shot? Prosecutors maintain they have witnesses who will testify to events that contradict Pistorius' story and suggest there was an argument before she was shot dead. Twenty people — neighbors, security guards and other workers — who are connected to the gated estate where Pistorius lived are on the witness list. Witnesses "heard a woman scream, followed by moments of silence, then heard gunshots and then more screaming," prosecutors say in indictment papers. Pistorius says that he was the only person to scream before shooting Steenkamp through the toilet door and he did that to tell any intruder he thought was there to get out of his house.

More...

Slide show with 5 images.

http://www.theolympian.com/2014/03/02/3012285/south-africa-murder-trial-of-pistorius.html
Murder trial of Pistorius to start in South Africa
March 2, 2014

Oscar Pistorius goes on trial for murder on Monday, but some experts not involved in the case say the double-amputee runner could still be vulnerable to a homicide conviction even if he is acquitted of murdering his girlfriend. That's because, they say, he violated the most basic tenets of gun-handling by shooting into a closed door without knowing — at least, by his account — who was behind it.

South Africa's criminal justice system and gun culture will be under a global spotlight during the Pistorius trial, which has some parallels with the O.J. Simpson case in the United States 20 years ago because of the celebrity factor, the sensational allegations and the fascination of people around the world. Parts of the trial will be broadcast live on television, adding to the scrutiny. Simpson's trial for the killing of his ex-wife and a man was televised in its entirety.

But in one glaring difference, Pistorius acknowledges he killed the victim. The Olympian says he thought Reeva Steenkamp was a nighttime intruder in his home in the early hours of Feb. 14 last year; the prosecution maintains he intentionally shot her several times in the bathroom after an argument.

"They don't have to prove that this glove belongs to O.J. Simpson because it fits his hand," said Marius du Toit, a former prosecutor, magistrate and now criminal defense lawyer. "We know there's only one person who caused Reeva's death."

Du Toit was referring to the leather glove that was found at the scene where Simpson's ex-wife and a man were killed in 1994. The glove seemed too tight when Simpson tried it on in court, prompting a defense lawyer to say: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." Simpson was acquitted by a jury.

But prosecutors in the Pistorius case have an edge, said du Toit: "Any person that has admitted to killing another person in circumstances when your actions are unlawful will face a steep hurdle in getting off scot-free."

South Africa has stringent laws regulating the use of lethal force for self-protection. In order to get a permit to own a firearm, applicants must not only know those rules but must demonstrate proficiency with the weapon and knowledge of its safe handling, making it far tougher to legally own a gun in South Africa than many other countries where a mere background check suffices.

Pistorius took such a competency test for his 9 mm pistol and passed it, according to the South African Police Service's National Firearms Center. He therefore should have known that firing through a closed door cannot be viewed in South African law as an accident, according to Andre Pretorius, president of the Professional Firearm Trainers Council, a regulatory body for South African firearms instructors.

Criminal law experts believe that if the prosecution fails to prove premeditated murder, firing several shots through a closed door could bring a conviction for the lesser charge of culpable homicide, a South African equivalent of manslaughter covering unintentional deaths through negligence.

Sentences in such cases range from fines to prison. They are left to courts to determine and are not set by fixed guidelines.

Another key piece of evidence will be the blood spatter analysis on the inside of the toilet cubicle, according to J.C. de Klerk, a ballistics expert who used to work for the South African police. He said it could give an indication of Steenkamp's position when she was shot, including whether she was sitting on the toilet, or hiding behind the door as prosecutors likely suspect.

The "back spatter and front spatter" could also indicate the sequence of shots as they hit Steenkamp and whether there were exit wounds, de Klerk said. But such hard data and other factors, such as the trajectory of the bullets when they were fired, cannot support Pistorius' argument that he was responding to what he thought was an imminent threat.

"It's only him," de Klerk said. "We're only going to rely on what he actually says. There's no scientific evidence that's going to prove that his life was in danger."

Other key evidence could emerge from the mobile phones of Steenkamp and Pistorius that were found in his house. South African prosecutors have sought help from Apple officials to access the locked iPhone of Pistorius, who said he forgot the password. 
More...

http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/84d9e080431ee6aaa41ebc45a23ba143/Reeva%E2%80%99s-frail-father-will-not-attend-Oscar-trial-20140203
Reeva’s frail father will not attend Oscar trial
March 2, 2014

The Steenkamp family has confirmed that Reeva's father, Barry, will not attend the trial due to health reasons. Family members including Reeva's mother, June will be at the trial.
 ::snipping3::

Her parents have lodged a multimillion rand civil claim against Pistorius for loss of income as she supported them financially. Barry and June Steenkamp have since moved from their rented house in Seaview, west of Port Elizabeth, and are running a business in Greenbushes.

June said that she'd start a foundation honouring Reeva's love for the poor and abused, once the trial is over.

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/penpix-of-personalities-in-oscar-pistorius-trial/1230608
Penpix of personalities in Oscar Pistorius trial
March 2, 2014

SUMMARY
Following are penpix of some of the personalities in the murder trial of Paralympic and Olympic star Oscar Pistorius:
(see list)

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/regional_news/africa/pistorius-trial-the-pieces-of-the-puzzle/article_965246df-0b73-5576-a1d5-ec4ebe50d3fa.html
Pistorius trial: The pieces of the puzzle
March 2, 2014

OHANNESBURG (AP) — A toilet door, a gun, an iPhone — and some prosthetic legs. A stray bullet and the difference between a man and a woman screaming. All are pieces of the Oscar Pistorius puzzle that will likely be scrutinized at the Olympian's murder trial starting Monday.
A glance at some of the possible evidence:
___
THE TOILET DOOR
Pivotal from the outset, the bullet-marked toilet door through which Pistorius shot was removed from his home in the hours after he killed Steenkamp and was held by police. It was taken back to the house last year to be re-hung while forensic experts working for Pistorius' defense recreated the scene. Both sides know its value.
If grouped together, the bullet holes could suggest Pistorius at no point fired a warning shot and therefore may not have been thinking about self-defense but rather had a direct intention to kill. Even if he can show he didn't know it was Steenkamp behind the door, Pistorius could still be found guilty of murder, legal experts say, because he shot with intention to kill someone.
And what about the stray bullet? Investigators initially missed one bullet that did not hit Steenkamp and which was later found in the toilet bowl. Pistorius fired four times and she was hit three times, in the head, arm and hip. Could this bullet be the warning shot to show Pistorius was trying to warn an intruder? A hole in the door may tell.
More...

Oscar Pistorius Trial 2014: Where to Watch Live; TV and Online Streaming Information of Pretoria Court Proceedings
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/541288/20140302/oscar-pistorius-trial-where-watch-live-online.htm

The channel will be an easy way for audience around the world to get the latest, most relevant information on the most talked-about trial of the contemporary times that has taken the entire world by storm.

Where to Watch Live

The Oscar Pistorius Trial 2014 is expected to begin at 8am GMT (10am local time, 3am EST, 1:30pm India Time).

The live channel will be available on DStv Premium, Compact Plus and Compact. It will go on air on DStv's channel 199. See the list HERE : http://www.dstv.com/channels/

The channel can be viewed online HERE: http://oscartrialstream.dstv.com/

In addition to that, follow the official Twitter handle of the Oscar Trial Channel 199 for minute-by-minute live tweeting of the events HERE. Also Check the official Facebook page of the Oscar Trail Chennel 199 HERE for live updates.

Additionally check updates from the Twitter Handle of Oscar Pistorius' Public Relations team HERE. The PR team has launched a new handle and claims to give 'factual updates' and 'hard truth' about the events.

HERE IS A SITE TO WATCH TRIAL LIVE FREE FEED: http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Oscar_Pistorius/LIVE-UPDATES-Oscar-Pistorius-trial-day-1-20140303-3

Also have feed on FP of SM.com

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2014/03/03/the-murder-trial-of-south-african-amputee-track-star-oscar-pistorius-the-blade-runner-accused-of-killing-girlfriend-reeva-steenkamp-begins-today-neighbor-testifies-bloodcurdling-screams-the/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/03/03/oscar-pistorius-reeva-steenkamp-murder-trial/5966547/
Witness: Screams, then shots night of Pistorius killing
March 3, 2014

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – A witness at Oscar Pistorius' murder trial testified Monday she heard "bloodcurdling screams" from a woman and then shots, the first testimony in the trial of the Olympic runner.

"I heard her voice during the shots," said neighbor Michele Burger, a University of Pretoria economics professor.

Pistorius, who shot his girlfriend Reeva Steencamp on Valentine's Day 2013, says he thought she was a burglar when he fired at her. If convicted, the venerated athlete and a double amputee, faces life in prison.

Burger told the Pretoria court she was suddenly woken by a women screaming at 3 a.m.

"I was still sitting in the bed and I heard her screams," Burger said. "She screamed for help. Then I also heard a man screaming for help — three times he yelled for help. I heard the screams again (and) it was more intense… she was very scared."

"After, I heard four shots. Four gun shots — bang, bang, bang, bang."

Pistorius has pleaded not guilty to all four charges against him: murder, two charges relating to discharge of a firearm in a public place and one charge of illegal possession of ammunition.
 ::snipping3::

So, if my math is right, when it is 9AM-3PM in SA ... (probably when the trial hours are), it is 2AM-8AM on the East Coast of the US. Do I have that right?

And that is when the live stream will be?

Appreciate the links for the streams.

https://twitter.com/vinniepolitan (https://twitter.com/vinniepolitan)
March 5, 2014 Tweets

Vinnie Politan ‏@VinniePolitan  55m
Witness: #OscarPistorius discharges a gun in a restaurant and then lies about it..  just one month before killing #ReevaSteenkamp #onthecase

Vinnie Politan ‏@VinniePolitan  6m
Got questions about #pistorioustrial? I'll do my best to answer. #Pistorius #OscarPistorius #OscarTrial #bladerunner #pistoriuswitness

 Vinnie Politan ‏@VinniePolitan  30m
Watch #hlnonthecase@12p hear what really happened when the gun went off in the restaurant #OscarPistorius #Pistorius pic.twitter.com/USoeUVqGnI (http://pic.twitter.com/USoeUVqGnI)

According to "Timbie" the time table conversion site, you are correct, Brandi.   :thumleft:
(I chose New Jersey since it's on the East Coast)

http://www.timebie.com/timezone/southafricanewjersey.php

South Africa Time:  9:00 a.m.
New Jersey, United States Time:  2:00 a.m.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/oscar-pistorius-trial-live-sound-was-cricket-bat-banging-bathroom-door-not-gunshots-30065836.html
Oscar Pistorius trial LIVE: 'Sound was cricket bat banging bathroom door, not gunshots'
March 5, 2014

The chief defence lawyer in Oscar Pistorius' murder trial has sought to undermine the prosecution evidence of a couple who say they heard a woman's screams and gunfire the night the athlete fatally shot his girlfriend.
Lawyer Barry Roux said telephone records will show that the banging sounds the neighbours heard were instead a distressed Pistorius hitting a toilet door with a cricket bat to get to fatally wounded girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Charl Johnson and his wife Michelle Burger have testified to hearing a sequence of events in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine's Day last year that involved a woman screaming, a man shouting for help and then the sound of gunshots.

Cross-examining Mr Johnson on the third day of the blockbuster trial, Mr Roux said call records will show Pistorius called an estate manager at around 3.19am and soon after he bashed in the door with the bat.

In Mr Johnson and Ms Burger's evidence, they said they heard what they described as shots straight after making a call to security at 3.16am. The similar times show the sounds were the bat on the door, Mr Roux argued.

"There is only one thing you could have heard, because it coincides precisely," Mr Roux said to Mr Johnson. "That was the time that he (Pistorius) broke down the door (with the bat)."

Mr Johnson replied, addressing the judge: "My lady, I am convinced the sound I heard was gunshots."
More...

http://www.smh.com.au/world/oscar-pistorius-murder-trial-ko-kid-recalls-the-night-pistorius-fired-a-gun-in-a-restaurant-20140305-347vl.html
Oscar Pistorius murder trial: KO Kid recalls the night Pistorius fired a gun in a restaurant
March 5, 2014

https://twitter.com/vinniepolitan (https://twitter.com/vinniepolitan)
March 5, 2014 Tweets

Vinnie Politan ‏@VinniePolitan  23m
BTW, after you watch online, this is what you should look out for on TV during testimony! #onthecase #PistoriusTrial pic.twitter.com/LUCUGnpgu0
 
 Vinnie Politan ‏@VinniePolitan  42m
Today's 5 Keys to the Case! Look for them when you watch at Noon ET #onthecase #PistoriusTrial #Bladerunner @HLNTV

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=523926164391252&stream_ref=10 …

Thanks, Muffy.

Makes it difficult to watch for me. Not a good time for me to be sitting at my computer desk watching like I do all the other trials.

(I don't have a laptop to be able to watch in the bedroom.)

Oh well, guess I'll just have to watch the news to keep apprised of it.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/03/06/witness-describes-pistorius-attempting-to-help-mortally-wounded-girlfriend/
Witness describes Pistorius attempting to help 'mortally wounded' girlfriend
March 6, 2014

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA –  The seventh witness in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial provided emotive and at times gruesome testimony Thursday on the double-amputee runner's distraught actions and the fatal injuries of his girlfriend immediately after she had been shot three times — once in the head — on Valentine's Day last year.

Johan Stipp, a doctor, neighbor and one of the first responders on the scene, said he found Pistorius desperately trying to help Reeva Steenkamp after carrying her downstairs from the bathroom where he shot her. The star athlete claims the shooting was a mistake. Stipp said "it was obvious that she was mortally wounded."

A look at the fourth day of the trial:

___

DYING OR DEAD?

In measured tones and describing specific details, Stipp testified about what he saw when he arrived at Pistorius' villa soon after the shooting.
More...

Does anyone know how long they were dating

Oscar Pistorius trial: Athlete cannot bear to listen as defence claims Reeva Steenkamp’s injuries were so serious she couldn't possibly have screamed during gun shots

Sat alone in the dock of the North Gauteng High Court, Oscar Pistorius put his head in his hands as the court heard of the brain damage that would have been inflicted on his late girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, when the bullet hit.

The Olympic sprinter, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Steenkamp, briefly placed his hands over his ears as his defence counsel questioned the first witness in his trial.

Dr Michelle Burger, a neighbour, broke down in tears as she recounted hearing the “blood-curdling screams” of a woman in the early hours of 14 February last year. ::snipping3::

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-trial-athlete-cannot-bear-to-listen-as-court-is-told-of-reeva-steenkamps-fatal-injuries-9167606.html

Hi Blonde  ::HelloKitty::  it's good to see you.  This source says Oscar and Reeva had been dating for several months.  BTW, even though the two were seen flirting and kissing just days before her death doesn't mean all was well in the relationship imo.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2570848/Oscar-Pistorius-Reeva-Steenkamp-flirtand-kiss-shop-ten-days-shot-dead.html
Flirting and kissing just days before her death: CCTV footage emerges of Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp in grocery store ten days before shooting
March 6, 2014

 ::snipping3::
Pistorius had been dating Miss Steenkamp for several months when he killed her by firing shots through the bathroom door of his home on Valentine's Day last year.
 ::snipping3::

Vinnie Politan has been tweeting about this case.  Click on the blue link to read:

https://twitter.com/vinniepolitan (https://twitter.com/vinniepolitan)

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/24928814/pistorius-vomits-during-graphic-testimony
Pistorius vomits during graphic testimony
March 10, 2014

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) - Oscar Pistorius vomited in the dock at his murder trial Monday as he heard graphic details of the injuries sustained by the girlfriend he fatally shot.

The testimony of Prof. Gert Saayman, the pathologist who performed the autopsy on Reeva Steenkamp's body, was not broadcast or reported live on Twitter by journalists because of its explicit content under an order from Judge Thokozile Masipa. However, journalists were allowed to report the testimony without directly quoting the witness.

The double-amputee runner, hunched over on a bench, reacted to the description of Steenkamp's wounds by vomiting and retching repeatedly, prompting Masipa to briefly halt the testimony to ask chief defense lawyer Barry Roux to attend to his client. The judge also asked whether Pistorius was able to understand the proceedings. Roux said Pistorius' reaction was not going to change. A bucket was placed at his feet.
 ::snipping3::
Earlier, prosecutor Gerrie Nel, supported by chief defense lawyer Barry Roux, said Saayman's testimony would have an "explicitly graphic nature" and should not be shown around the world. Masipa then announced a ban on live audio and video broadcasting, and extended the order to live reporting on social media.

"Twitter is not allowed. Blogging is not allowed," Masipa said.

Proceedings can be partly televised and the audio can be broadcast in its entirety under a judge's pre-trial order that sought to balance the right to a fair trial with the intense public interest in the Pistorius case and the principle of open justice. Under the order, some witnesses can choose not to be shown on television.

Earlier Monday, Masipa extended that order, saying "private witnesses are more vulnerable than public figures" and that still photographs of witnesses who requested some discretion cannot be published or disseminated for the duration of the trial, even if they were obtained from sources outside the courtroom.

The new ruling followed the publication in a South African media outlet last week of a photo of a witness whose image was lifted from a publicly accessible website.

Before the adjournment Monday, a security guard who said he spoke with Pistorius soon after the shooting of Steenkamp was challenged by the defense about his recollection of the sequences of the events that night.

The sequence is important for the defense because, if it can prove that Pistorius called security first, it could support the contention that he was seeking help as quickly as possible.

The guard, Pieter Baba, had testified Friday that he called Pistorius and was told "everything is fine" on the telephone. Baba said Pistorius then called him back moments later, didn't speak, was crying and the second call then ended.

Baba said he was responding to neighbors' reports of gunshots coming from Pistorius' home after 3 a.m. on Valentine's Day last year. He drove with a fellow guard to Pistorius' villa and made the call from outside the house.

Baba's statement that he called Pistorius first could back the prosecution's case that the killing was premeditated, and that Pistorius was trying, at least initially, to conceal what he had done.

On Monday, however, Roux said call records showed Pistorius called security first, but couldn't speak because he was "indeed crying."

"I'm the one who called him first," Baba insisted.

Oscar Pistorius Trial Day 7: Bullet sequence may ultimately decide Blade Runner's fate
 http://sports.yahoo.com/news/oscar-pistorius-trial-day-7--bullet-sequence-may-ultimately-decide-blade-runners--fate-151853881.html

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/africa/pistorius-had-row-with-policeman-over-gun-friend-tells-trial-1.1720309
Pistorius had row with policeman over gun, friend tells trial
Verbal altercation followed flagging down of car near Johannesburg in 2012, friend testifies
March 11, 2014

South African track star Oscar Pistorius had a row with a policeman who picked up his gun after pulling over his friend for speeding, saying “You can’t just touch another man’s gun,” the friend told the athlete’s murder trial today.
 ::snipping3::
His friend, Darren Fresco, told the court in Pretoria that he had been driving south of Johannesburg in September 2012 when Mr Pistorius, nicknamed “Bladerunner” for his carbon fibre prosthetics, and his then girlfriend Samantha Taylor, were flagged down.

“Another officer went over to the passenger seat where Oscar Pistorius was sitting and he picked up a gun. There was a verbal altercation between the accused and the officer,” Mr Fresco said.
“Pistorius said to the officer, ‘You can‘t just touch another man’s gun,’ ” Mr Fresco said. “Then they argued.”
After being allowed to leave, Mr Pistorius “out of the blue” fired the gun through the open sunroof of the car, to the astonishment of Mr Fresco, who was driving at the time.
“Apologies for my language, but I asked him if he was f***ing mad,” Mr Fresco told the court. “He just laughed.”
In another shooting incident previously related during the trial, the 27-year-old Paralympic and Olympic star asked Mr Fresco to take the rap on his behalf after discharging a firearm inside a packed Johannesburg restaurant.
“Being a friend I said I would, with pleasure,” the long-haired Mr Fresco said.
Mr Pistorius is facing separate gun charges for the two incidents, part of the prosecution’s attempts to paint him as a cocky, gun-obsessed hothead who does not like to take responsibility for his actions.
Of the four rounds he fired through the toilet door, three hit his girlfriend, a 29-year-old model and law graduate, in the hip, shoulder and head.
Earlier, state pathologist Prof Gert Saayman told the court that food found in Ms Steenkamp’s stomach suggested she had eaten at about 1am - two hours before she died and in contradiction to Mr Pistorius’s testimony that the couple went to bed at 10pm.
Prof Saayman said Ms Steenkamp would most certainly have screamed after being shot in the arm and hip before a final shot in the head killed her.

http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/gallery-oscar-pistorius-trial-day-9-1.1661056
Gallery: Oscar Pistorius trial Day 9

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/oscar-pistorius-trial-day-9--photographic-tour-provides-first-glimpse-inside-blade-runner-s-home-171740345.html video at link

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/25026914/pistorius-selling-house-where-he-shot-steenkamp
Pistorius selling house where he shot Steenkamp
March 20, 2014

JOHANNESBURG (AP) - Oscar Pistorius is selling the house where he killed Reeva Steenkamp to raise money for his legal bills, the athlete's lawyer said Thursday.

Pistorius has not returned to the upscale Pretoria villa since the day he shot his girlfriend in a bathroom over a year ago and "cannot contemplate ever returning to live there again," lawyer Brian Webber said.

Pistorius had planned to keep his home "sealed" until after his ongoing murder trial, Webber said, but it is now necessary to sell it to fund his defense because the double amputee's trial will last longer than the initial three-week period that was predicted.

"Due to the delay in finalizing the trial, the decision to urgently dispose of his single biggest asset has had to be made," Webber said in a statement.

Pistorius valued the house at $456,000 at his bail hearing last year. He has not been back there since it was returned to him by police over a year ago, Webber said. The house is being sold by the estate agency of Pistorius' longtime track coach, Ampie Louw, who first convinced a teenage Pistorius that he had a talent for running.

Pistorius' murder trial was initially planned to run Mar. 3 to Mar. 20, but prosecutors are still presenting evidence and expect to continue with their case until the middle of next week. Then, Pistorius' defense will call witnesses. The high-profile trial is expected to run into April and maybe longer.
 ::snipping3::

Sounds like he is going to be living somewhere else anyway.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/oscar-pistorius-neighbor-heard-shots-womans-scream-shots/story?id=23032174
Oscar Pistorius' Neighbor Heard Shots, Woman's Scream, More Shots
March 24, 2014

http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-pistorius-murder-trial-20140324,0,575032.story
Pistorius trial witness: Screams sounded like 'family murder'
March 24, 2014

If nothing else, Oscar Pistorius was reckless with his firearm, shooting through a closed door.  If the judge decides Oscar didn't know it was Reeva behind the door, Oscar should still be punished for being so reckless and dangerous.  JMHO

http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-pistorius-trial-steenkamp-text-messages-20140324,0,2872974.story?track=rss
Pistorius trial: Steenkamp sent text messages expressing her fears
March 24, 2014

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Model and lawyer Reeva Steenkamp sent a cellphone message to her boyfriend, South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, weeks before he fatally shot her saying that his behavior sometimes scared her.

Steenkamp’s direct words were heard in Pretoria’s high court for the first time Monday as police cellphone expert Francois Moller read out iPhone messages and chats between the couple that the policeman extracted from their phones. He said 90% of the messages were loving. But she sounded deeply unhappy in others that he read out.

“I’m scared of you sometimes of how you snap at me and how you will act to me,” she wrote to Pistorius on Jan. 27, 2013.

The picture Steenkamp painted in some messages to him was of a possessive, jealous man who threw tantrums, criticized her in public and accused her of flirting with other men. She began dating him in November 2012.

Pistorius shot her dead through the door of the toilet, off his bathroom, in the early hours of Valentine’s Day last year. He has pleaded not guilty to murder, claiming he mistook her for a burglar when he fired four expanding bullets through the door.

At times, she said in the cellphone message, his manner toward her was “nasty.” She said in the Jan. 27 message that she had fallen in love with him and had been planning to tell him that weekend.

“I do everything to make you happy and to not say anything to rock the boat with you. You do everything to throw tantrums in front of people,” she wrote.

She detailed him picking on her “incessantly” and snapping at her. He could be “cold and offish.”
 ::snipping3::
The evidence follows previous testimony from Pistorius’ former girlfriend, Samantha Taylor, who said he often shouted at her and her friends.

Another message extracted from Pistorius’ cell Jan. 11, 2013, appeared to support the prosecution case that Pistorius asked a friend, Darren Fresco, to lie and take the rap after the athlete fired a gun under a table in a crowded restaurant.

“Angel please don’t say anything to anyone,” Pistorius wrote to Steenkamp, according to Moller. “Darren told everyone it was his fault. I can’t afford for that to come out,” he said. “The guys promised not to say a thing.”

Pistorius has pleaded not guilty to recklessly discharging a firearm in the restaurant and also pleaded not guilty to firing his pistol into the air from a speeding car. Two witnesses testified he did fire out of the car.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/10728909/Pistorius-trial-put-on-hold-moments-before-athlete-to-take-stand.html
Pistorius trial put on hold moments before athlete to take stand
Illness of one of the judge's assessors forces adjournment until April 7, just as the Paralympian was preparing to testify as defence opened case
March 28, 2014

 ::snipping3::
The case was called off because one of the assessors who sits with Judge Thokozile Masipa fell ill and was admitted to hospital shortly after the prosecution closed their case on Tuesday.
Advocate Janet Henzen du Toit is believed to have been discharged from hospital on Friday morning but has been told to rest - an instruction that prompted Judge Masipa to declare the trial adjourned for 10 days until April 7.
The unexpected delay was greeted by horrified gasps and intense disappointment by both sets of lawyers and those in the public gallery, which was even more crowded than usual with those keen to hear the athlete give his side of the story.
Pistorius, who had been sitting in the dock praying before the judge came in, looked crushed as he was ushered out by his family. "He was all geared up, he was giving evidence today," one member of his family told The Telegraph.
 ::snipping3::
Judge Masipa explained that the court would not be "properly constituted" if she sat without one of her assessors.
Instead, arrangements have been made for the trial to continue in the week that courts across the country would normally be in recess.
It is understood that there is no guarantee Miss du Toit will be sufficiently well to continue with the case on April 7. If that happens, another assessor would need to be appointed and given time to read in to the case, or it could be restarted altogether.
 ::snipping3::
The case continues on April 7.

http://time.com/51129/pistorius-to-finally-answer-questions-on-shooting/
Pistorius to Finally Answer Questions on Shooting
April 6, 2014

(PRETORIA, South Africa) — More than a year after he killed his girlfriend, Oscar Pistorius is expected to finally answer questions about why he shot Reeva Steenkamp through a toilet door when his murder trial resumes this week and his defense lawyers begin presenting the evidence they hope will save the Olympic athlete from going to prison for 25 years to life.

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Pistorius’ account that he killed Steenkamp by mistake is going to “stand or fall” with his testimony in court, a legal expert says.

Charged with premeditated murder for Steenkamp’s death, Pistorius and his defense team say he will testify to counter accusations that he intentionally killed Steenkamp by firing four times through the door in his bathroom before dawn on Valentine’s Day last year, hitting her in the head, arm and hip. Pistorius says he mistook Steenkamp for a dangerous intruder hiding in a toilet cubicle.

South Africa has no trial by jury, meaning Judge Thokozile Masipa will pronounce Pistorius guilty or not guilty of murder, and Pistorius has the chance to convince her that he did not intentionally kill the 29-year-old model.

But Pistorius’ testimony also gives prosecutors the chance to cross-examine the celebrated double-amputee runner and scrutinize every aspect of his story.

Facing a possible life sentence, his questioning by chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel could be the biggest challenge yet for the 27-year-old Pistorius, a disabled athlete who fought for years to win the right to compete alongside able-bodied runners and made history by running at the 2012 Olympics.

Brian Webber, one of Pistorius’ lawyers, said they had no choice but to put Pistorius on the stand. Legal experts say it’s a risk Pistorius’ defense has to take. In a rare comment after the prosecution closed its case, Pistorius said “we have a lot ahead of us.”
 ::snipping3::

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/04/07/the-fate-of-oscar-pistorius-stands-or-falls-with-his-testimony-expected-today/?tid=pm_national_pop
Oscar Pistorius takes the stand: ‘I was simply trying to protect Reeva.’
April 7, 2014

The shooting was no "accident" as Oscar has tried to portray it.  Accident's aren't shooting a powerful weapon four times through a closed door.  Accidents could be like dropping a gun and it goes off etc.  Whether Oscar knew Reeva was behind the door or not, he needs to face serious consequences for what he did.  He should do time in the slammer and never, ever have a firearm in his possession again.  Oscar had firearms training.  What he did is inexcusable even if he didn't know Reeva was behind the door.  JMHO

Reeva is the victim.  While Oscar wails, cries, pukes and carries on, Reeva's life is gone.  Forever.  No do overs.  No going back.  I believe Oscar should spend some time in prison for his deed and not be allowed to have firearms or ammunition in his possession for the rest of his life.   JMHO

If Oscar shot Reeva to death through a closed door, (if he knew it was her)  shame, shame, shame.   ::MonkeyNoNo::   
 

If he thought there was an intruder and trying to protect Reeva - he should have tried to get her out of there and away from an intruder that was locked in the bathroom?  Don't ya think?

 ::rhino::

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/25210058/prosecutor-pistorius-is-untruthful-an-egotist
Prosecutor: Pistorius is untruthful, an egotist
April 10, 2014

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) - A prosecutor hammered at Oscar Pistorius' credibility at his murder trial Thursday, asserting that the star athlete had a string of unlikely excuses for why he wasn't to blame in the three gun charges he faces on top of murder.

In casting doubt on the Olympian's honesty while cross-examining him, prosecutor Gerrie Nel was pushing the prosecution's argument that Pistorius is also lying about killing his girlfriend by mistake in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine's Day last year.

Nel asserted that the double-amputee Paralympic champion wouldn't "accept responsibility for anything" and reacted incredulously to Pistorius' explanation of why a gun he was handling went off under a table in a packed restaurant, for which he was charged with firing a gun in public without good reason.

Pistorius said a friend's pistol, a Glock, went off while he was holding it but insisted that he hadn't pulled the trigger. A police expert testified earlier at the trial that the Glock couldn't be fired without the trigger being pulled.

Nel said: "We have you in possession of the gun, a shot went off, but you didn't discharge the gun? ... I'm putting it to you, you fired that gun. There is no other way," Nel said. "You are lying."

"I respect Mr. Nel's comment," Pistorius replied, "but I didn't pull the trigger on that firearm."

The incident in a trendy Johannesburg restaurant happened just weeks before he shot to death his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Feb. 14, 2013.

Pistorius also said two witnesses, a former girlfriend and a friend, were both lying about an incident in 2012 when the runner is alleged to have fired his gun out the sunroof of a moving car. He has been charged with a firearms violation in this incident.

Pistorius said he wasn't guilty of yet another charge against him, illegal possession of ammunition for .38-caliber ammunition found in a safe in his home after he killed Steenkamp.

Pistorius said his estranged father had put the bullets into the safe and that they belonged to the father. But Nel said Pistorius' father Henke had "refused" to make a statement to police on the ammunition being his.

"You just don't want to accept responsibility for anything," Nel said to Pistorius. Pistorius' answers to the accusations were short denials.

Pistorius, 27, says Steenkamp's death was a terrible accident after he mistook her for an intruder and fired four times with his licensed 9 mm pistol through a toilet door and into a cubicle. Prosecutors say he intended to kill the 29-year-old after a loud argument heard by witnesses and charged him with premeditated murder - for which he faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

Pistorius insisted again Thursday that the shooting was an accident and he did not intentionally fire four shots.
 ::snipping3::

http://mg.co.za/article/2014-04-10-oscar-pistorius-tests-new-limits-of-disability
Oscar Pistorius tests new limits of disability
April 11, 2014

Did the Bladerunner's athletic success really lose him the right to claim he feels vulnerable?

Some say murder accused Oscar Pistorius is doing people with disabilities a disservice by blaming a heightened sense of vulnerability on his lack of lower legs. Others say Pistorius is right: disabled people are seen as soft targets, and serious debate is needed on whether they should get subsidised handguns.

The Paralympic athlete, on trial for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, started giving evidence this week in the Pretoria high court and everyone seems happy that disability came into the spotlight and hope it will change the lives of others, regardless of the outcome.

"In the most unlikely event that he is found guilty and must serve a sentence, then the discussion becomes what kind of facility he must go to, and whether it is friendly to the disabled," Olwethu Sipuka, the spokesperson for activist group Disabled People South Africa (DPSA), said.

As a successful Paralympian, Pistorius was a role model to other people with disabilities, but he became a universal superstar by breaking into the able-bodied Olympics. Organisations that had long struggled to convince the country that disability could be conquered suddenly found the going much easier and exploited the opportunity.

But it has become clear that opinions are sharply divided.

Medal vs pistol
"You can't hold up a gold medal in one hand and a pistol in another," said Ari Seirlis, chief executive of the lobby and advocacy group, QuadPara Association of South Africa. "We chose not to say a word, but then Oscar started the debate [and] said to the world 'I feel vulnerable because of my disability'.

"And we're saying he didn't earn the right to use that as an excuse; when he earned the gold, he took away his right to use that excuse."

In many ways, people with disabled are considered a homogeneous group. Had he met the income and asset thresholds, Pistorius, one of the fastest men on the planet, would have qualified for the same state disability grant as a quadriplegic with little or no mobility.

In the Paralympics, however, distinctions are drawn between different types of disability to make competition fairer and therein lies Seirlis's bugbear: in Paralympic terms, Pistorius is among the most abled of the disabled.

Seirlis's organisation was among those that made a poster child out of Pistorius and featured him on the front page of its magazine.

Tax exemptions
The day before he shot Reeva Steen­kamp, Seirlis said, Pistorius phoned him for help with the paperwork that would allow him to import a Maclaren sports car without paying the usual duty (which is waived for vehicles modified for use by disabled people). But now Seirlis uses phrases such as "scraping the bottom of the barrel" about Pistorius.

"We feel he has downgraded the view that people have of us in order to try and get himself some leeway with the judge and the assessors," Seirlis said.

But that is far from a universal view. The DPSA is gravely concerned about the risks faced by disabled people, Sipuka said. The fear of violent crime is rooted in reality, even for Pistorius.

"People are saying, 'Why would this disabled person have so many firearms?' – because this is a guy who understands the kind of society we find ourselves in, where people with disabilities are soft targets and are victimised.

"Many of our members with wheelchairs have guns. In the townships, they tell us that, when they come from getting their grants, they know they [the criminals] will attack."

Subsidised handguns
No organisation for people with disabilities wants to court controversy but, in private, some have floated the suggestion that handguns should be subsidised, tax-free, easily accessible, or all three, for people able to use them but limited in their mobility and ability.

But they will settle for some attention, by way of the Pistorius trial, to be paid to the disadvantages disabled people face in dealing with the legal system – the lack of sign-language interpreters to take statements and complaints from the deaf, the lack of Braille transcripts of court proceedings, the wheelchair-unfriendly nature of public buildings and the inaction over pleas for help, protection and support.
 ::snipping3::

 :scratch: :2thinky:

http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2014/04/pistorius-admits-no-reason-to-fire-fatal-shots/
Pistorius admits ‘no reason’ to fire fatal shots
April 10, 2014

 ::snipping3::
The Olympian has said he fired the shots accidentally and did not mean to kill anyone. He testified that he feared someone was coming through the toilet door and that his life was in danger.

This seemingly contradictory account was probed at length by Nel, who drew a concession from Pistorius that the shots should not have been fired at all.

“We know for a fact there were no intruders in your house that night, we know for a fact there was no ladder against the wall,” Nel said.

“We know for a fact that you had no reason to shoot, objectively speaking.”

Pistorius responded: “That’s correct my lady.”

Regardless of who Pistorius believed was behind the door, he could face a stiff sentence if Judge Thokozile Masipa believes he purposely used lethal force without reasonable cause.
 ::snipping3::
Nel spent most the first part of his cross-examination accusing Pistorius of being a selfish, controlling boyfriend and caring more about himself than the death of his girlfriend.

Nel tore into the 27-year-old’s account of his relationship with Steenkamp.

“It’s all about ‘I’. It’s all about Mr Pistorius,” Nel said, reading cell phone messages in which Steenkamp said she was upset and “scared” of Pistorius’s behaviour.

“She’s scared of the feelings that she has for me and the way that I brushed her off,” the athlete explained the message his girlfriend sent over social messenger WhatsApp.

Nel also accused Pistorius of making a public apology to Steenkamp’s parents just to make himself feel better.

“Did you feel better after the apology?” Nel asked facetiously.

Steenkamp’s mother June has said she wanted the Paralympian to see what he did to her daughter.

“He must see me there in the court, he must feel my eyes boring into him, I think it makes a lot of difference,” she told Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper.
 ::snipping3::
Nel also used questions about three gun charges to try and show that Pistorius was irresponsible.

Pistorius has denied firing a gun in public on two separate occasions, and the possession of unlicensed ammunition.

“I didn’t pull the trigger. I didn’t have time to think,” he said about firing a gun in a Johannesburg restaurant in 2012.

“‘I’m a gun enthusiast, I didn’t have time to think,’” Nel mimicked him sarcastically.

He also said his legal team had told him it was legal to keep his father’s ammunition in his home safe.

“It’s now the third occasion that you blame your legal team when you don’t want to take responsibility!” said an exasperated Nel.

Pistorius earlier blamed his lawyers for discrepancies between his accounts given in written statements and his later verbal testimony.

Defence lawyer Barry Roux is expected to call up to 17 more witnesses in the remainder of the case, to testify on ballistics, whether Steenkamp urinated, damage to the toilet door, sound, as well as Pistorius’s fear of crime and “vulnerability” on his stumps.
 ::snipping3::

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20140411-704897.html
Oscar Pistorius's Fear of Crime Claim Under Spotlight During Murder Trial
April 11, 2014

PRETORIA--A South African prosecutor Friday sought to dismantle a central plank of Oscar Pistorius's defense that he shot and killed his girlfriend because he thought she was a burglar in his bathroom.

Capping a week of cross-examination, Prosecutor Gerrie Nel engaged a weary Mr. Pistorius in a set of terse exchanges about the final moments before the double-amputee track star fired four times through the closed bathroom door, killing 29-year old Reeva Steenkamp. Mr. Pistorius said he thought his life was in danger because of high crime in the area. Mr. Nel was incredulous, and insisted Mr. Pistorius sought to kill his girlfriend in a fit of rage.

"Is it reasonable for an intruder to run into a toilet and close the door?" Mr. Nel asked.

"It was a possibility," the 27-year-old runner replied.

"It's so far-fetched," Mr. Nel responded. "You knew that Reeva was behind the door, and you shot at her. That is the only thing that makes sense."

Mr. Pistorius took the stand to defend himself on Monday after a month of testimony from witnesses for the prosecution, who painted a portrait of a quick-tempered and impulsive star athlete who shirked responsibility for his actions. After his cross-examination is complete, the defense will call witnesses who are expected to support Mr. Pistorius's claims that he was a fearful of his safety in a country with a high rate of violent crime.
 ::snipping3::
Prosecutors have charged Mr. Pistorius with premeditated murder, alleging that he shot Ms. Steenkamp after an argument overheard by some of his neighbors from his gated community in Pretoria. If convicted Mr. Pistorius could be sentenced to life in prison

Earlier Friday, Mr. Nel asked Mr. Pistorius how often he had reported crimes at a police station or been a victim of crime at his Pretoria home. Never, he said. Mr. Pistorius then added: "except the watches stolen by police" during their investigation after Ms. Steenkamp was killed.

Former police colonel Schoombie van Rensburg, who oversaw work at the crime scene, testified last month that at least one watch went missing during the investigation. He said the investigation is continuing.

Mr. Pistorius said Friday that he didn't trust the effectiveness of South African police enough to report several instances of crime against him in recent years.

Under questioning from Mr. Nel, he also said that police must have moved items in his bedroom, including a fan and a duvet. Crime-scene photos shown in court on Friday showed those items in different positions from his recollection of how things stood in the moments before he shot Ms. Steenkamp.

The prosecutor also challenged Mr. Pistorius's statement that he turned his burglar alarm off to let police and paramedics into his home in a gated community. Under a barrage of questions, the athlete said he didn't remember disabling it, but "must have" done so.

Judge Thokozile Masipa made a rare interjection, asking Mr. Pistorius if he was too tired to recall things clearly. Mr. Pistorius said he had simply made a mistake and could continue.
 ::snipping3::

I watched the video included in the article below.  In it, Oscar says he wished Reeva had screamed and let him know she was there, but she didn't.  Did he not call out to her?  Or ask "who is there?" in the bathroom?  Did he not call out and warn or find where Reeva was?  (supposedly he thought she was in bed)  It's not making sense for me.  Oscar is fighting for his life now.


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26984693
As it happened: Oscar Pistorius trial day 20

Key Points

* Oscar Pistorius faced a third day of cross examination at his murder trial
 
* Prosecutor Gerrie Nel began the day asking Mr Pistorius about his alarm system at home
 
* The athlete was also asked why he did not check on his girlfriend when he heard a noise

* The South African athlete denies murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on 14 February 2013
 
*Mr Pistorius insists the shooting was an accident after he mistook Ms Steenkamp for an intruder

Why does he call the prosecutor MY LADY?

if you google Crime-scene photos of Ms. Steenkamp. you will see some to help you try to understand

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/04/14/pistorius-testimony-enters-second-week-as-prosecutor-continues-cross/
Pistorius reduced to tears on fourth day of cross-examination
April 14, 2014

The murder trial of Olympic and Paralymic athlete Oscar Pistorius was temporarily adjourned by the presiding judge Monday as the double-amputee runner broke down and began crying during cross-examination by state prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

Nel had begun to ask Pistorius about the moments before he shot his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early morning hours of Valentine's Day 2013 when the defendant began to sob.

The prosecutor, who had accused Pistorius of tailoring his account of the shooting to fit the evidence, asked Pistorius on Monday what exactly he said as he moved toward the bathroom where he shot Steenkamp, who was behind a closed door in the toilet cubicle.

Pistorius said he thought there was an intruder in the house and that he screamed "Get the [expletive] out of my house!" As he testified, he began to wail.

Pistorius is attempting to convince the judge that he killed girlfriend Steenkamp by mistake, having thought she was burglar.

However, his story has come under intense scrutiny from Nel, who argues that the defense account is a lie.
 ::snipping3::

http://abcnews.go.com/International/prosecutor-accuses-pistorius-tailoring-evidence/story?id=23314334
'I Did Not Fire at Reeva!' Pistorius Wails About Shooting
April 14, 2014

Oscar Pistorius broke down in the witness stand as Prosecutor Gerrie Nel relentlessly quizzed him today about the precise details on the night he shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

 ::snipping3::


Nel repeatedly questioned Pistorius about whether or not he intended to shoot at the perceived intruders behind the bathroom door, saying the athlete is changing his defense.

“My defense is I heard the noise, I didn’t have time to think, I fired out of fear,” Pistorius said. Nel targeted that statement, explaining that the athlete’s account had changed from self-defense to involuntary action.

“I did not fire at Reeva!” Pistorius wailed. As his sobbing continued, the court adjourned for a short time to allow Pistorius the chance to compose himself.

During today’s cross-examination, Nel continued to assault Pistorius’ credibility, questioning several statements Pistorius made previously that were not in his bail application or his plea explanation, saying they are examples of how Pistorius tailors his evidence.

The prosecutor, known in South Africa as the “Bull Terrier” for his no-holds-barred approach to cross-examination, questioned Pistorius about hearing a sound coming from the bathroom, alleging that Pistorius heard Steenkamp fall against a magazine rack and used that sound to adjust his aim.

Pistorius broke down on the stand when Nel asked him to repeat his exact words the night of the shooting. “I screamed, ‘Get the f*** out of my house … get the f***out of my house,’” Pistorius said, weeping.

 ::snipping3::

Nel argued that Steenkamp’s clothing was packed in an overnight bag, with only her jeans in the bedroom, a clue that the couple had been fighting. Pistorius was also steadfast that the couple last ate at 7 p.m., despite the discovery of food in Steenkamp’s system.
 ::snipping3::

Why did Reeva have clothes packed?

http://abcnews.go.com/International/oscar-pistorius-days-cross-ends-teary-valentine/story?id=23328471
Oscar Pistorius' Five Days of 'Cross' End With Teary Valentine
April 15, 2014

Oscar Pistorius read in court today a heartbreaking Valentine's Day card that Reeva Steenkamp left behind on the day she was shot to death by Pistorius, a card that Pistorius' defense hoped would counter some of the effects of five grueling days of cross examination.

"Roses are red, violets are blue, I think today is a good day to tell you that I love you," the message reads.
 ::snipping3::
Pistorius' defense lawyer Barry Roux asked him to read the card aloud in an apparent attempt to demonstrate the affection between the couple. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel has previously told the court that none of the text messages Steenkamp sent Pistorius ever included the phrase "I love you."

Pistorius, 27, killed his girlfriend before dawn on Valentine's Day 2013 when he fired through a locked bathroom door. He is charged with murder in Steenkamp’s death. If convicted, he could face 25 years to life in prison. Pistorius says he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder.

The valentine was read in court after Nel wrapped up a blistering cross examination that often reduced Pistorius to sobs, emotional outbursts that Nel suggested were aimed at deflecting questions he struggled to answer.


 ::snipping3::
Earlier, Nel showed the court photos of Pistorius' bedroom. He pointed out that Steenkamp's belongings, including her undergarments, were neatly packed in her overnight bag and her flip-flops were neatly laid out side-by-side. Her jeans, however, were found lying crumpled on the floor. Nel argued that they were on the floor because she wanted to leave, that she had attempted to put them back on at some point. Pistorius denied that she tried to leave.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27041156
Oscar Pistorius trial sees Reeva Steenkamp Valentine's card
April 15, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/ub3UEEf.jpg)

http://citizen.co.za/161173/reeva-possibly-reaching-door/
Reeva ‘was possibly reaching for door’
April 15, 2014

Reeva Steenkamp was possibly reaching for the toilet door handle when she was shot by her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius, the High Court in Pretoria heard on Tuesday.

Forensic expert Roger Dixon said he drew this conclusion from the splinters that pierced Steenkamp’s right arm and waist area.
 ::snipping3::

Changing stories is never a good sign.  JMHO

http://abcnews.go.com/International/oscar-pistorius-stumbled-testimony-experts/story?id=23332614
Oscar Pistorius May Have Stumbled With His Testimony, Experts Say
April 15, 2014

 ::snipping3::
"His demeanor and antics .. did him more harm than good," said attorney Anton Smith. "It seemed at stages, as Nel stated, that Oscar Pistorius might have tailored his evidence during cross-examination. Also, during cross by Nel, a lot of questions were either left unanswered or evaded by Pistorius."

Lawyer Henk Louw agreed that Pistorius' demeanor and the discrepancies between his testimony in recent days and his bail application affidavit last year and his plea explanation at the start of the trial could count against him as "these factors all contribute to a credibility finding. The credibility of a witness, together with the evidence before the court, all play a role when the judge comes to a conclusion."

Among the discrepancies, Pistorius told the court that Steenkamp was awake moments before the shooting. That information was not mentioned in a statement by the athlete during his bail application last year.

During his testimony, Pistorius provided further details on the sounds he heard in the minutes leading up to the deadly shooting, like the window sliding open and the bathroom door slamming shut. These were also not in his bail application affidavit.

In describing what happened after he allegedly heard the window slide open, he said he grabbed his firearm from under the bed, whispered to Steenkamp to call the police and then went down a hallway towards the perceived threat. The information that he whispered to Steenkamp to call the police was also not included in the athlete's statement last year.

In describing how he frantically broke down the door and sat over his girlfriend, he testified that he realized she wasn't breathing. In his bail application, Pistorius said when he bashed open the door. he found Steenkamp slumped over, but still alive.

Gideon Scheepers, a defense lawyer, also said that Pistorius' description of being overcome with fear and firing the weapon by accident also presents a problem for his defense team.

"The fact that Pistorius changed his version from putative self defense, based on the fear that his life was threatened by an intruder, to involuntary action basically leaves his defense team with the task to explain the discrepancy between the version pleaded and put to the witnesses, and the new version advanced under cross examination." Scheepers said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-15/pistorius-ends-testimony-after-prosecution-alleges-rage-shooting.html
Pistorius Prosecutor Attacks Defense Witness’s Expertise
April 16, 2014

The prosecution in Oscar Pistorius’s trial for killing his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp challenged the qualifications of the defense’s expert witness who testified about the crime scene.

Roger Dixon, a former police investigator, isn’t trained in blood spatter or sound and never physically touched evidence he gave an opinion on, prosecutor Gerrie Nel said in the High Court in Pretoria, South Africa’s capital, today. Dixon, a university professor of geology, also doesn’t belong to a forensic investigative group, Nel said.

“Take it from me, I’m testing your integrity,” Nel said.
 ::snipping3::
“I view myself as an expert because my testimony has been accepted in court a number of times,” Dixon said when Nel asked him if he considered himself qualified to give expert testimony in the trial. Dixon said he used his eyes as the instrument to measure how dark Pistorius’s bedroom was at night when the curtains were closed.

Dixon said while he isn’t a forensic pathologist or involved in ballistics, his “layman’s understanding” is if a bullet missed Steenkamp, as the prosecution argued, it would have broken up into more pieces and created different injuries.

“Now, Mr. Dixon, you call yourself a layman?” Nel said. “You gave the evidence, you were strong about it. Do you know how irresponsible it is to make inferences in areas where you’re not an expert?”

Defense lawyer Barry Roux started calling witnesses to back the Paralympian’s testimony that he feared for his life when he shot through the toilet cubicle door and that he didn’t know Steenkamp was not in the bed at the time because the room was too dark.
 ::snipping3::
Judge Thokozile Masipa, who will give the final judgment in the case because South Africa doesn’t have a jury system, could consider a lesser charge of culpable homicide if she rules that the act wasn’t premeditated. Pistorius would face a minimum of 25 years in jail if convicted of premeditated murder.

Masipa agreed to a request from Nel for a postponement from tomorrow until May 5 because of a series of holidays in South Africa.

Known as the Blade Runner because of his J-shaped prosthetic running blades, Pistorius has been free on 1 million rand ($96,000) bail since February last year.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/oscar-pistorius/10770524/Oscar-Pistorius-forensic-expert-accused-of-irresponsible-evidence-to-murder-trial.html
Oscar Pistorius forensic expert accused of ‘irresponsible’ evidence to murder trial
Roger Dixon, a former police officer and “forensic geologist”, contradicts state ballistics and pathology evidence before conceding he’s “a layman” in both fields
April 16, 2014

Accused Killer Oscar Pistorius And Reeva Steenkamp Were Fighting Before Her Death, Mom Claims
Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp were fighting in the weeks up to her brutal shooting death her mother revealed in an explosive new interview.

The South African Blade Runner, 26, has been charged with the premeditated murder of his girlfriend, 29. She was shot four times and he claims he thought it was an intruder and didn’t realize he was shooting Reeva.


Her mother June Steenkamp appears in a UK Channel 5 Documentary talking about her daughter’s tumultuous relationship with Oscar.

She said Reeva called her from the car when Oscar was driving over the speed limit just a few weeks before her death.

“She was afraid, she was so afraid,” June said.

PHOTOS: Murdered Model Reeva Steenkamp

“She phoned me and she said, ‘Mummy I’m in the car with Oscar and he’s driving like a lunatic’. So I said will you just give him the phone.

“She gave the phone to Oscar straight away and I said hello. And he said ‘Mrs Steenkamp.’

“I said, listen, if you hurt my baby in any way I will have you wiped out. I didn’t mean murder him, I’m just saying, that’s what I said. And I know the friend that was in the car was a friend of Reeva and a friend of Oscar and he told me afterwards that Oscar slowed down immediately,” according to the Daily Mail.

PHOTOS: Oscar Pistorius Weeps In Court While Charged With Murder

Reeva’s mother said that wasn’t the only time her daughter said there was trouble in the relationship.

“A week or so later she phoned me, we chatted about this and that, little girl things. I said ‘how’s it going with Oscar?’ She said that ‘We’ve been fighting; we’ve been fighting a lot.

“She didn’t elaborate about what they’d been fighting about. She said, ‘We are fighting a lot.’ That’s what she said.

However, she said that she wasn’t as worried as she should have been for her daughter.

 
“I didn’t feel alarmed about that because men and women do fight don’t they, it’s part of a relationship but this is a very early relationship to be fighting.”

One of Reeva’s friends also said that they know about a fight Reeva and Oscar had where she took two days to “cool off.”



Gwyn Guscott recalled their conversation: “I know of one argument that she had with Oscar. I don’t know who started the argument but I do recall her saying to me that, ‘Gwyn, you know how I am, I’m not a person that likes arguments so I walk away. So I left and I took two days to cool off and just think about what had happened and then I tried to patch things up.’”

Her mother said she wants answers from Oscar about the night her daughter died.

“Why? Why did he shoot her? I want to know why he shot her. Because she must have been so afraid in the toilet, and somebody’s firing [a] gun, bullets through the door.


“And how terrified and already one bullet had hit her so she must have been in severe pain also, and I just feel why couldn’t I have warned her, or known something about this person – that they could be capable of doing something like that.

 ::snipping3::

http://radaronline.com/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/04/18/the-tattered-defense-of-oscar-pistorius/?tid=hp_mm
The tattered defense of Oscar Pistorius
April 18, 2014

 ::snipping3::
His testimony began, strangely, with an apology. The athlete, the first double-amputee to ever compete in an Olympics, told his dead girlfriend’s family he was sorry — a move that immediately struck some lawyers as odd. Apologies are normally reserved for parole hearings, not when an accused is still at trial. “If I had an accused come to me and say, ‘Let me apologize at the beginning,’ I would stop him right there,” one lawyer told South Africa’s Mail & Guardian.
This would be just the first of many oddities, inconsistencies, and stumbles that would mar Oscar Pistorius’s defense. Today, following the adjournment of trial until May 5,  the plausibility of Pistorius’s story now seems more in doubt.
More blows came Thursday. One of his defense witnesses, Roger Dixon, contradicted Oscar Pistorius’s own testimony on a key matter, the placement of a magazine rack inside the bathroom. Then he wrote on Facebook: “It is difficult to get belief in those who will not listen because it is not what they want to hear.”
Afterward, a star pathologist who Oscar Pistorius had hired to bolster the athlete’s defense announced he would not testify when trial resumes. “No, ma’am,” Reggie Perumal, who had been hired in time to attend Steenkamp’s autopsy, told an Agence France Presse reporter. ”I think you’re aware that I can’t say anything now.”
Today, Oscar Pistorius has a hunted, drawn look about him. Day by day of his testimony, as prosecutor Gerrie Nel came at him from every angle, his composure faded. Pistorius wept openly on the stand almost every day he was on it. He nearly vomited. He repeatedly offered ambiguous answers and said he “wasn’t sure.” Once, when impersonating how he sounded that the night he killed Steenkamp, his voice took on a keening falsetto.
Oscar Pistorius, who’s facing allegations of firing a gun on two separate incidents in addition to the Steenkamp murder charge, told what some call incredible tales in his testimony. He told the court he “accidentally” fired the four bullets that killed Steenkamp during a period in which, “I didn’t have time to think.”
He said one friend and an ex-girlfriend had “fabricated” two alleged incidents where he fired a gun, one of which occurred inside a restaurant. Pistorius denied shooting the gun.
“I physically didn’t discharge it,” he said. ”It went off when it was in my possession, but I did not have my finger on the trigger,” he said.
“The gun went off by itself?” inquired Nel, saying that type of Glock could only have fired if someone had their finger fully on the trigger.
“I know that my finger was not on the trigger,” Pistorius affirmed.
 ::snipping3::
One particularly jarring example arrived when Pistorius described Steenkamp’s last moments. Neighbors have said under oath that they heard a woman screaming — before the gun shots. Pistorius maintains that Steenkamp never screamed. He claims the only screaming that had occurred that night had been him — before the gun fired and afterward.
Nel tore into that account in an exchange that may plague Pistorius as he proceeds forward. “She’s awake,” the prosecutor said. “She’s in the toilet. You’re shouting. You’re screaming. You’re three meters from her. She would have responded. She would not have been quiet, Mr. Pistorius.”
“A woman did not scream at any point,” Pistorius said. He added: “My lady, I wish she had let me know she was there.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/oscar-pistorius/10808829/Oscar-Pistorius-friend-feared-he-would-kill-himself-after-shooting-Reeva-Steenkamp.html
Oscar Pistorius friend feared he would kill himself after shooting Reeva Steenkamp
Carice Viljoen, a friend of the athlete who was called to the house minutes after the shooting, describes "frantic" Pistorius's attempts to save girlfriend (http://Carice Viljoen, a friend of the athlete who was called to the house minutes after the shooting, describes "frantic" Pistorius's attempts to save girlfriend)
May 5, 2014

Reeva Steenkamp wanted to leave Oscar Pistorius's house when the couple got into an argument and the athlete shot her dead, chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel told his murder trial.

"Why would she leave her jeans on the floor if everything else is in her overnight bag?," he told Pretoria's High Court. "She wanted to leave, and you weren't sleeping, you were both awake and there was an argument."

Pistorius responded that Ms Steenkamp was neat and the jeans were inside out, which, according to the athlete, showed that she wasn't in the process of putting them on.

The prosecutor continued to pick holes in his version of events arguing Ms Steenkamp ate her last meal two hours before she was shot dead in the early hours of 14 February. ::snipping3::

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-trial-reeva-steenkamp-wanted-to-leave-the-athletes-house-before-she-was-shot-dead-9258598.html

Really?  Neither the prosecution nor the defense have any questions?   ::MonkeyNoNo::  The article says "Frank" couldn't hear anything because of a water feature.  Well, even if he couldn't hear from that particular time, I think he could offer some answers.  It appears he was a long time worker in the home. 


http://www.independent.ie/world-news/africa/housekeeper-for-pistorius-slept-through-reeva-killing-30246258.html
Housekeeper for Pistorius 'slept through' Reeva killing
May 6, 2014

A Malawian housekeeper who was at the home of Oscar Pistorius on the night Reeva Steenkamp was killed "heard nothing" and will not be called by either the state or the defence team to give evidence in the athlete's murder trial.
Frank Chiziweni is understood to have slept in the domestic quarters next to the Paralympian's kitchen on the ground floor of his home on a secure estate outside Pretoria.

On the night Pistorius shot Reeva, neighbours up to 170 metres away claimed they were woken by sounds of an argument, shots and screams and a man shouting for help.

Pistorius told the court during his evidence that he screamed and shouted at the intruder he believed was in his home, as well as screaming to his girlfriend to call police.

After he realised she was behind the locked lavatory door into which he fired his gun four times, he said he opened his balcony doors to call for help before beating the door down with a cricket bat.

"I was crying out. I was screaming 'Reeva, Reeva'," he told the court. "I was overcome with terror and despair. At times I was screaming, at times I was crying out."

Mr Chiziweni, the closest person to the events of St Valentine's Day 2013, is understood to have told police that he slept through the incident.
He was mentioned by name for the first time yesterday, just over two months after the start of the 27-year-old athlete's trial for the premeditated murder of his girlfriend.

Carice Viljoen, a friend of Mr Pistorius whose father he rang moments after shooting 29-year-old Steenkamp, said when she arrived at the house, 'Frank' was standing in the road with the estate security guards.

The housekeeper has been mentioned in several profiles of Pistorius written before the shooting. In one, in October 2011, he is described being asked by Pistorius, who addresses him as "brother", to bring him his prosthetic legs. In another, written the following year, he is referred to as a "live-in caretaker who keeps his home spotless".

A policeman who arrived at the scene an hour after the shooting confirmed that Mr Chiziweni had been sleeping in a room off the kitchen and was awake when they arrived. He said the man spoke good English. "We said to him, 'You were here. What did you hear?' " the policeman said, adding that he had replied: "No, no, no, I didn't hear anything."

He said police had been unconvinced by his response: "We were all asking ourselves how he could not have heard anything," he said.
Another policeman at the scene said the housekeeper told detectives that a water feature next to his room had masked any sound from the main house.

Barry Roux, Mr Pistorius's barrister, said the defence would not be calling Mr Chiziweni.

Although Mr Chiziweni was listed as a prosecution witness, a source for the state said it would not be calling him, confirming that he told police in his statement he heard "absolutely nothing".

Anneliese Burgess, a spokesman for the Pistoriuses, said Mr Chiziweni still worked for the family. Pistorius denies her murder.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2621244/Oscar-Pistorius-live-housekeeper-wont-called-evidence-slept-gunshots-screams-night-athlete-killed-Reeva.html
Oscar Pistorius accused of trying to intimidate friend of Reeva Steenkamp in court by asking her: 'How can you sleep at night?'
May 6, 2014

* Athlete made remark to Kim Myers in a 'very sinister way', her lawyer said
*Reeva Steenkamp lived with the Myers family who often attend the trial
*Amputee denies allegation, saying he hasn't spoken to family for weeks
*Neighbour Michael Nhlengethwa was struck by model's warm personality
*Pistorius said 'meet my fiancée' to which he replied: 'This one's for keeps'
*Housekeeper won't give evidence because he 'slept through' gunshots
*Athlete 'was controlled by Satan' when he fired shots, says religious group

Oscar Pistorius has been accused of making a 'sinister' comment to a female friend of the girlfriend he shot dead during his murder trial.

The Paralympian allegedly asked Kim Myers: 'How can you sleep at night?'

Ian Levitt, a lawyer for the Myers family, who were close to Reeva Steenkamp, said Ms Myers told him Pistorius made the comment to her 'in a very sinister way'.

Miss Steenkamp, whom Pistorius shot and killed last year, lived with the Myers family and they say they were her second family.

'My client views this unwelcome approach as extremely disturbing and I have been in communication with the national prosecuting authorities,' Mr Levitt said in a later statement.

Members of the Myers family have been present for much of the murder trial, sitting on a wooden bench reserved for friends and family just feet away from the athlete.

Pistorius told reporters in the courtroom that he did not make the comment and hadn't spoken to members of the Myers family for weeks.

His lawyer, Brian Webber, said Pistorius also told him that the allegation was untrue.

'I've asked the client and he denies that he said it,' Mr Webber said.
 ::snipping3::
Earlier, it was revealed that Pistorius's live-in housekeeper will not be called to give evidence because he apparently slept through the noise when the athlete shot his girlfriend.

Frank Chiziweni, a Malawian, lived in the domestic quarters next to the athlete’s kitchen on the ground floor of his home on a security estate outside Pretoria.

On the night Pistorius shot Reeva Steenkamp, 29, neighbours living up to 170 metres away claimed they were woken by sounds of an argument, shots and screams then a man shouting for help.

Yet the housekeeper told police he heard 'absolutely nothing' and will not be asked to give evidence at the trial of the 27-year-old South African Paralympian, who denies murder.

Pistorius told the court that he screamed and shouted at the intruder he believed was in his home, as well as screaming to his girlfriend to call police.
After he realised the model was in the locked toilet into which he fired his gun four times, he said he opened his balcony doors to call for help from his neighbours before beating the lavatory door down with a cricket bat.

A policeman who arrived at the scene an hour after the shooting confirmed Mr Chiziweni had been sleeping in a room off the kitchen and was awake when they arrived.

He said the man spoke good English.

'We said to him, you were here. What did you hear?' the policeman said, adding that he had replied: 'No, no, no, I didn’t hear anything'.

He said police had been unconvinced by his response. ‘We were all asking ourselves how he could not have heard anything,’ he said.

But Barry Roux, Pistorius's barrister, said the defence would not be asking Mr Chiziweni to come to court to give evidence.

Despite being listed as a prosecution witness, a source for the State said they would not call him either, confirming he told police in his statement he heard 'absolutely nothing'.

The housekeeper has been referred to in several profiles of Pistorius, a world-famous Paralympic athlete, written before the shooting.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/05/12/psychiatrist-testifies-at-trial-that-oscar-pistorius-has-anxiety-disorder/
Pistorius has 'anxiety disorder,' psychiatrist says
May 12, 2014

PRETORIA, South Africa –  The chief prosecutor in the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius said Monday that the double-amputee athlete should be placed under psychiatric observation after an expert called by the defense said Pistorius has an anxiety disorder.

Judge Thokozile Masipa has not yet ruled on the request. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said he had no other option but to ask for a study of Pistorius' mental health following testimony by a psychiatrist, who said the Olympic runner's anxiety could have shaped the way he responded to perceived threats.

Pistorius has said he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp by mistake last year, fearing that there was an intruder in his home when he fired through a closed toilet door in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013. The prosecution says he killed her intentionally after an argument.

Psychiatrist Dr. Merryll Vorster said events during Pistorius' life, including the amputation of his lower legs as a baby and his late mother's habit of sleeping with a gun under her pillow, contributed to his "increasing stress."

"Overall, Mr. Pistorius appears to be a mistrustful and guarded person," Vorster testified.

She said the Olympic athlete displayed "escalating levels of anxiety" through his life when she interviewed him this month. Vorster said she also spoke to members of Pistorius' family, some of his friends and his agent.

Pistorius' defense said at the outset of its case that it would show his feelings of "vulnerability" and his disability contributed to him shooting Steenkamp. Pistorius is charged with premeditated murder and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

Vorster's testimony also dealt with what she said was Pistorius' fear of crime and how, because he was a double amputee, he reacted to perceived threats in a different way to other people. She noted Pistorius' mother, who died when he was a teenager, slept with a gun in her bed and also had a fear of being attacked in her home.

Cross-examining Vorster at the start of the eighth week of the trial, prosecutor Nel asked if she was saying Pistorius had a mental illness and should undergo a 30-day period of observation, and if he was changing his defense to one of "diminished responsibility."

Nel also asked the psychiatrist if someone who was suffering from an anxiety order of the kind that she had diagnosed in Pistorius, and also had access to guns, would be a danger to society. Vorster said the person would, indeed, be a danger.

Talking specifically about the shooting of Steenkamp, Vorster said Pistorius was more likely to try and "fight" what he thought was an intruder than run away, because his disability meant it was harder for him to flee
 ::snipping3::

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27381236
Oscar Pistorius trial: Ruling due on mental assessment
May 12, 2014

The judge in the trial of South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is due to rule on a prosecution application for him to undergo a 30-day mental observation.

The request followed testimony from a psychiatrist who said that Mr Pistorius suffered from an anxiety disorder.

The BBC's Andrew Harding in Pretoria says there is now the possibility of a lengthy delay in the case.

The double-amputee Paralympian denies intentionally shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last year.

Mr Pistorius says he accidentally shot her through the toilet door in a state of panic, mistaking the 29-year-old model and law graduate for an intruder.

Psychiatrist Merryll Vorster told the court that the athlete had had an anxiety disorder since childhood and was "anxious" about violent crime.

His actions on Valentine's Day last year "should be seen in context of his anxiety", she said.

'Danger to society'
If the prosecution request is granted, Mr Pistorius may spend up to 30 days in a state mental health institution for observation and assessment of his mental health.
The athlete has described the prosecution move as "a joke", insisting that Monday's evidence from Dr Vorster had "gone well", our correspondent says.

But the prosecution argues that her testimony is further proof that the athlete is changing his defence - from putative self-defence, to an accidental shooting, to something now linked to his state of mind, he says.

The defence opposed the application before the court adjourned on Monday.

Our correspondent says that court sources have indicated that it is unlikely that Judge Thokozile Masipa will grant the prosecution its request.


Dr Vorster said that the reactions of Mr Pistorius in the early hours of 14 February 2013 would have been different to that of a "normal, able-bodied person without generalised anxiety disorder".

She said that Mr Pistorius was more likely to respond to any threat with "fight" rather than "flight".

But she said that this would not have affected his ability to distinguish between right and wrong and that it was up to the court to decide whether his anxiety disorder diminished his responsibility.

The anxiety disorder was the result of surgery at the age of 11 months to remove his lower legs, she said, a "traumatic assault" for an infant at that age.

She said that Mr Pistorius felt remorse over Ms Steenkamp's death and had developed a depressive disorder as a result.

When state prosecutor Gerrie Nel asked Dr Vorster whether someone with anxiety disorder plus guns would be "a danger to society", she replied: "Yes".
 ::snipping3::

Well, this appears to be a bit of a surprise for some.  In the article I posted a couple of days ago. 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27381236
Oscar Pistorius trial: Ruling due on mental assessment
May 12, 2014

<snip>
"Our correspondent says that court sources have indicated that it is unlikely that Judge Thokozile Masipa will grant the prosecution its request."
<snip>

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/14/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-trial/
Judge sends Oscar Pistorius for psychiatric tests, putting trial on hold
May 14, 2014

Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- Oscar Pistorius, the onetime Olympic athlete turned murder suspect, must undergo a month of psychiatric testing before his trial can continue, the judge in the case ruled Wednesday.
The move puts his trial on ice indefinitely.
It was triggered by the testimony of a psychiatrist who testified that the sprinter has suffered from generalized anxiety disorder since he was an infant, stemming partly from the amputation of both of his lower legs because of a genetic defect.
 ::snipping3::
Pistorius, 27, does not claim he was insane or mentally incapacitated when he shot her, but when the defense put the psychiatrist on the stand, it raised the question of the athlete's mental health, the judge said Wednesday.
"A doubt has been created" that Pistorius may have a psychiatric issue that would affect the court's verdict, so she must order the testing, Judge Thokozile Masipa said Wednesday.
"The accused may not have raised the issue that he was not criminally responsible at the time of the incident in so many words, but evidence raised on his behalf cannot be ignored," she said of testimony by Dr. Merryll Vorster.
She acknowledged that her order would mean a long delay in the trial, but said that was not the most important consideration.
"This is not about anyone's convenience, but about whether justice has been served," she said.
"The aim of the referral is not to punish the accused twice," Masipa said, saying that Pistorius should be examined as an outpatient rather than committed to an institution if possible.
Expert report
Court will reconvene on Tuesday for her to issue her order formally, she said.
At that point, Pistorius will learn when and where he will be tested.
The prosecutor had argued in favor of psychological evaluation, while the defense argued against it.
The testing will be done by a panel of experts who will then submit a mental health report to the court, CNN legal analyst Kelly Phelps said.
At one extreme, they could find that Pistorius was mentally incapacitated at the time he killed Steenkamp, which would end the trial immediately in a verdict of not guilty by reason of mental illness, she said.
But it would also mean Pistorius needs to be committed to a mental health institution against his will until he is found not to be a danger, she said.
Another option is that they could find he had "diminished responsibility" at the time he killed Steenkamp. In that case, the trial would continue and his mental health would be taken into consideration during sentencing if he is found guilty, said Phelps, a criminologist and law lecturer at the University of Cape Town.
The third possibility is that the experts could disagree with the defense psychiatrist and say that Pistorius' mental health is not an issue at all. If that happens, Vorster's testimony will be disregarded, Phelps said.
The experts might not all agree with each other, and lawyers on either side could disagree with the experts' report, leading to any number of possible outcomes.
If there is any dispute, the final decision about what to do with the experts' report lies with Judge Masipa.
More...

It didn't make sense to me for the defense to say Oscar suffered from an anxiety disorder that may have influenced his decisions on the night he killed Reeva , yet didn't want a mental evaluation.  The defense opened this can of worms themselves, imo. I believe the judge made the right call in ordering a full evaluation to be done.  JMHO

http://news.sky.com/story/1261682/pistorius-mental-health-at-heart-of-trial
Pistorius' Mental Health At Heart Of Trial
The defence loses their legal fight to prevent the athlete being ordered to undergo a full evaluation of his psychological state.
May 14, 2014

In a hasty, whispered exchange with his lawyer, Oscar Pistorius was given the news of the judge's ruling just moments before she delivered it in court.

His expression - grim resignation - said it all: the defence had lost their legal fight to prevent the South African athlete being ordered to undergo a full evaluation of his mental health.

Judge Thokozile Masipa said she had a duty to refer the athlete for tests by a panel of government psychiatrists after one of the defence's own witnesses raised the issue of his mental condition.

From the defence's perspective, it was an unintended and undesirable consequence of their decision to call psychiatrist Merryl Vorster to the witness box.

She had told the court the athlete suffered from "Generalised Anxiety Disorder", a condition that might have influenced his actions on the night he shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The prosecution leapt on the diagnosis and immediately demanded the full, independent evaluation, warning that without it any conviction could be vulnerable to appeal.

The judge agreed and, suddenly, the 10-week long murder trial that was inching to a conclusion was adjourned.

The details of process will be determined when the court reconvenes on Tuesday.

But it is expected - likely much to the athlete’s relief - that he will be examined as an "out-patient" rather than admitted to a psychiatric facility for observation.

The panel of assessors will be made up of at least three psychiatrists and clinical psychologists.

The usual period of observation is 30 days and it could then take a similar amount of time for the report to be compiled. 

The key, in terms of the case, is whether the psychiatrists diagnose any disorder which might indicate "diminished capacity".

In layman’s terms - that the athlete's mental problems meant he could not be held responsible for the shooting.

That seems unlikely, but even a lesser "condition" might be a factor in the case and the court cannot proceed until the matter is settled so the trial may be delayed for months.
What has baffled many watching the trial - criminal lawyers among them - is why this was not all dealt with at the beginning of the case if it was a consideration.

And why Pistorius' own lawyers did not realise the implications of the evidence their own psychiatrist would give?

Some argue, and this is an allegation that's been raised by the prosecution, that the athlete’s legal team is so concerned by how the case is going that the net has been cast wide for any new defence - including his mental state.

Alternatively, they had hoped to introduce the "anxiety disorder" not as a determining factor in the case but simply as context for the events of the shooting on Valentine’s Day last year.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/20/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-trial/
Judge lays down rules for Oscar Pistorius psychiatric tests
May 20, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* Pistorius will undergo mental health observations over the next month
*He will be tested on an outpatient basis and can go home each day
*The evaluations push the trial back until June 30

Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- Oscar Pistorius must report for a month-long mental examination starting next Monday, the judge in his murder trial said Tuesday.
But unlike many defendants who have been ordered to psychiatric evaluation, the Olympian will not be committed to a medical facility. Judge Thokozile Masipa said Pistorius must report each weekday starting Monday, but will have evenings and weekends free.
 ::snipping3::
The testing was triggered by the testimony of a psychiatrist who said that the sprinter has suffered from generalized anxiety disorder since he was an infant, stemming partly from the amputation of both of his lower legs because of a genetic defect.
 ::snipping3::
Pistorius has not claimed he was insane or mentally incapacitated when he shot her. But when the defense put a psychiatrist on the stand, it raised the question of the athlete's mental health, the judge said last week.
The expert panel evaluating Pistorius has three options:
1) They could find that Pistorius was mentally incapacitated when he shot Steenkamp, which would end the trial immediately in a verdict of not guilty by reason of mental illness. That would lead to the athlete being committed to a mental institution until he is ruled not to be a danger.
2) The doctors could also find that he had "diminished responsibility" at the time he killed Steenkamp. In that case, the trial would resume, and the experts' finding would be taken into consideration during sentencing if he is found guilty.
3) The third possibility is that the experts could disagree with the defense psychiatrist and say that Pistorius' mental health is not an issue at all.

It appears to me the judge is playing this very safe.  She's making sure Oscar undergoes a psychiatric evaluation, since there were issues brought up by the defense.  However, I also see she has set down some rules, which is good, but also indicates Oscar is getting privileges others may not have, such as being able to go home each night.  It's a high profile case and the world is watching.  He's a celebrity and a hero to some.  And yet, what about the common man?  Why is there a double standard? 

I believe the statements by the defense psychiatrist blew up in the defense's face.  I don't believe it occurred to the Pistorius camp that Oscar would have to under go a psychiatric exam.  With all of Oscars crying and vomiting over the course of the trial, with the breaks taken to let him recover etc., the defense played it too far.  They brought it into play themselves.  And when it came up that there should be an exam, the defense didn't want it.  Whoops!  Can't have it both ways. 

Oscar's country has a background of haves and have nots, and it's become apparent he's a have.  He's still innocent until judgement, but I feel for Reeva's family.  Oscar is getting preferential treatment.  He shouldn't be treated worse, but he shouldn't be treated any better either.  He's been allowed to leave the country, to continue to compete in races and etc.  He's had to sell his house for his defense (at least he had a house to sell) and there will always be a cloud over his reputation even if he's found not-guilty of murder.  The judge has to satisfy a population, imo.  My opinion is at this point, that Oscar will get a slap on the wrist.  Depending on the psychiatric eval, he may need to have treatment.  Whatever happens, I hope Oscar is never, ever allowed to have guns or ammunition in his proximity.  Even in my State of Texas, where guns are common, no one I know of would say it's okay to shoot though a closed door without knowing who or what you are shooting.  Oscar has issues; I'm just not sure if he's paranoid or a murderer at this point.  All jmho

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pistorius-start-mental-evaluation-week-23789754
Pistorius to Start Mental Evaluation Next Week
May 20, 2014

Oscar Pistorius will start a period of psychiatric evaluation at a government institution next week, a judge ruled on Tuesday as she postponed the star athlete's murder trial until June 30.

A panel of mental health experts is now to decide if the double-amputee runner can be held criminally responsible for killing his girlfriend.

Judge Thokozile Masipa took just a few minutes to read out her ruling that the Olympian must present himself at 9 a.m. on Monday and every weekday after that at the Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital in Pretoria.

Pistorius will be treated as an outpatient, Masipa ruled, and will be allowed to leave the facility in the South African capital each day at 4 p.m. or when "formally excused" by hospital authorities. The period of evaluation will be for no more than 30 days, the judge said, and will depend on how long the panel of four experts needs to observe Pistorius and compile a report for the court. The panel will consist of three psychiatrists and a clinical psychologist, Masipa said.
 ::snipping3::
A psychiatrist called by Pistorius' defense lawyers recently testified she believes the runner had an anxiety disorder from childhood which may have contributed to him killing Steenkamp. That prompted the chief prosecutor to ask the court that he be sent for independent psychiatric tests.

Kelly Phelps, a senior lecturer in the public law department at the University of Cape Town and a legal expert observing the trial, said the psychiatric evaluation could affect both the verdict and, if Pistorius is convicted, the sentencing. She saw three possible outcomes:

— An "extreme" conclusion in which the panel decides Pistorius was unable to distinguish between right and wrong, or act in accordance with that understanding, because of an anxiety disorder when he killed Steenkamp. Such an outcome, according to Phelps, would result in a verdict of "not guilty by reason of mental illness."

— The panel basically agrees with the defense witness, Dr. Merryll Vorster, who said Pistorius was able to distinguish between right and wrong but had the anxiety disorder, possibly bolstering Pistorius' argument that he was acting in "putative self-defense" because he feared his life was in danger from a perceived intruder.

— The panel contradicts Vorster and says Pistorius does not have an anxiety disorder, possibly casting doubt on the defense's argument that Pistorius had a long-held fear of crime and felt anxious and vulnerable when he shot Steenkamp.

Judge Masipa said Tuesday that the panel should determine whether any mental illness may have affected Pistorius' capacity to be "criminally responsible" for killing Steenkamp. She said the panel would evaluate "whether he was capable of appreciating the wrongfulness of his act or of acting in accordance with an appreciation of the wrongfulness of his act."

The world-famous disabled athlete faces 25 years to life in prison if found guilty on the premeditated murder charge. He is free on bail.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/21/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-murder-trial.html
Psychiatric Tests Raise Question of Pistorius’s Criminal Liability
May 20, 2014

 ::snipping3::
Starting Monday, a panel of mental health experts will seek to determine whether Mr. Pistorius, in the words of Judge Thokozile Matilda Masipa, was “capable of appreciating the wrongfulness of his act or acting in accordance with appreciation of the wrongfulness of his act” when he opened fire on a locked bathroom door at his home in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013.

Mr. Pistorius says he feared that an intruder hiding in the bathroom was about to attack and fired in what his defense lawyers call “putative self-defense.” It was only after he broke through the door with a cricket bat that he realized that his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, 29, a model and law school graduate, was on the other side, he has said. The prosecution says he killed her in a jealous rage after an argument.

Since the trial opened on March 3, those two narratives have formed the core of the legal battle. The introduction of a new element — Mr. Pistorius’s mental health, and with it, the question of criminal responsibility — has shifted the case into a new, high-stakes phase that could sway the course of the trial.

By some accounts, the examinations at Weskoppies — built in 1892 in what was then the Republic of Transvaal, and known initially as the Pretoria Lunatic Asylum — could even determine whether the hearings proceed at all.

Tyrone Maseko, a criminal lawyer, said on the television station eNCA in South Africa that the question the psychiatric panel would seek to answer from Mr. Pistorius was “Do you have the ability to appreciate the difference between wrong and right?”

If Mr. Pistorius passes the first part of the test, Mr. Maseko said, the panel’s next move will be to evaluate whether, “at the time of the commission of the offense, he had the ability to act in accordance with that appreciation.”

“If he fails that second part,” he added, “we say he has diminished capacity.”

Two South African lawyers not connected with the case said the country’s Criminal Procedure Act stipulated that defendants found to have a mental disorder or defect that rendered them unable to distinguish between right and wrong at the time of an offense must be committed indefinitely to a mental hospital.

On Tuesday, the 33rd day of the trial, Judge Masipa adjourned the oft-delayed case until June 30 to allow time for the psychiatric evaluation.

The debate about Mr. Pistorius’s mental health erupted last week, when a forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Merryll Vorster, testified for the defense that the athlete, born without fibula bones, had a generalized anxiety disorder dating to a double amputation below the knee at the age of 11 months that was followed by a difficult childhood.

Dr. Vorster said that the disorder did not mean Mr. Pistorius could not distinguish between right and wrong, but that the condition would have affected his behavior on the night of the shooting. Mr. Pistorius’s defense lawyer, Barry Roux, apparently intended the evidence to bolster the argument that the athlete was unusually susceptible to fears about intruders, particularly in light of a sense of vulnerability related to his disability.

The prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, said the mere suggestion of a mental disorder demanded a full psychiatric report, and the judge agreed.

Mr. Pistorius faces a mandatory 25-year minimum prison term if convicted of premeditated murder.

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/25610448/pistorius-starts-psychiatric-evaluation
Pistorius starts psychiatric evaluation
May 26, 2014

JOHANNESBURG (AP) - Oscar Pistorius' murder trial began a new phase Monday when the Olympic athlete arrived at a state psychiatric hospital for a monthlong evaluation whose terms have been described by some as favorable to the double-amputee runner.

Pistorius, who killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his home last year, sat in the passenger seat of a black sedan and spoke on a cellphone as he arrived behind a police van at Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital in Pretoria, the South African capital.

The judge who will deliver a verdict in the case asked the hospital to determine if Pistorius had a mental disorder at the time of the shooting, which could affect whether he should be held criminally responsible.

Pistorius must arrive by 9 a.m. and can leave by 4 p.m. each weekday, and has weekends off under an order from Judge Thokozile Masipa. Pistorius, who is free on bail, has been staying at the upscale Pretoria home of his uncle.

Pistorius' outpatient status troubles some experts who say 24-hour observation is common in state psychiatric facilities. In the evenings, nursing staff can get additional insights into a patient's mental state that complement formal questioning and other tests during the day, say the experts.

"There is a benefit" to the after-hours observation, said Lee-Ann Hartman, a clinical psychologist who has worked in state psychiatric facilities.

Masipa's instruction came after a psychiatrist testified that Pistorius, who has said he feels particularly vulnerable because of his disability and long-held worry about crime, had an anxiety disorder that could have contributed to his shooting of Steenkamp on Feb. 14, 2013. The judge was responding to a prosecution request for an independent inquiry, based on concern the defense would argue Pistorius was not guilty because of mental illness.

Prosecutors allege Pistorius killed Steenkamp intentionally after a late-night fight, but the athlete says he mistook his girlfriend for a dangerous intruder hiding in a toilet cubicle when he shot her multiple times through the door.

There is a long waiting list for observation cases at state psychiatric hospitals and Pistorius' assessment will be faster because he does not need a hospital bed, said Gerhard Grundling, chair of the Clinical Psychology Forum, a South African group. He said the observation will likely include blood tests and possible brain scans and that more specialists, including a neurologist, can get involved as needed.

Additionally, in such observations, social workers gather "collateral information" in interviews with friends, family and others, according to Grundling.

Other trials had been delayed for nearly a year because of patient backlogs at state mental health facilities, said Jack Bloom, an opposition member of the provincial legislature.

"Everyone should be equal before the law, no matter how famous," Bloom said, urging authorities to explain the runner's "preferential treatment" as an outpatient receiving speedy observation.

Pistorius faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder. Trial proceedings resume June 30.

The high-security Weskoppies hospital was called the Pretoria Lunatic Asylum long ago. Accounts described crowded, unhygienic conditions and staffing shortages there during the 1899-1902 Anglo-Boer war, though conditions later improved.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-not-mentally-ill-when-he-killed-reeva-steenkamp-1.1850216
Oscar Pistorius ‘not mentally ill’ when he killed Reeva Steenkamp
Experts conclude Pistorius was ‘capable of appreciating the wrongfulness of his act’
June 30, 2014

A panel of mental health experts have concluded Oscar Pistorius was not suffering from a mental illness when he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, the athlete’s murder trial has heard today.
Mr Pistorius’ trial resumed after a break of one month during which a psychologist and three psychiatrists also assessed whether the double-amputee runner was capable of understanding the wrongfulness of his act when he shot Ms Steenkamp through a closed toilet door.
The panel’s reports were submitted to Judge Thokozile Masipa, and prosecutor Gerrie Nel referred to key parts of the conclusions, noting that the experts believed Mr Pistorius was “capable of appreciating the wrongfulness of his act” when he killed Ms Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model.

The evaluation came after a psychiatrist, Dr Merryll Vorster, testified for the defence that Mr Pistorius, who has said he feels vulnerable because of his disability and a long-held worry about crime, had an anxiety disorder that could have contributed to the killing in the early hours of February 14th, last year.
He testified that he opened fire after mistakenly thinking there was a dangerous intruder in the toilet.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel has alleged that Mr Pistorius, 27, killed Ms Steenkamp after a Valentine’s Day argument, and has portrayed the Olympic athlete as a hothead with a love of guns and an inflated sense of entitlement.
But he requested an independent inquiry into Mr Pistorius’ state of mind, based on concern the defence would argue Mr Pistorius was not guilty because of mental illness.
Mr Pistorius faces 25 years to life in prison if found guilty of premeditated murder, and could also face years in prison if convicted of murder without premeditation or negligent killing. He is free on bail.
 ::snipping3::

June 30, 2014 Live Blog There are some excerpts in the trial blog that are very interesting in that they raise more questions of what may have really happened.  JMHO

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/oscar-pistorius-murder-trial-recap-3787149
Oscar Pistorius murder trial: Recap of updates as psychiatrists conclude athlete 'not mentally ill during shooting'
Jun 30, 2014 14:15 By Steve Robson

 ::snipping3::
2:15 pm
Here's a quickfire recap of what's happened:

A panel of psychiatrists say Oscar Pistorius was NOT mentally ill when he shot dead Reeva Steenkamp
The athlete was capable of knowing right from wrong despite suffering from an anxiety disorder
Dr Gerald Versfeld, the physician who amputated Pistorius' leg and who has known since he was a baby, gave evidence
He said Pistorius is "vulnerable" both when on his stumps and his prosthetic legs
He says the athlete would have trouble "turning and running from danger"
But Dr Versfeld concedes that Pistorius' claim to have turned and rushed back into the bedroom in pitch black is "improbable"
Prosecution and defence clash over a missing electrical cord which was at the scene but has since apparently been "lost" by police
Sound engineer Ivan Lin says screams at 177m away would not be audible or at least unlikely, but at 80m away they would be

Join us back here at mirror.co.uk from 7.30am tomorrow for all the latest from Pretoria.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/03/world/africa/pistorius-at-increasing-risk-of-suicide-lawyer-says.html
Pistorius at Increasing Risk of Suicide, Lawyer Says
July 2, 2014

LONDON — A psychologist’s report read by the defense at the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius on Wednesday said the disabled athlete — once a major draw at international track meets, including the Olympics — was at increasing risk of suicide without treatment for post-traumatic stress and depression brought on by the killing of his girlfriend last year.

The assertion on the 36th day of the trial raised the stakes in a battle of perceptions and presentation between the defense and the prosecution over the true nature of Mr. Pistorius’s personality and the extent of his mental health problems before and after the death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Feb. 14, 2013.

Mr. Pistorius, 27, has denied murdering Ms. Steenkamp, testifying that he shot her by mistake because he believed that an intruder had entered his home in the South African capital, Pretoria.

Specifically, the defense is seeking to challenge the depiction of Mr. Pistorius as prone to rage, violence, lies and narcissism — factors that the prosecution has cited to support its case that the athlete, a double amputee since infancy, murdered Ms. Steenkamp, 29, in a jealous rage.
More...

You can scroll down and read the updates from the trial. 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/oscar-pistorius-murder-trial-live-3797456
Oscar Pistorius murder trial: Live updates as psychologist says Paralympian is at risk of SUICIDE
July 1, 2014

2:11 pm
The judge has made an order banning the publication of intimate details from Pistorius' psychiatric report.
She then adjourned the court for the day.
The trial will continue tomorrow morning.

2:07 pm
The evidence is now getting extremely technical and detailed.
Professor Derman is talking about the inner workings of the brain to highlight the fight or flight response.
He has been showing a graph to the courtroom.
 ::snipping3::
12:23 pm
RECAP

With the court currently breaking for lunch, now is a good time to go over this morning's evidence.Here are the most important points to come out of this morning's session.
Oscar Pistorius is 'severely traumatised' following Reeva Steenkamp's death and is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
If he does not continue to receive clinical care then Pistorius is at risk of committing suicide
A psychologist also said no evidence could be found that the athlete has a history of "abnormal aggression or explosive violence"
A professor who has worked with the South African Paralympic teams says Pistorius is an "anxious individual" who is "hyper vigilant"
He has a tremor in his hands and suffers from a sleep disorder
The court heard Pistorius was in love with former girlfriend Samantha Taylor and attempted to get her a ticket to the London 2012 Games\
 ::snipping3::

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/03/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-trial/
Did Oscar Pistorius have time to think?
July 3, 2014

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/06/oscar-pistorius-reenactment-shooting-video
Oscar Pistorius re-enactment of shooting aired on Australian TV
Defendant's family condemn 'breach of trust' after leak of video showing athlete taking part in reconstruction of events
July 6, 2014

http://www.latimes.com/world/africa/la-fg-pistorius-defense-rests-20140708-story.html
Oscar Pistorius defense team rests case in athlete's murder trial
July 8, 2014

The defense team for Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius closed its case Tuesday in the murder trial of his girlfriend model Reeva Steenkamp, sending the trial into a new phase and ending months of emotionally wrenching cross-examination.

The court was adjourned to allow both sides to prepare written legal arguments based on the thousands of pages of testimony in the trial that has enthralled South Africans, who've witnessed Pistorius, once a national hero, at times weeping and retching over gruesome details of Steenkamp's shooting death.


Pistorius' advocate Barry Roux told Pretoria's High Court Tuesday that the televised broadcast of the trial had caused witnesses favorable to Pistorius' case to decline to testify on the athlete's behalf.

The defense advocate acknowledged that he could have asked Judge Thokozile Masipa to subpoena the witnesses, but told the court that he chose not to.

The case was broadcast live, but witnesses who did not want their faces shown were not shown on television. Even so, the aggressive cross examination style of prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, who shredded some star defense witnesses, was on display for South Africans who got an intimate picture of the workings of their legal system.

During his cross examination of Pistorius, Nel accused the athlete of using emotional outbursts during questioning to cover up moments when he felt under pressure.

Roux also put state witnesses under intense scrutiny, including Pistorius’ neighbors who claimed they heard a woman screaming the night of the killing.

The prosecution now has until July 30 to submit its written legal arguments. The defense must submit its arguments by Aug. 4. The court will resume on Aug. 7 for both sides to present closing oral arguments to the court.

Judge Masipa granted the prosecution’s request to ban publication of leaked details of the arguments before the trial reconvenes in court.
 ::snipping3::

http://af.reuters.com/article/southAfricaNews/idAFL6N0PJ1RI20140708
UPDATE 1-Defence team closes case in Pistorius murder trial
July 8, 2014

* Pistorius trial adjourned until August 7

* Judge to begin deliberation after closing arguments

* Trial has already dragged out over four months (Writes through, adds context and details)

By Siyabonga Sishi

More...

An interesting comparison list of innocent vs guilty.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/oscar-pistorius/10943659/Oscar-Pistorius-10-reasons-why-he-is-guilty-or-innocent.html
Oscar Pistorius: 10 reasons why he is guilty – or innocent
Oscar Pistorius is on trial for the premeditated murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The state say he killed her deliberately after an argument; the athlete says he believed she was an intruder. The following are 10 reasons why the judge might find him guilty, or innocent
July 8, 2014

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/pistorius-trial/oscar-pistorius-involved-bar-argument-n155666
Oscar Pistorius Involved in Bar 'Argument'
July 14 2014

Olympian murder suspect Oscar Pistorius got into an altercation with a fellow patron at a South African club but not a fight, his representatives said Monday after reports of a bar brawl Saturday circulated on social media.

Pistorius, the double-amputee "Blade Runner" sprinter who is free on bail on murder charges in the death of his girlfriend, was in a booth with one of his cousins at VIP Rooms, a club in the ritzy Sandton neighborhood of Johannesburg, when a man identified as "Mr. Mortimer" walked up and "started to aggressively interrogate him on matters relating to the trial," a spokesman for Pistorius said. "An argument ensued during which my client asked to be left alone. Oscar soon thereafter left the club with his cousin," the spokesman said.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/oscar-pistorius-returns-to-twitter-with-four-bizarre-messages-you-have-the-ability-to-make-a-difference-in-someones-life-9604211.html
Oscar Pistorius returns to Twitter: 'You have the ability to make a difference in someone’s life'


Oscar Pistorius has broken his social media silence with four bizarre tweets - the first since the anniversary of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp’s death.

The former Paralympic athlete sent out the strange messages to his 354,000 followers on Sunday night (13 July) and Monday morning (14 July), including a collage of pictures of him posing with amputee children and another asking God to “bathe those who live in pain in the river of your healing”.

At 17.00 on Sunday, Pistorius began his social media session with a passage from The Bible that read in capitals “THE LORD IS CLOSE TO THE BROKENHEARTED”.

He later removed the post.

This was then quickly followed by a post that included an assortment of images picturing Pistorius with a young amputees around the message: “You have the ability to make a difference in someone’s life.”

pic.twitter.com/9e2fykp2E8

— Oscar Pistorius (@OscarPistorius) July 13, 2014
Pistorius’ final tweet on Sunday, included a picture of him pointing to a passage from the Austrian psychiatrist best-selling book Man’s Search for Meaning, written by Victor Frankl when he was a prisoner at the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz.

In the passage, Frankl talks about a man with “nothing left in this world” only being able to “achieve fulfilment[sic]” by “loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved.”

pic.twitter.com/UFxSHfpavj

— Oscar Pistorius (@OscarPistorius) July 13, 2014
However, Pistorius was back on Twitter on Monday morning with another pious post.

At 07.59, he tweeted: “Lord, today I ask that you bathe those who live in pain in the river of your healing. Amen.”

(http://i.imgur.com/nTm5ZUhs.jpg) (http://imgur.com/nTm5ZUh)

— Oscar Pistorius (@OscarPistorius) July 14, 2014
The tweets are the first public posts from Pistorius since 14 February, when he posted a link to an open letter on his website outlining the “pain” and “sadness” he felt at Steenkamp’s death.
More...

http://www.voanews.com/content/oscar-pistorius-murder-trial-resumes/1973385.html
Prosecutor Calls Pistorius 'Deceitful Witness'
August 7, 2014

Final arguments have begun in the murder trial of former South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius, following months of gripping testimony that captured the world's attention.

Pistorius, once a national icon for reaching the pinnacle of sport despite having no lower legs, is accused of murdering his law graduate and model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, 29, at his home in Pretoria on Valentine's Day last year. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

Pistorius, 27, has denied the charge in the months-long trial in which he has at times sat weeping and vomiting in the dock as grisly details of Steenkamp's death were presented to the judge.

In his closing argument in the Pretoria courthouse, South African state prosecutor Gerrie Nel asked the judge on Thursday to reject Pistorius' defense as “devoid of any truth."
More...

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/oscar-pistorius-trial-recap-updates-4014604
Oscar Pistorius trial: Recap updates after prosecution says shooting that killed Reeva was 'pre-planned'
August 7, 2014

Oscar Pistorius' trial for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp has resumed today, with the prosecution and defence setting out their closing arguments over the next two days.

This morning prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the judge that Pistorius presented two different defences to the court - the first, that he was not in control of himself when he shot Reeva; and the second, that if the court finds he was in control, he acted in self defence.

But Nel said these two defences cannot be reconciled.

The lawyer has also branded the Blade Runner a "deceitful", "appalling", "vague" and "argumentative" witness whose evidence was "devoid of any truth", and suggested Reeva had been "unhappy" is their relationship.

Defence barrister Barry Roux is now giving his speech.

Follow live updates from the court room in Pretoria below.
More...

http://www.voanews.com/content/defense-pistorius-shot-using-primal-instincts/2406928.html
Pistorius Verdict Set for September 11
August 8, 2014

PRETORIA—
The judge in the murder trial of South African runner Oscar Pistorius says she will give her verdict on September 11.  The date was set after Pistorius's lawyer Barry Roux finished making his closing arguments Friday. 
 
In 41 days of testimony - some of it intensely emotional, some of it intricately technical - both sides in Oscar Pistorius’ murder trial attempted to answer one simple question: Did he mean to kill his girlfriend when he shot four times through a locked bathroom door at his home?
 
Now, one person will have to make a decision: Judge Thokozile Masipa.  Maspia said Friday she will announce her ruling in just under five weeks' time, on September 11.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/africa/day-of-reckoning-for-oscar-pistorius-timeline-of-trial-as-verdict-due-tomorrow-30577382.html
Day of reckoning for Oscar Pistorius: Timeline of trial as verdict due tomorrow
September 9, 2014

More than six months have now elapsed since decorated athlete Oscar Pistorius denied murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at a court in Pretoria, South Africa.

After several interruptions and adjournments, Judge Thokozile Masipa is preparing to deliver her verdict. Here is a timeline of events inside the court room:

March 3 - Oscar Pistorius pleads not guilty in court to murder and three gun charges. Later, neighbour Michelle Burger, the first witness called by the prosecution, tells the court she heard ''blood-curdling'' screams before the sound of four gunshots on the night the Olympian killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

 March 5 - Prosecutor Gerrie Nel says neighbour Charl Johnson received texts and calls after his telephone number was read out in court the previous day. He described one voicemail message as saying: ''Why are you lying in court? You know Oscar didn't kill Reeva. It's not cool.''

 March 10 - Pistorius vomits repeatedly in the dock as he hears graphic details of the injuries sustained by the girlfriend he fatally shot.

 March 11 - A witness describes how a "furious" Pistorius fired a gun out of a car sunroof after being pulled over by police for speeding.

 ::snipping3::

June 30 - After a month-long break, the murder trial resumes when mental health experts state Pistorius was not suffering from a mental illness when he killed girlfriend Ms Steenkamp.

 July 2 - Mr Roux reads a psychologist's report which concludes Pistorius is severely traumatised and will become an increasing suicide risk unless he continues to get mental health care.

 July 7 - Mr Nel challenges the credibility of a doctor who testifies that the athlete has an anxious nature linked to his disability.

 July 8 - The defence team closes its case and the trial is adjourned.

 August 7 - After a lengthy adjournment, closing arguments begin.

August 8 - Judge Masipa announces she will deliver her verdict on September 11.

(see article at above link for full timeline)

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-09/verdict-in-oscar-pistorius-s-murder-trial-will-hinge-on-intent.html
Verdict in Oscar Pistorius’s Murder Trial to Hinge on Intent
September 10, 2014
By Paul Burkhardt

The judge in Oscar Pistorius’s murder trial will announce this week whether she believes the Paralympian deliberately shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp or a person he thought to be an intruder, or fired as a reflex.

Judge Thokozile Masipa, 66, begins reading her verdict tomorrow at the high court in Pretoria, South Africa’s capital, after a 41-day trial that started March 3. While the prosecution maintains that Pistorius planned to kill Steenkamp after an argument, the defense says he mistook her for an intruder, and her death was a “huge, unfortunate mistake.”

There are three guilty verdicts that she can hand down for the main charge, Ulrich Roux, a director at Johannesburg-based BDK Attorneys, said by phone yesterday. “One is premeditated murder. The next one is that he’s convicted of murder, which is straight murder. The third one is that he’s convicted of culpable homicide, which is the negligent unlawful killing of a person.”
 ::snipping3::
If found guilty of planning to kill Steenkamp, Pistorius would face a minimum of 25 years in jail, while a verdict of murder without premeditation may carry a sentence of at least 15 years. A culpable homicide decision could mean as many as 15 years in prison.

Should Masipa agree with the defense’s contention that the shooting was a reflex and the Paralympian lacked cognitive capacity, he could face a lesser sentence or even acquittal.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/nbc-news-pays-for-access-to-oscar-pistorius-murder-scene_b238563
NBC News Pays for Access to Oscar Pistorius Murder Scene
September 10, 2014

Video

Not guilty.  Reminds me of the O.J. verdict.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/11/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-verdict/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 (http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/11/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-verdict/index.html?hpt=hp_t1)

Judge: Pistorius was negligent, but Steenkamp killing was not 'murder'
By Richard Greene, Josh Levs, and Faith Karimi, CNN
updated 8:33 AM EDT, Thu September 11, 2014

Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- [Breaking news update 8:31 a.m. ET]

Oscar Pistorius' actions were "negligent" on the night he killed Reeva Steenkamp, the judge in his trial said Thursday. She then adjourned the trial until Friday.

The judge's finding suggests that she will find him guilty of "culpable homicide."
 ::snipping3::

It's really sad.  Another professional athlete/celebrity male gets away with murdering their wife/partner.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://af.reuters.com/article/southAfricaNews/idAFL5N0RC0ZQ20140911
UPDATE 7-Pistorius cleared of murder, culpable homicide verdict to come
September 11, 2014

* Judge Masipa rejects charges of murder

* Verdict on culpable homicide still to come

* Pistorius weeps in court as judge delivers verdict

* Trial presented South Africa with awkward realities

* Runner also faces three gun-related charges (Updates with judge comments on negligence, adjournment)

More...

Sounds like he may at least get manslaughter.  I'm hoping for that.  I cannot believe the judge believed that Oscar didn't know she was in the bathroom.  Geez ::MonkeyNoNo::

I watched/listened to the judge reading her verdict late last night (early morning) for a few hours. She will continue Friday morning and I am betting she will hold him guilty of Culpable homicide, which is in essence, manslaughter. She explained why she is tending not to find him guilty of Premeditated Murder or Murder (which means he knew she was behind the door and meant to kill her.)

I think the judge may believe he knew she was in the bathroom, but I think the judge does not believe the evidence proves he knew she was there. I believe she has to rule on what the evidence proves, not on her personal beliefs.

I really believe she will find him guilty of Culpable homicide.

Next will be his sentencing trial. And after the sentencing, he can begin the appeals process.

*sigh*

Well, he was found guilty of Culpable homicide and guilty on one of the gun charges. (Discharging a weapon in a public space.)

Max for Culpable homicide is 15 years.

Max for the gun charge is 5 years.

sheesh.

BBM  What you said here makes sense Brandi. 

I think Oscar needs to serve the maximum of the sentences, although I doubt that will happen.  Even if he didn't know Reeva was behind the door in the bathroom, he fired four shots through that closed door.  That's a big, big no-no.  Even in the gun happy state of Texas I live in, that's a big no.  Oscar had firearms training and knew better imo.  All the difference between shooting Reva and shooting a stranger in that stall would be premeditation imo.  You know your target before you shoot.  What if it had been a twelve year old child behind the door?  Where was the immediate threat?  I wonder if Oscar can be stripped of the privilege of carrying a gun or ammunition?  (And it is a privilege)  He's obviously a danger to society when he has them in possession. JMHO  Oscar had electronic security in his apartment and there was security on the premises.  His not availing himself of those and his actions during and after the shooting show him as someone that shouldn't have firearms.  JMHO

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29184590
Oscar Pistorius verdict: Steenkamp family protest
September 12, 2014

The parents of Reeva Steenkamp say "justice was not served" after South African athlete Oscar Pistorius was acquitted of murdering their daughter.

June and Barry Steenkamp told NBC News of their "disbelief" that the court had believed Pistorius's version of events.

Judge Thokozile Masipa found him guilty of the lesser charge of culpable homicide, saying the state had failed to prove he intended to kill.

Pistorius has been allowed bail ahead of sentencing on 13 October.

Judge Masipa said the athlete had acted "negligently" when he shot his girlfriend through a toilet door, but in the "belief that there was an intruder".

The Paralympic sprinter had strenuously denied murdering Ms Steenkamp after a row on Valentine's Day last year, saying he shot her by mistake.

But in the interview with NBC, June Steenkamp said: "This verdict is not justice for Reeva.

"I just want the truth. He shot through the door and I can't believe that they believe it was an accident."

There is a perception here that most crime is committed by poor black people targeting the white middle classes or the wealthy elite.

Cue "white fear" - a phrase used to refer to the rich white "haves" in society who live behind high walls, afraid of the intruder who may come in the night. It was the threat of this intruder that apparently gripped Pistorius with fear on that tragic morning.

In a country where domestic violence is a serious problem, it is not surprising that many hoped this case would be an impetus for change in the laws protecting women.

It was never proven that this was a case of domestic abuse but this did not stop political parties and women's organisations from using Ms Steenkamp as the face of the vulnerable woman - failed by her country and the system.

Outside court, one protester told me: "Women always lose."
Earlier, Arnold Pistorius, the athlete's uncle, said the family was "deeply grateful" to the judge for finding him not guilty of murder and that a "big burden" had been lifted.

"There are no victors in this," he added. "We as a family remain deeply affected by the devastating, tragic event... It won't bring Reeva back but our hearts still go out for her family and friends."

South Africa's prosecuting authority said it was "disappointed" that Pistorius was not convicted of murder but said it would wait until after sentencing to decide whether to appeal.

Pistorius faces up to 15 years in jail, although the judge could suspend the sentence or only impose a fine.

The athlete was also found guilty on a charge of negligently handling a firearm that went off in a restaurant.

He was acquitted of another charge of firing a gun in public, through the sunroof of a car, and of a charge of illegal possession of ammunition in the home where he killed Ms Steenkamp.

There is a table at the end of the article that explains the ins and outs of the verdicts/what it means/sentence

It looks like Oscar is out on bail until October 13 for sentencing.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29179157
Oscar Pistorius 'a free man for now'
September 12, 2014

http://gulfnews.com/news/world/other-world/oscar-pistorius-acquittal-on-murder-charge-stuns-legal-experts-1.1384609
Oscar Pistorius acquittal on murder charge stuns legal experts
Ruling stunned many South Africans, including legal analysts
September 13, 2014

Pretoria, South Africa: Evasive, negligent, unreasonable, hasty and at times a dishonest witness. Oscar Pistorius is all those things, but he is not a murderer, Judge Thokozile Masipa ruled on Thursday.
Pistorius crumpled, sobbing, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably after Masipa delivered her verdict clearing him of murder charges in the shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day 2013.
 ::snipping3::
The ruling stunned many South Africans, including legal analysts, igniting speculation that Masipa had made a mistake that could provide a basis for an appeal. But despite widespread sentiment on social media and elsewhere that Pistorius had gotten away with murder, the case was not over.
“It is clear that his conduct was negligent,” Masipa said before she halted proceedings until Friday.
Prosecutors, who contended that Pistorius wanted to kill Steenkamp after they had an argument, may appeal the murder acquittal.
Masipa said on Thursday that Pistorius, a double amputee who competed in the 2012 Olympics in London running on prosthetic legs, used excessive, unreasonable force when he fired four shots into a toilet door in his bathroom, killing Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model.
“I am not convinced that a reasonable person with the accused’s disability would have fired four shots into that small toilet cubicle,” Masipa said. “I am of the view that the accused acted too hastily and used excessive force.”
She accepted his defence that he acted in fear, believing there was an intruder in the cubicle.
There were gasps in the court as Masipa adjourned for the day.
Pistorius, 27, left court looking calmer than he had for much of the trial, and was driven to his uncle Arnold’s mansion in Waterkloof, an upscale Pretoria suburb. In an indication of the optimistic mood, the family sent out a domestic worker, in a blue uniform with a white kerchief on her head, to serve drinks from a tray to journalists.
Pistorius won fame and adulation for running in the Olympic Games, attracting sponsorships worth millions. The sponsors abruptly dropped him after the murder charge, and he appeared to lose public support after his poor performance on the witness box.
His acquittal on the murder charge raises the question of whether the athlete may be able to resume a sporting career. But the emotional frailty he showed throughout the trial, weeping frequently and vomiting on hearing descriptions of Steenkamp’s wounds, may have irreparably damaged the Pistorius brand that sponsors once clamoured for.
The trial revealed a side of the athlete as an anxious, insecure person, paranoid about his safety, with a short fuse. The court heard that Pistorius loved guns, had an intimate knowledge of different kinds of high-powered guns and ammunition, and never went anywhere without a loaded weapon. The prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, accused him of reckless behaviour regarding firearms.
The Pistorius family has been through deep trauma over many months, including the threat of a murder conviction for Oscar Pistorius and the near-death in a car accident last month of his older brother, Carl. Carl Pistorius was in court in a wheelchair Thursday, hugging his brother and winking at him before the court resumed after a long lunch break. Carl Pistorius faced culpable homicide charges last year over a separate car accident but was acquitted.
Much of the most dramatic evidence in the trial _ such as Steenkamp’s cellphone message to Pistorius saying that he sometimes scared her, or revelations that a policeman stole a watch from the athlete’s bedroom hours after the killing _ was ruled irrelevant.
The judge also rejected neighbour Michelle Burger’s testimony that she heard a woman’s blood-curdling screams the night of the shooting, calling Burger an unreliable witness. As she dismissed testimony of another neighbour who claimed to have heard an argument that night, the state’s case of premeditated murder of Steenkamp swiftly toppled.
“The state has not proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of premeditated murder. There are just not enough facts to support this finding,” Masipa said.
Many South African were surprised that the judge, though she found that Pistorius was dishonest when he repeatedly insisted that he never intended to fire the fatal shots, still acquitted him of murder. But Masipa cited a legal precedent cautioning a judge against a conviction just because an accused person lied under oath.
“He was not truthful when asked about his intentions that morning as he armed himself with a lethal weapon,” Masipa said, but “untruthful evidence does not always justify the conclusion that the accused was guilty.”
According to Pistorius, Steenkamp got up in the middle of the night without his noticing. He heard a noise in the bathroom and became convinced there was an intruder inside. Thinking she was still in bed, he grabbed a gun, screamed at her to call the police, approached the bathroom and fired the four shots that killed her. Steenkamp was struck in the head, arm, hip and hand.
During cross-examination, Pistorius floundered as the prosecutor questioned him aggressively about the details of what happened that night.
“The accused was a very poor witness,” Masipa said. “During his evidence in chief he seemed composed and logical with the result that his evidence flowed and made sense.” But under cross-examination, “he lost composure” and seemed mainly concerned with the implications of his statements for his legal fate.
She said he fired unlawfully because there was no threat to his life. Instead he could have called 24-hour security service or police, or run to the balcony and called for help.
Masipa’s acquittal of Pistorius on the premeditated murder charge was widely expected, but her decision to acquit on a lesser murder charge ignited a debate among legal analysts on whether she made an error on which the prosecution could base an appeal.
On the less serious murder count, the judge ruled that Pistorius couldn’t have foreseen he would kill Steenkamp because he thought she was in bed. But legal analysts said that if he foresaw that shooting would kill anyone in the cubicle — regardless of whether he thought it was Steenkamp or an intruder — he ought to be convicted of murder.
James Grant, professor of law at Witwatersrand University, tweeted that arguably she had made an error in law.
Defense advocate David Dadic said on Twitter, “With all due respect to the judge, but it seems the pages in that big bundle have been mixed up,” a reference to the thick wad of pages in her judgement.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-13/five-key-pieces-of-evidence-in-pistorius-trial/5739032
Oscar Pistorius: Five key pieces of evidence in the Blade Runner's trial
September 13, 2014

http://www.tsn.ca/story/?id=461690
MACRAMALLA: JUDGE MADE ERROR DURING CONVICTION OF PISTORIUS
September 13, 2014

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/10/12/oscar-pistorius-faces-sentencing-this-week-for-killing-girlfriend-in-his-south/?intcmp=latestnews
Oscar Pistorius faces sentencing this week
October 12, 2014

JOHANNESBURG –  What kind of sentence will Oscar Pistorius get for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp?

South African judge Thokozile Masipa has wide latitude in deciding the sentence after several days of legal arguments and testimony that begin Monday. Last month she convicted the double-amputee runner of culpable homicide, or negligent killing. Sentences for such a crime can range from a suspended sentence and a fine to as many as 15 years in prison.

Pistorius, once a celebrated athlete who ran in the 2012 Olympics, was charged with premeditated murder in a televised trial that transfixed many people around the world, but Masipa found him not guilty of that charge. She drew criticism from some South Africans who thought Pistorius could at least have been convicted of a lesser murder charge on the grounds that he knew a person could die when he fired four bullets through a toilet door in his home early on Valentine's Day last year.

Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, died in the hail of bullets, and prosecutors said Pistorius had opened fire in anger after the couple argued. The runner testified that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder who was about to come out of the toilet and attack him.

South African lawyers vary widely in predictions about what kind of sentence Pistorius will get. Some say he is unlikely to go to jail because defense lawyers will successfully argue that the athlete is a first-time offender with a disability that would subject him to particular hardship in prison, while others anticipate that Pistorius will be sentenced to some prison time because of the severity of his crime.
More...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/13/us-safrica-pistorius-idUSKCN0I20YW20141013?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
Social worker says Pistorius should get house arrest, community service
October; 13, 2014

(Reuters) - South African track star Oscar Pistorius should serve three years of partial house arrest and community service for the negligent killing of his girlfriend, a witness said on Monday at the first day of the athlete's sentencing.

The 27-year-old Paralympic and Olympic star, whose lower legs were amputated as a baby, was convicted of culpable homicide last month for the shooting of 29-year-old law graduate and model Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013.

The case has riveted South Africans and gripped millions around the world, shocked by the fall of a man widely admired as an inspiration for disabled people and a symbol of triumph over adversity.

Arguing against a prison term, correctional services social worker Joel Maringa said Pistorius was a "co-operative" person who should be sentenced to three years of "correctional supervision", which would mean the athlete would have to spend a portion of the day at home.

Maringa also said Pistorius should carry out community service, such as sweeping the streets outside museums in Pretoria.

State prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who is pushing for a lengthy prison sentence, described the social worker's recommendations as "shockingly inappropriate".

Judge Thokozile Masipa will hear arguments from prosecution and defense, possibly for as long as a day each, and from psychological and probation experts before deciding on sentencing.

Earlier the court heard from Pistorius' psychologist Dr Lore Hartzenberg, who said the athlete was a caring, remorseful person who was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and sometimes spent sessions weeping as she held him.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29591517
Oscar Pistorius community service call angers prosecutor
October 13, 2014

 ::snipping3::
Lawyers for Pistorius are hoping they can prevent a jail sentence.

His psychologist, Lore Hartzenberg, was the first defence witness to speak at the sentencing hearing.
She described Pistorius as a "broken man" after the killing. She said he was "very emotional" during grief therapy sessions, which were often disrupted by his weeping and retching.

Mr Nel said it was "very strange" that Ms Hartzenberg was "avoiding" answering questions about Mr Pistorius having a new relationship.

Ms Hartzenberg said Mr Pistorius had never mentioned a new girlfriend in the therapy sessions. She said she had only heard about the relationship from reports in the press.

The Paralympic sprinter had strenuously denied murdering Ms Steenkamp after a row on Valentine's Day last year, saying he shot her by mistake.

Ms Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model and law graduate, was hit three times by bullets shot through a toilet door by Pistorius at his home in the capital, Pretoria.

'Disbelief'
The parents of Ms Steenkamp said "justice was not served" after Pistorius was acquitted of murder.

June and Barry Steenkamp told NBC News of their "disbelief" that the court had believed Pistorius' version of events.

Earlier, Arnold Pistorius, the athlete's uncle, said the family was "deeply grateful" to the judge for finding him not guilty of murder and that a "big burden" had been lifted.

South Africa's prosecuting authority said it was "disappointed" that Pistorius was not convicted of murder but said it would wait until after sentencing to decide whether to appeal.

Despite the conviction, the International Paralympic Committee has said Pistorius will be allowed to compete in future events.

BBM Yes, I would imagine "The exposure of the accused on his stumps to inmates will have a severe effect on him", but I also believe the bullets fired from his gun through the bathroom door had a severe effect on Reeva....  ::MonkeyNoNo::


http://abcnews.go.com/International/oscar-pistorius-paying-steenkamp-family-shooting/story?id=26175137
Oscar Pistorius Has Been Paying Steenkamp Family Since the Shooting
October 14, 2014

Convicted paralympian Oscar Pistorius has been making financial payments to the family of Reeva Steenkamp, the girlfriend he killed last Valentine's Day, since shortly after the fatal shooting and he intends to set up a trust fund for the family once the sentencing is over, according to testimony at his sentencing trial today.

The financial revelation came as a probation officer warned the court that if the legless Pistorius is sentenced to prison he would be vulnerable to attacks by other inmates, particularly if his prosthetic legs were taken away from him.

Probation officer Annette Vergeer was the second law enforcement official to suggest Pistorius be spared prison despite being convicted of culpable homicide - the equivalent of manslaughter - in Steenkamp's death. On Monday, a corrections social worker urged the court to sentence Pistorius to three years of house arrest along with community service.

Pistorius, a champion sprinter known as the Blade Runner for his prosthetic blades, could be sentenced to as much as 15 years in prison.

Vergeer also told the court that Pistorius has been making monthly payments of $530 (6,000 Rand) a month to the Steenkamp family since March 2013, one month after their daughter's death.
The probation officer said the Pistorius sold his car for about $34,000 (375,000 Rand), but the Steenkamps rejected the money, Vergeer said.

"Mrs. Steenkamp said she did not want blood money," prosecutor Gerrien Nel said. Nel also said that the Steenkamps intended to repay the money from the monthly payments to Pistorius.

Earlier, Pistorius' agent Peet Van Zyl said that the sprinter intended to create a trust fund for the family once the trial was concluded.
 ::snipping3::

Vergeer, testifying on the second day of Pistorius' sentencing phase, said he should not be sent to prison because with violence and overcrowding rampant in South African jails and the athlete vulnerable to attacks.

She said Pistorius would be especially vulnerable without his prosthetic legs. She believes he has the potential to be a productive member of society again, and suggested a three-year period of correctional supervision outside of prison.

"The exposure of the accused on his stumps to inmates will have a severe effect on him,” Vergeer said.

On Monday, Pistorius' psychologist Dr. Löre Hartzenberg testified that Pistorius was devastated by Steenkamp's death.

"We are left with a broken man who has lost everything. He’s lost his relationship with Reeva Steenkamp, he’s lost his moral and professional reputation. He’s lost his friends. He’s lost his career,” Hartzenberg said. “On an emotional level, his self-perception and self-worth have been damaged.”

Pistorius' sentencing hearing is expected to last around a week. While the prosecutor has not indicated how many witnesses he will call, it is expected that Pistorius' ex-girlfriend Samantha Taylor would be among them.

It is unclear if Steenkamp's parents will testify, although there are indications they won't be called to the stand. After witnesses are called on both sides, the state and defense will deliver closing arguments.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.news.com.au/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-sentencing-for-reeva-steenkamps-culpable-homicide-resumes/story-fnh81gzi-1227090384415
Oscar Pistorius sentencing for Reeva Steenkamp’s culpable homicide resumes
October 15, 2014

OSCAR Pistorius has paid the parents of his slain girlfriend a monthly payment of $623 since her death and offered them an additional lump sum of $39,000 but this has now been rejected as “blood money”.
Details of the previously unknown monthly stipend, paid since March last year, and the one-off payment offer were revealed for the first time at the Blade Runner’s sentencing hearing yesterday.
The Steenkamp family had previously intended to sue Pistorius in a civil action as their daughter had provided for them financially and her death had made life difficult for them.
It later emerged that details of the payments had been kept secret at Pistorius’ request. And the Steenkamps no longer want or need the money and will now be repaying every cent to Pistorius.

That was the version which came to light during the evidence yesterday of defence witness, probation officer Annette Vergeer, who was called by the Pistorius legal team to testify that prison would break him and serve no purpose.
But after court Pistorius legal team said this was not a true reflection of the situation regarding the money and they would put on record today their version of events.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the court that Pistorius had offered Barry and June Steenkamp an upfront payment of 375,000 Rand or $A39,000, which were the proceeds of the sale of his car, but it was rejected because they did not want “blood money” from their daughter’s killer.
And further, a 6000 Rand or $A623 monthly payment which Pistorius has been making to the Steenkamps since her death in March 2013, would now also be repaid.
“I can put on record that this money will be paid back to the accused in full, every cent,” Mr Nel said.

Later outside court Dup De Bruyn, the Steenkamp’s lawyer, said the couple would no longer pursue a civil action against the athlete and would repay him as their circumstances had now changed.
Mrs Steenkamp has secured a book deal and it is understood the family has received money for media interviews in the wake of the verdict, which found Pistorius guilty of the culpable homicide of Ms Steenkamp but not guilty of premeditated murder.
Revelation of the payments and the blood money claims came during Ms Vergeer’s evidence. She had used his offers of payment to his slain girlfriend’s parents to highlight that his remorse over the shooting death was genuine.

More...

http://gulfnews.com/news/world/other-world/pistorius-blood-money-row-deepens-1.1399180
Pistorius ‘blood money’ row deepens
Reeva Steenkamp’s family express shock over revelation
October 15, 2014

PRETORIA: Lawyers for Reeva Steenkamp’s family on Wednesday expressed shock that Oscar Pistorius’s defence team revealed details of secret “blood money” payments during a heated courtroom arguments over his sentencing.
In a statement on behalf of the slain model’s parents, lawyers said they had “honoured” a request from the athlete not to reveal payments of $540 (Dh1,983) made each month after Pistorius killed her on Valentine’s Day 2013.
“We were therefore quite surprised yesterday when this fact was disclosed in court without any prior warning to us,” the statement said.
During a sentencing hearing on Tuesday, a defence witness referred to the payments as evidence Pistorius was remorseful about shooting his 29-year-old girlfriend four times through a bathroom door, believing she was an intruder.
The revelation prompted angry suggestions that Pistorius’s team had opportunistically revealed the payments to reduce his likelihood of going to jail.
 ::snipping3::
Claims about Pistorius’s vulnerability and remorse could be central in deciding which way the scales of justice tip.
The defence has suggested Pistorius clean a museum for 16 hours a week as punishment for killing Steenkamp, drawing a furious reaction from the state.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel described the suggestion as “shockingly inappropriate”.
On Tuesday, a visibly irate Nel told court that the Olympian also offered the dead model’s family a one off “blood money” payment of nearly $35,000, which the family rejected.
“Did the legal team of the accused tell you that the deceased family rejected the offer of 375,000 (rand) (Dh124,235)?” Nel asked witness, probation officer Annette Vergeer.
Stenekamp’s parents said they will repay the roughly $10,000 received from Pistorius “as soon as arrangements can be made in that regard”.
“It was always the intention of the parents that the amounts... would be set-off against any civil claim that they were going to institute,” the statement said.
The parents have now decided not to continue with a civil claim.
The sentencing hearing continued on Wednesday with Vergeer being cross-examined by the prosecution.
She had warned that a jail stretch would “break” Pistorius and claimed it was not in the interest of justice.
“Without legs he will be vulnerable and a lot more vulnerable than the normal man,” said Vergeer, a parole officer who was paid for her work for the defence.
“I’ve recently done a case for rape within the prison, gang rape. How can we say that he won’t be exposed to that?” she said, adding that washing his stumps may also be a problem.
South Africa’s department of correctional services has said Pistorius could be entitled to separate accommodation “depending on the vulnerability caused by the disability”.
There is little doubt that the prison system in South Africa is in a bad state, with violence, overcrowding and criminal behaviour all endemic.
Since the hearing began on Monday, the tone in court has become increasing terse.
Prosecutors have poured scorn on the defence’s portrayal of the double amputee known as the “Blade Runner” as a caring and charitable athlete.
Nel told the sentencing hearing that Pistorius’s charity work was nothing unusual for a superstar athlete, arguing he was primarily motivated by personal fame and fulfilling his contractual duties with major sponsors, including Oakley and Nike.
“It is merely an advancement of your career to become involved,” Nel said in a scathing cross-examination of Pistorius’s long-time manager, Peet Van Zyl.
“I think a lot of sportsman want to make a difference and contribute,” replied Van Zyl.
The state has indicated it will call at least two witnesses, whose testimony is expected to wrap up on Wednesday or Thursday.
Both the state and defence have 14 days to appeal Masipa’s decision.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/parents-oscar-pistorius-homicide-victim-testify/story?id=26208958
Parents of Oscar Pistorius' Homicide Victim Won't Testify Against Him
October 15, 2014

The parents of Reeva Steenkamp said today they will remain "neutral" and not testify against Oscar Pistorius in the penalty phase of Pistorius' trial for the culpable homicide of their daughter.

The statement came a day after revelations in court that Pistorius had been making monthly payments to Barry and June Steenkamp since shortly after the Valentine's Day 2013 shooting of their daughter.

Her parents were struggling financially at the time, and Pistorius, through his lawyers, offered to give the family monthly payments of about $530 for rent and living expenses, payments that continued from March 2013 until September 2014, according to the statement.

In the statement released today, the Steenkamps' lawyers stated, "We have advised the parents to remain neutral in regard to sentence in the sense that they should not be seen to attempt to influence the sentence in any way."
 ::snipping3::
Pistorius, 27, was found guilty last month of culpable homicide, the rough equivalent of manslaughter, in the 2013 shooting. The champion sprinter known as the Blade Runner could be sentenced to as much as 15 years in prison. He could also avoid prison and receive a fine and suspended sentence. House arrest is also an option, and that has been suggested by a social worker and a probation officer called by Pistorius' defense.

The prosecution began presenting its case today. Closing arguments will follow before Judge Thokozile Masipa renders a sentence.

Video

   I wonder what effect if any this may have to do with Oscar's sentencing?

http://abcnews.go.com/International/prison-threat-oscar-pistorius-raised-court/story?id=26235208
Prison Threat to Have Oscar Pistorius 'Taken Out' Raised in Court
October 16, 2014

A notorious prison gang leader has threatened to have Oscar Pistorius "taken out" if he is sent to prison and receives any special considerations, Pistorius' lawyer told a court today.

Lawyer Barry Roux brought up the alleged threat to Pistorius while challenging a prison official's claim that the legless sprinter could be kept safe in South Africa's prison system.
 ::snipping3::
In pressing for a prison sentence, the prosecution called acting national commissioner of correctional services Zach Modise who rejected claims by a defense witness that Pistorius would face inhumane conditions and the possibility of being assaulted if he is sent to jail.

"There were threats against Mr. Pistorius. Don't they bring this to your attention?" Roux asked Modise.

Modise said he was not aware of threats and none of them had been brought to his attention.

Roux produced a March 5 edition of the Pretoria News that included an interview with Khalil Subjee, the alleged leader of the 26s prison gang.

Reading from the article, Roux told the court that Subjee called the paper from a prison call box, saying: "If he thinks he is going to come here and buy his way to get computers and cellphones and a lavish lifestyle, he must know that will never happen for as long as I am around." Subjee is quoted by the paper saying Pistorius would "be taken out" if that was the situation.

The acting prison boss said that should if Pistorius is sent to prison, he would be kept in the hospital section, where his disability can be catered for.

A key person for the prosecution's case today was Steenkamp's cousin Kim Martin who testified that Pistorius must “pay for what he’s done,” and his apology to the family of the girlfriend he shot dead in 2013 was not sincere.

Martin’s testimony came on the fourth day of the athlete’s sentencing hearing, which is expected to end this week.

"My lady, I really believe the accused, Mr. Pistorius, needs to pay for what he's done," Martin testified before Judge Thokozile Masipa.

Martin said her family is seeking justice, not revenge, for the Valentine’s Day 2013 death.

"We just feel to take somebody's life, to shoot somebody behind the door who is unarmed, who is harmless, needs sufficient punishment," she said.
More...

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/17/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-sentencing-hearing.html
Oscar Pistorius’s Sentencing Hearing Shifts Focus to South Africa’s Prisons
October 16, 2014

Gerrie Nel, the chief prosecutor, also called Zach Modise, the acting head of South Africa’s correctional services, to testify that the country’s prisons — depicted by the defense as overcrowded, harsh and unhealthy environments dominated by criminal gangs — were equipped for disabled people, offering single-cell accommodation, vocational training, health care, sports facilities and gyms.

Mr. Modise acknowledged that there were gangs “trying to take over” prisons but said that correctional officers had developed a strategy to try to curb their power. Under cross-examination by a defense lawyer, Barry Roux, Mr. Modise said a hospital wing would provide the most suitable accommodation in prison for a disabled person.

Asked to provide statistics for the Kgosi Mampuru prison in Pretoria, Mr. Modise said it had 7,000 inmates, one doctor and five psychologists. He declined to guarantee that Mr. Pistorius would be housed in a hospital wing if sentenced to a prison term.

“There’s nothing that’s taken for granted on admission,” he said.

Judge Masipa later adjourned the trial until Friday for final arguments by the defense and prosecution lawyers, who can both appeal the sentence she hands down. She did not say when she would decide on Mr. Pistorius’s punishment.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-10-16/pistorius-court-told-he-would-go-to-prison-hospital-if-jailed
Pistorius Court Told He Would Go to Prison Hospital If Jailed
October 16, 2014



Oscar Pistorius would be held in a prison hospital if he’s sentenced to jail for his manslaughter conviction in the killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year, South Africa’s head of prisons said.

Double-amputee Pistorius, 27, would probably be sent to the Kgosi Mampuru prison in Pretoria, Zach Modise, the acting national commissioner for correctional services, told the High Court today during the Paralympic gold medalist’s sentencing hearing.

Modise was the last witness called by prosecutor Gerrie Nel in the hearing. He and defense attorney Barry Roux will present their final arguments today. Judge Thokozile Masipa, 67, will hand down a sentence that may range from as many as 15 years in prison to as little as a fine.

“I can assure this court that he will go to the hospital section because we know that Mr. Pistorius is a person with a disability,” Modise said. As head of prisons, Modise said he had the power to decide where an inmate can be detained “depending on the individual needs.”

Two witnesses called by Roux this week said Pistorius should receive a sentence of three years’ house arrest with community service.

Steenkamp’s cousin, Kim Martin, told the court yesterday that Pistorius must serve time in prison.
 ::snipping3::
Masipa cleared Pistorius of murder charges before convicting him of culpable homicide for killing Steenkamp when he fired four hollow-point bullets through a toilet door in his house. Pistorius said he thought Steenkamp was an intruder.
 ::snipping3::
Known as the Blade Runner because of his J-shaped prosthetic running blades, Pistorius was the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics. His trial drew a worldwide audience and derailed the running career of the winner of six Paralympic gold medals and cost Pistorius sponsorship deals with Nike Inc. (NKE:US) and Luxottica Group SpA (LUX)’s Oakley.

After his conviction, Masipa extended his bail of 1 million rand ($90,000). Pistorius will be free to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as long as the judge doesn’t hand down a multiple-year jail term, South Africa’s Olympic Committee said last month.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/news/2014/10/17/we-will-look-after-oscar-say-jailbirds
We will look after Oscar, say jailbirds
October 17, 2014

Oscar Pistorius's safety in prison is guaranteed. This is according to prisoners at Pretoria's Kgosi Mampuru II prison, to which Pistorius is likely to be sent should the Pretoria High Court sentence him to serve time in jail.

"People here are lovers not haters," one prisoner told The Times. "All Mr Pistorius need do is associate himself with positive people."

If imprisoned by Judge Thokozile Masipa, Pistorius is likely to live in a single cell in the prison's hospital wing, acting national commissioner for correctional services Zach Modise testified in court yesterday.

Several prisoners serving time at Kgosi Mampuru II yesterday said that Pistorius's fears about his wellbeing in prison were unwarranted.

One prisoner, serving 15 years for armed robbery and speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "It is his fame that will give him his protection ... that and whatever money he has to buy . the necessaries. Bartering in prison is the game ... cigarettes and money. If you have or can get them, then you are fine," he said.

He said the advice of prisoners - who had been watching the trial on mobile satellite-TV devices - was that Pistorius should associate with the "right people".

"Associate with the right people, the lovers: those who see a future for themselves outside prison. Your protection through your fame is a definite. Everyone knows you.

"Pistorius will have people who clean and wash for him, do things for him," he said.

"The gangs will obviously try to protect him, make promises and offers, especially the senior members. Any cellphone he wants is his. A smart- phone, BlackBerry. It is already being organised. The airtime is there.

"He need not worry about his family, he can Skype with them any time. People in here are getting ready for him, organising things he might want or need.

"We will make sure he remains the fastest man in the world with no legs. People know Mr Pistorius is a no-go, off limits to any form of harm. Those protecting him will not hesitate to do what they must to ensure his protection, but this comes at a cost."

Golden Miles Bhudu, of the SA Prisoners' Organisation for Human Rights, said the protection Pistorius would receive in prison would cost him and his family.

"Those inside, including the warders, will run over themselves to protect and help him. In the end he will live like a king because of his fame and wealth."

Outside court Modise was furious about the protection being offered to Pistorius by prisoners.

"Who are these people? How did they get cellphones? I want their numbers. They and you are breaking the law."

He said the offer of protection by prisoners for a fee "clearly means my officials are not doing their job".
 ::snipping3::

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/pistorius-trial/oscar-pistorius-siblings-say-they-fully-support-brother-he-faces-n229671
Oscar Pistorius' Siblings Say They Fully Support Brother as He Faces Sentencing
October 20, 2014

Oscar Pistorius’ brother and sister said they have no doubts over whether their brother is telling the truth about the fatal shooting of Reeva Steenkamp, telling NBC News on the eve of the athlete's sentencing that they'll stand by him no matter what.

Pistorius is expected to learn hear Tuesday whether he will go to prison for culpable homicide after shooting 29-year-old Reeva through a toilet door in his Pretoria apartment. He maintains he mistook his girlfriend for an intruder.
 ::snipping3::

Video

I would be worried about this guy too. People here are lovers not haters," one prisoner told The Times
 ::MonkeyShocked::

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/oscar-pistorius-sentence-valentine-day-shooting-death-girlfriend-article-1.1981426
Oscar Pistorius sentenced to 5 years – but may get out in just 10 months – for shooting death of Reeva Steenkamp
Judge Thokozile Masipa handed down prison time to fallen South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius on Tuesday in the 2013 death of 29-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide after he fired four shots through the bathroom door at Steenkamp, killing her.
October 21, 2014

A judge sentenced the South African sprinter to five years in prison Tuesday for gunning down his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day 2013.

In doing so, Judge Thokozile Masipa ignored pleas for mercy from the fallen Olympian’s lawyer who said Pistorius — a double-amputee who uses prosthetics to walk and run — would be preyed on by prison rapists and targeted for murder by gangbangers.

Pistorius was neatly dressed in a black suit and tie, sitting motionless as he listened to the verdict after Masipa spoke for 65 minutes.

Being asked to stand, he did not flinch as the judge handed down the sentence.

On the second firearms count, Pistorius received a three-year suspended sentence.He has also been declared unfit to possess a firearm, Masipa said.

According to the sentence, Pistorius could be out in 10 months.

He needs to serve a sixth of his sentence to be considered for parole — his sentence can be then changed to correctional supervision.
More...

http://www.smh.com.au/world/oscar-pistorius-case-prosecutors-to-appeal-verdict-and-sentence-20141028-11cpcx.html
Oscar Pistorius case: Prosecutors to appeal verdict and sentence
October 28, 2014

Pretoria: South African state prosecutors say they will appeal a culpable homicide verdict and five-year jail term handed down to fallen track star Oscar Pistorius.

"NPA (National Prosecuting Authority) will be appealing both the conviction and sentence," spokesman Nathi Mncube said on Monday.
Pistorius began a five-year prison stretch on October 21 after being found guilty of culpable homicide, but not guilty of a more serious charge of murder.

The state had sought to prove that Pistorius deliberately shot his girlfriend, 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp, dead on Valentine's Day last year.

But trial judge Thokozile Masipa found there was not enough evidence to convict the 27-year-old of premeditated murder.

Details of the appeal have not yet released, but South African criminal lawyers have expressed shock that Masipa found Pistorius could not have foreseen that someone would die when he fired the shots.

Legal experts complained that it could open the door to systematic abuse of the legal system, or to people believing it would be okay to shoot in an irresponsible manne
 ::snipping3::
South Africans had also criticised Masipa's five-year sentence as too lenient after it emerged Pistorius may be eligible for parole in less than a year.

Although I believe Oscar Pistorius got off lightly for what he did, he got more punishment than I thought they would give. 

I thought that he would get a longer prison term, but I guess I don't understand their legal system.

Thank you for all of the updates...great job!  Rest and relax... ::monkeywine2::

Thank you grace-land.   ::monkeywine2:: ::buzzbee3::

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/11/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-south-africa-ruling-appeal.html
Oscar Pistorius Acquittal Can Be Appealed, South African Judge Says
December 10, 2014

LONDON — A South African judge ruled on Wednesday that prosecutors may appeal her decision to acquit Oscar Pistorius, the track star, on murder charges in the killing of his girlfriend last year.

But, in a complex ruling, Judge Thokozile Matilda Masipa rejected efforts by state prosecutors to appeal the five-year sentence she passed on him.

The prosecution had called the sentence “shockingly inappropriate” to the crime, since Mr. Pistorius could be released on house arrest after 10 months in the hospital wing of a prison in Pretoria, the South African capital.

In September, Judge Masipa acquitted Mr. Pistorius of murder but found him guilty of culpable homicide, equivalent to manslaughter, for firing four rounds from a handgun through a locked toilet cubicle door, killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on the other side.

The judge’s ruling on Wednesday hinged on a distinction in South African law between culpable homicide and a form of murder when a defendant is accused of knowing that his or her actions may cause death.

On Tuesday, the state prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, argued that Mr. Pistorius must have understood the likely outcome of opening fire and that he had therefore committed a form of murder regarded as a more serious crime than culpable homicide but a lesser offense than premeditated murder, which carries a 25-year minimum sentence.

In a ruling streamed live on South African news websites from the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, Judge Masipa said the issue was “not an easy one.”

On the sentence, she said she was “not persuaded that there was any material misdirection” when she sent Mr. Pistorius to prison for what some legal experts said seemed to be a relatively lenient sentence.

But on the grounds for her verdict, she said the Supreme Court of Appeal should consider whether a principle known as dolus eventualis — the grounds for a form of murder — had been “correctly applied.”

“I cannot say the prospect of success at the Supreme Court is remote,” she said.

Her ruling represented a victory for South African prosecutors who had suffered setbacks in two high-profile trials: the Pistorius case and the acquittal on Monday of Shrien Dewani, a British businessman accused of arranging for the murder of his wife on their honeymoon in Cape Town in 2010.

Mr. Dewani returned to Britain from South Africa on Wednesday.

In the Pistorius case, it was not immediately clear when the appeal would be heard.

“Our argument was that he should have been convicted of murder, and then would have been sentenced to a minimum sentence of 15 years,” said Nathi Mncube, the spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-could-yet-be-convicted-of-murder-9916480.html
Oscar Pistorius could yet be convicted of murder
October 10, 2014

Oscar Pistorius could have his conviction upgraded from culpable homicide to murder and face a possible 15-year prison sentence, after an appeal application made by state prosecutors was granted.

It means the case, ongoing for almost 10 months, will reopen in South Africa’s court of appeal in Bloemfontein, and be heard by a panel of five new judges.

Granting the application, Judge Thokozile Masipa, who heard the original case, said the appeal made by state prosecutor Gerrie Nel showed that the law applied to the case could be open to a different interpretation. “I cannot say … that the prospect of success at the supreme court of appeal is remote,” Judge Masipa ruled at the High Court in Pretoria. “The application, therefore, in respect of count one is decided in favour of the applicant.”

Oscar Pistorius himself was not present to hear the application. He remains in prison in Pretoria, and will do so for at least another eight months, at which point he will become eligible for parole. South Africa’s Supreme Court will not be asked to decide whether the athlete knew his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was behind the bathroom door when he fired four shots through it in the early hours of Valentine’s Day morning last year.

By his own admission, Pistorius believed an intruder was behind the door, and the case will hinge on whether the athlete foresaw that his actions would kill that person. In her sentencing, Judge Masipa decided that while he should have foreseen this, he didn’t. If the Supreme Court decides otherwise, he could be convicted of second-degree murder, on the principle of dolus eventualis, the Latin term that has hovered over this incredibly protracted trial.

Judge Masipa rejected the prosecution’s application also to appeal the sentence she laid down, of five years, which Mr Nel called “shockingly inappropriate”. But in practice, once the matter is in the hands of the Supreme Court, it can decide to overturn this in any case. Reeva Steenkamp’s parents had previously said they were satisfied with the verdict and sentence handed down to Pistorius. The family’s lawyer, Dup de Bruyn, said: “All they’re saying is justice must run its course and they want to get on with their lives.”
Typically, cases take more than a year to appear before the Supreme Court, by which point Pistorius is likely to be out of prison and serving the rest of his sentence under house arrest. He would be unlikely to attend the trial, which would in the most part be a matter of arguing over whether the law had been correctly applied rather than hearing new evidence.

It is a victory for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), which has been humiliated both by the Pistorius case and by the acquittal of Shrien Dewani, after seeking his extradition for the supposed contract killing of his wife.

Nathi Mncube, the NPA’s spokesman said: “Our argument was that [Pistorius]  should have been convicted of murder, and then would have been sentenced to a minimum of 15 years.”

There is a slide show of photos of the weapon and the crime scene.  Caution:  there is blood.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Pistorius-could-be-a-free-man-as-soon-as-August-20150511
Pistorius could be a free man as soon as August
May 11, 2015

Pretoria - Culpable homicide convict Oscar Pistorius could be free from jail in as little as three months’ time and is keen to work with children upon his release.

Pistorius's lawyer, Rohan Kruger, told the UK Sunday Times newspaper that the athlete spends about 23 hours of his day in an isolation wing and spends most of his time reading the Bible and praying in his cell.

Pistorius is being kept in the hospital wing of the Kgosi Mampuru II Prison in Pretoria.

He was sentenced to five years in jail for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013. Pistorius claimed he thought she was an intruder.

Kruger told the Sunday Times that Pistorius was "destroyed" and is still “in bits and in shock” about Steenkamp’s death. He said in "no way has [Pistorius] come to terms with what has happened to him”.

The lawyer said the athlete is keen to work with children in “whatever opportunity will present” itself.

 ::snipping3::

Pistorius could yet face a murder conviction after the State was granted leave to appeal his culpable homicide conviction, Sapa reported in March.

A date has not yet been set for the Supreme Court of Appeal hearing.

http://citizen.co.za/380401/keep-oscar-pistorius-in-jail-reevas-mom/
Keep Oscar Pistorius in jail – Reeva’s mom
May 12, 2015


Although jailed Paralympian Oscar Pistorius becomes eligible for correctional supervision in August, after which he may be placed under house arrest, June Steenkamp believes he should not be let back into society so quickly after killing her daughter, Reeva.
Steenkamp told The Citizen although she had forgiven Pistorius and did not want him to suffer, a mere 10 months behind bars was not enough for taking Reeva’s life.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to let him back in society so quickly,” said Steenkamp.
“He shot my daughter through that door where she had no space to move or defend herself. One of the bullets blew her brains out, it is disgusting what he did to her … 10 months is just not enough.”
Steenkamp said she would oppose the possibility of the remainder of the “Blade Runner’s” sentence being converted to correctional supervision, saying he ultimately had to pay for what he had done.
Steenkamp questioned the message that would be sent if Pistorius served only 10 months. She highlighted the recent killing of Port Elizabeth teacher Jayde Panayiotou, who was allegedly murdered at her husband’s request, and said domestic violence of this nature “was everywhere”.
“Justice must be done, otherwise there will be chaos.”
She said the Correctional Services has yet to approach her about the probable release of Pistorius.
Meanwhile, the paralympian’s lawyer Rohan Kruger told The Citizen that while Pistorius was struggling with prison life, he has been spending much of his time reading the bible and thinking of what he will do when released.
“He is figuring out what his next move is … what he is going to do with his life,” said Kruger.
According to Kruger, the Blade Runner is keen to do charity work, specifically working with children. As to how Pistorius is planning to earn an income, Kruger could not comment, however he did confirm that Pistorius was flat broke after the high costs of his trial.
Department of Correctional Services spokesperson Manelisi Wolela said in terms of the law, a person that has been sentenced to incarceration under the section 276 (1) (i) of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1997 must serve at least one sixth of their sentence before being considered for placement under correctional supervision.
“This, however, does not mean that an offender will automatically be placed under correctional supervision as various factors will be considered by the CSPB (Correctional Supervision and Parole Board),” said Wolela.
The various factors taken into account for consideration for placement on parole or correctional supervision include input from victims and families where applicable, type of offences committed, offender’s behaviour while incarcerated and involvement in development programmes, where possible.
Wolela emphasised that parole is not a right, but a privilege that is provided to offenders subject to specific conditions an offender must comply with. He added that it does not reduce the sentence imposed by the courts, but only affects the way in which a sentence will be served.
The Blade Runner was jailed for five years in October 2014 after he shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a locked toilet door in his Pretoria home on Valentine’s Day in 2013. Judge Thokozile Masipa acquitted Pistorius of murder but found him guilty of culpable homicide as well as negligent discharging of a firearm in Tasha’s restaurant in Sandton in 2013.
As Pistorius looks to the future, the State is still awaiting a date to appeal the culpable homicide conviction in favour of the murder conviction, which if successful could see Pistorius sentenced to a minimum of 15 years behind bars. Masipa granted the state’s leave to appeal in December last year.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/06/08/oscar-pistorius-case-prosecution-appeal-against-acquittal-on-murder-set-for/
Oscar Pistorius may be paroled in August, as appeal set for November
June 8, 2015



South African Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius may be released from prison on parole in August after serving only 10 months for culpable homicide in the killing of his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

"Oscar will be released on parole by the end of August," a Pistorius family member who asked not to be identified told Reuters Monday. Pistorius started his five year sentence in October last year.     

South African prison officials have recommended Pistorius be released from prison on Aug. 21 to go under house arrest. Acting National Commissioner of Correctional Services Zach Modise says that a prison committee recommended Pistorius be released from the prison in Pretoria after serving one sixth of his five-year sentence. A decision by the parole board is pending.

Modise said the committee made the recommendation on the basis of the double-amputee Olympic athlete's good behavior in the jail in the South African capital, Pretoria.

Correctional Services spokesman Manelisi Wolela said the conditions of Pistorius' house arrest won't be made public.

Pistorius was acquitted of murder last year for killing Steenkamp in 2013 by shooting her multiple times through a closed toilet door in his Pretoria home. The runner claimed he mistook Steenkamp for a nighttime intruder.

Meanwhile, Pistorius' case will go in front of South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal in November, the court said Monday, when prosecutors will challenge the decision to acquit him of murder for shooting girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius would again face the possibility of a murder conviction and a minimum of 15 years in prison if a panel of judges at the Supreme Court of Appeal overturns the original decision in his murder trial.

The court has not yet set an exact date for the appeal, court registrar Paul Myburgh told The Associated Press, but it will be in November. That will be three months after Pistorius is eligible for release from prison to serve the remainder of his current sentence, under house arrest.

Prosecutors appealed the decision by trial Judge Thokozile Masipa, saying the double-amputee Olympic athlete should have been found guilty of murder. In December, Masipa granted prosecutors permission to appeal her finding at the Supreme Court of Appeal.
 ::snipping3::

Some of the details of the appeal hearing have been ironed out: Prosecutors must submit their court papers outlining their argument by Aug. 17. Pistorius' defense team must submit its response by Sept. 17, Myburgh said.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/08/17/world/africa/ap-af-pistorius.html
Pistorius Prosecutors File Appeal at Supreme Court
August 17, 2015

http://time.com/4000406/oscar-pistorius-mansion-arrest-prison/
Oscar Pistorius Set for ‘Mansion Arrest’ After Prison Time
August 17, 2015

 ::snipping3::
Oscar Pistorius, the Paralympic gold medalist who was convicted last year of killing his girlfriend, will serve the rest of his 5-year prison sentence under house arrest in a mansion beginning Friday.

The 29-year-old champion has served 10 months in prison for killing his law graduate and model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013, and will on Friday begin to wear an electronic tracking tag and live outside prison, Reuters reports.

Pistorius, whose lower legs were amputated as a baby and who was nicknamed “Blade Runner” for his prowess on the track with carbon-fiber prosthetics, will live in a manor featuring more than a dozen bedrooms, a private gym, an outdoor swimming pool and landscaped gardens. The grandiose home belongs to Pistorius’ uncle.

“It’s more like mansion arrest,” Christopher, 31, a security guard who works near the house Pistorius will stay, told Reuters.

South African sentencing guidelines rule non-dangerous prisoners should spend only one-sixth of a prison sentence behind bars.

Pistorius has admitted to killing his girlfriend, who was behind the locked door of a bathroom, in what he said was the mistaken belief that an intruder was hiding behind it.

Prosecutors are hoping to overturn the verdict and lengthen the sentence to a murder charge, arguing Pistorius would have known the person behind the door could be killed when he fired.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/08/19/oscar-pistorius-release-put-on-hold-by-sa-justice-department-to-be-reviewed/
Oscar Pistorius release put on hold by South African justice department
August 19, 2015

JOHANNESBURG –  South Africa's Department of Justice says it is putting Oscar Pistorius' release from prison on hold until his case is reviewed again by a parole board.

Department spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga says Pistorius' release will have to be reviewed again because he was approved to be moved to house arrest too early.

Mthunzi says Pistorius should have served 10 months of his sentence before being considered for release. He was approved for parole in June, eight months into his sentence.

Pistorius was due to be moved to house arrest on Friday after serving 10 months of his five-year sentence for manslaughter for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.
 ::snipping3::

wow!  it will take me awhile to understand the judicial system.
It just seems odd that prosecutors can appeal a sentence.

 :smt102

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/10/15/pistorius-reportedly-to-be-released-from-prison/
Pistorius to be released from prison, moved to house arrest in days
October 15, 2015

A parole board decided Thursday to release "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius from prison, deciding that the convicted killer can be moved to house arrest on Oct. 20.

The decision comes a year after he was found guilty of culpable homicide, South Africa's equivalent to manslaughter, for the killing of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, who was a model and law graduate.

Pistorius will be moved to correctional supervision, a form of house arrest where he will have to live under certain conditions, at his uncle’s mansion.

Full details of the conditions were not detailed by the corrections department, although it did say that Pistorius would have to continue receiving psychotherapy while under house arrest and would not be allowed to possess a firearm. Correctional services department spokesman Manelisi Wolela said Pistorius would not be required to wear an electronic tagging device.

Pistorius has been informed of those conditions, the corrections department said.

The spokeswoman for Pistorius' family, Anneliese Burgess, said in a text message to the Associated Press that they had been informed of the decision to release Pistorius but would not be commenting further.

Steenkamp's father, Barry Steenkamp, told The AP last week that he wanted the delays and uncertainty around Pistorius' release to end.

"I'm sure a lot of people have had enough of the whole scenario. That's all I can say. Let justice take its course," he said.

A South African judge sentenced Pistorius, 28, to a maximum of five years, of which he's served nearly a year. His sentence ends on Oct. 20, 2019.

The sentence for a culpable homicide conviction is at the judge's discretion, and can range from a suspended sentence and a fine to up to a maximum of 15 years in prison.

Under South African law, an offender sentenced to five years or less in jail can be released after serving one-sixth, or in Pistorius' case, 10 months.
 ::snipping3::

Thanks for the update

 ::buzzbee3::

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34577735
Oscar Pistorius released from prison under house arrest
October 19, 2015


South African Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been released under house arrest nearly one year after he was jailed for killing his girlfriend, prison officials say.
He is expected to spend the remainder of a five-year prison sentence at his uncle's home in Pretoria.
Pistorius, 28, shot Reeva Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door but said he thought she was an intruder.
Ms Steenkamp's relatives say they think Pistorius is "getting off lightly".
Oscar Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, in October last year.
A case lodged by the prosecution appealing that decision is due to be heard by the Supreme Court of Appeal on 3 November. State prosecutors say Pistorius should have instead been convicted of murder.
The athlete was released on Monday evening, a day earlier than expected, according to a spokesman from the Kgosi Mampuru II prison, where Pistorius was being held.
"Oscar Pistorius was placed under correctional supervision tonight," Manelisi Wolela confirmed in a statement.
"The handling of the actual placement is an operational matter of the local management, and how they handle it is their prerogative that is carried out in the best interest of all parties concerned, the victims, the offender and the Department of Correctional Services," he added.
 ::snipping3::

It is understood he will not be electronically tagged but he will have restrictions on his movement, she adds.
His parole conditions include gun ownership restrictions and continued psychotherapy sessions. The disabled sportsman is also expected to do a period of community service.
South Africa's justice minister blocked an earlier attempt to get the Olympic athlete's release in August in a surprise move.

Speaking earlier to the BBC, Reeva Steenkamp's cousin Kim Martin said the family might consider visiting Pistorius when the time is "right". But she also said she felt he was "getting off lightly".
Her parents have previously said that the time served by Pistorius was "not enough for taking a life".
Under South African law, the double amputee was eligible for release under "correctional supervision" having served a sixth of his sentence.
Meanwhile, a close family friend of the athlete said he was in poor physical shape, adding that his return to athletics would be unlikely.
If the prosecution is successful with its appeal next month, Pistorius could face a lengthy sentence back in prison.

He is getting off lightly.

I agree.

 ::justice2nj2::

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34993002

Oscar Pistorius verdict changed to murder


14 minutes ago
 
Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of murder after a South African appeals court overturned an earlier manslaughter verdict.

Pistorious killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in February 2013 after shooting four times through a locked toilet door.

He is currently under house arrest after spending one year of his original five-year sentence in jail.

Pistorius will have to return to court to be re-sentenced, for murder.
 ■Pistorius murder conviction: Live updates
 ■Key quotes from the judges' verdict
 
It was earlier incorrectly reported that the court had ruled the manslaughter verdict would remain.




South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that the lower court did not correctly apply the rule of dolus eventualis - whether Pistorius knew that a death would be a likely result of his actions.

The minimum sentence for murder in South Africa is 15 years, but judges can apply some discretion.

South African law does not make provision for someone to be placed under house arrest for more than five years, so Pistorius will be going back to prison, reports the BBC's Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg.

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What next for Pistorius?
Image copyrightAP
Will he return to jail?

Yes. He will be back behind bars, less than two months after he was placed under house arrest.

When will he be sentenced?

We don't have a date yet, but it will be next year. The minimum sentence for murder is 15 years, but the judge does have the discretion to lower it.

Can he appeal?

Yes, but only if his lawyers are convinced that the appeal judges violated his constitutional rights. So it's a high threshold, and hard to meet.

So is this the end of Pistorius' professional athletics career?

Almost certainly. He's 29, and will be past his prime by the time he is freed. It is also unlikely that advertisers would want to sponsor him, as the Pistorius brand is now tainted.

The making and unmaking of Oscar Pistorius

10 key moments from the trial

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Pistorius' family gave a brief response, saying lawyers are studying the finding who will advise them on "options going forward".

The panel of appeal judges described the case as "a human tragedy of Shakespearean proportions" in their written judgement.

Reading the unanimous ruling reached by the five judges, Justice Eric Leach said that having armed himself with a high-calibre weapon, Pistorius must have foreseen that whoever was behind the door might die, especially given his firearms training.


"As a matter of common sense at the time the fatal shots were fired, the possibility of the death of the person behind the door was clearly an obvious result," the judge said.

"And in firing not one but four shots, such a result became even more likely."

Pistorius always maintained that he believed there was an intruder in the house but the judge said that the identity of the person behind the door was "irrelevant to his guilt".

Justice Leach compared it to someone setting off a bomb in a public place not knowing who the victims might be.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

South African reaction: Pumza Fihlani, BBC News, Johannesburg

In a packed courtroom with Reeva Steenkamp's family listening to every word, the judge said that when Oscar Pistorius decided to fire four shots through a closed toilet door, he had gambled with a person's life - whoever that was.

Under South African law you cannot just shoot - you first need to determine that the threat to your life is real and that there is no other way to eliminate that threat but to shoot.

Many South Africans have applauded the court's decision on social media, saying justice has now been served for Ms Steenkamp.

This ruling is expected to go some way to show that no-one is above the law, not even South Africa's once beloved "blade runner".

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The judge also rejected the argument that Pistorius had acted in self-defence.

He said that the athlete's life was not in danger at the time of the shooting, as Pistorius did not know who was behind the door or if they posed a threat.

The judge added that Pistorius did "not take that most elementary precaution of firing a warning shot".

Pistorius did not attend the hearing in Bloemfontein.

But Ms Steenkamp's mother, June, was present and afterwards she was seen outside the court being embraced by members of the African National Congress Women's League, who were singing songs of celebration.
Image copyrightAFPImage caption Reeva Steenkamp's mother June (centre) was in court for the ruling Image copyrightAFPImage caption After the ruling Mrs Steenkamp was greeted by members of the women's league of the governing ANC
Our correspondent says that many in South Africa were upset by the original acquittal on murder charges, with women's rights groups arguing he should have been found guilty of murder as a deterrent because of the high number of women who are killed by their partners in the country.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pistorius key dates:
 ::snipping3:: ::snipping3::

Still not enough punishment imo

http://www.fox7austin.com/sports/124901572-story
South Africa: Pistorius to be sentenced in June for murder
April 18, 2016

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — South Africa's former Olympic track star Oscar Pistorius appeared briefly in a Pretoria court where a judge scheduled five days in June to determine his sentence for the conviction of murdering his girlfriend.

The sentencing hearing for Pistorius will be held from June 13 to 17 at Pretoria High Court.
 ::snipping3::
The sentencing hearing will be heard by Judge Thokozile Masipa, who presided over Pistorius's trial and found him guilty of manslaughter, a verdict that was overturned by a higher court that found him guilty of murder.

Pistorius had appealed his murder conviction at South Africa's Constitutional Court, arguing that a lower court erred when it overturned his manslaughter conviction and found him guilty of murder. The Constitutional Court judges dismissed his appeal.

The minimum sentence for murder in South Africa is 15 years, though it can be reduced in some circumstances.

A glance at Oscar Pistorius's re-sentencing, now for murder
SOMERSET WEST, South Africa (AP) — Oscar Pistorius is going back to jail. The only question now is for how long? It could be 15 years.

The double-amputee Olympic runner's sentencing hearing opens Monday after he was convicted of murder by South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal for shooting girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

It'll be the second time Pistorius has been sentenced for the killing following an appeal by prosecutors. The three-year legal saga that began with the fatal gunshots in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine's Day 2013 now appears to be near its end. ::snipping3::

WHY IS PISTORIUS BEING SENTENCED AGAIN?

Pistorius was initially convicted of the lesser charge of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, at his 2014 trial for shooting Steenkamp through a closed toilet door in his home. He testified he mistook the model and reality TV celebrity for a nighttime intruder hiding in a bathroom, and shot with his 9mm pistol in self-defense fearing an attack. The trial judge accepted part of Pistorius' story, and he was given a five-year jail sentence based on the judge's ruling that he acted recklessly, but didn't mean to kill.  ::snipping3::


WHAT IS HE FACING?

Possibly 15 years in prison. That's the minimum sentence for murder in South Africa, which no longer has the death penalty.

Legal experts say a judge can reduce that sentence in some circumstances, and that Pistorius' disability and the fact that he is a first-time offender could be taken into account. He has also already served a year in prison. ::snipping3::

https://www.yahoo.com/news/glance-oscar-pistoriuss-sentencing-now-murder-125126084--spt.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/14/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-sentence.html
Oscar Pistorius Sentencing Hearing Begins
June 13, 2016



LONDON — Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee Olympic runner who shot his girlfriend to death on Valentine’s Day 2013, appeared in a court in Pretoria, South Africa, on Monday to await his sentencing for murder. The sentencing would bring to a close a case that has riveted and divided South Africa.

Mr. Pistorius, 29, was found guilty in December of murder in the death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, after South Africa’s top appeals court overturned a lower court’s conviction on the lesser charge of manslaughter.

The court found that the earlier conviction had been based on a misinterpretation of laws and an erroneous dismissal of circumstantial evidence.

The appeals court said that Mr. Pistorius, who has said repeatedly that he accidentally killed Ms. Steenkamp under the mistaken belief that an intruder had broken into his home, should have foreseen that his actions would cause the death of a person.
 ::snipping3::

In September 2014 — after a lengthy and highly publicized trial that was likened to the 1994-95 trial of O.J. Simpson in the United States — Judge Thokozile Matilda Masipa of the High Court in Pretoria convicted Mr. Pistorius of culpable homicide but found him not guilty of murder. The judge found that prosecutors had failed to present “strong circumstantial evidence” and to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Pistorius had shown intent to kill.

Prosecutors, and Ms. Steenkamp’s family, argued that Mr. Pistorius had deliberately killed his girlfriend after an argument.

Although Mr. Pistorius was regarded as a hero to many in South Africa, the trial revealed another, darker side: a man with a mercurial temper, given to jealousy and occasional anger; an aggressive driver; an irresponsible gun owner; and a celebrity who was used to getting his way.

In presenting their case before the Supreme Court of Appeal, in Bloemfontein, prosecutors argued that Judge Masipa had misinterpreted a crucial legal concept in finding Mr. Pistorius not guilty of murder.

They argued that Mr. Pistorius should be found guilty because — under a legal principle known as dolus eventualis — he should have known that firing through the locked door would kill the person inside. The appeals court agreed.

Mr. Pistorius was released from prison in October after serving one year of the five-year sentence for manslaughter, and he has been living under house arrest.

The sentencing hearing, before Judge Masipa, on Monday came after a psychologist, Jonathan Scholtz, gave an extensive and largely sympathetic account of Mr. Pistorius’s background, personality and mental health.

Dr. Scholtz said that Mr. Pistorius showed symptoms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder; was taking psychiatric medication; and had problems with short-term memory.

“I don’t think he is able to be a witness in this trial: His condition is severe,” Dr. Scholtz said.
 ::snipping3::

Dr. Scholtz said that Mr. Pistorius “has found some solace in the belief that the deceased is with God,” and that he was enrolled in a degree program at the University of London. He urged the court not to sentence Mr. Pistorius to additional time in prison, arguing that further incarceration “would not be psychologically or socially constructive” and that Mr. Pistorius was not a threat to society.

Mr. Pistorius, once a gun enthusiast, had sold his firearms, Dr. Scholtz said.

“He is adamant that he never wants to touch or fire a firearm again,” the psychiatrist said.

Mr. Scholtz gave his largely sympathetic account under questioning from Mr. Pistorius’s defense lawyer, Barry Roux.

But Gerrie Nel, the chief prosecutor, who cross-examined Dr. Scholtz, suggested that Mr. Pistorius had not expressed remorse for his crime.

“Does he understand that he committed murder?” Mr. Nel asked.

“Yes,” Dr. Scholtz said.

“In what way?” Mr. Nel asked.

The prosecutor then made it clear that he was unconvinced.

Father Calls for Release of Photos of Reeva Steenkamp's Body in Oscar Pistorius Case
The father of Reeva Steenkamp, the woman who was killed by famed South African athlete Oscar Pistorius, today tearfully asked a court to release photos of his daughter's body so the public can see her wounds.

Pistorius was found guilty of murdering girlfriend Steenkamp after a court overturned an earlier manslaughter verdict on appeal. Today’s sentencing hearing, which started Monday, is to decide whether he will face more jail time.

Pistorius' Mental State Worsening, Psychologist Testifies
The National Prosecuting Authority has said it wants the South African athlete to spend a minimum of 15 years in prison for killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, through a bathroom door at his Pretoria home in February 2013, which Pistorius has said was an accident. ::snipping3::

Good Morning America
Father Calls for Release of Photos of Reeva Steenkamp's Body in Oscar Pistorius Case
MICHAEL EDISON HAYDEN,ABC News 27 minutes ago Comments  Like  Reblog on Tumblr  Share  Tweet  Email

The father of Reeva Steenkamp, the woman who was killed by famed South African athlete Oscar Pistorius, today tearfully asked a court to release photos of his daughter's body so the public can see her wounds.

Pistorius was found guilty of murdering girlfriend Steenkamp after a court overturned an earlier manslaughter verdict on appeal. Today’s sentencing hearing, which started Monday, is to decide whether he will face more jail time.

Pistorius' Mental State Worsening, Psychologist Testifies
The National Prosecuting Authority has said it wants the South African athlete to spend a minimum of 15 years in prison for killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, through a bathroom door at his Pretoria home in February 2013, which Pistorius has said was an accident.

Barry Steenkamp today said he wants the world to view the photos of his daughter's body "to see what was inflicted upon her and the pain she must have gone through" because it might, in some way, prevent a similar incident.

He also described to the Pretoria court how he misses his daughter every "morning, noon and night" and that since the slaying, he has developed a habit of sitting on his veranda in the early hours of the morning, smoking cigarettes and looking at photos of his daughter that were sent to him by well-wishers.

Steenkamp was not the only person crying in the emotion-filled courtroom. Pistorius sat with his head in his hands, sobbing, as Steenkamp testified about the morning he found out that Reeva had been killed.

Steenkamp said that he and his wife, June, had forgiven Pistorius, but that he should pay for his crime. Steenkamp also mentioned that he would like to speak to Oscar in private one day.

On Monday, professor Jonathan Scholtz, a psychologist called by Pistorius's defense, said the Paralympic gold medal winner is a "broken" man whose mental state has deteriorated. He also said he would hospitalize Pistorius if he were his patient, and said that his symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had worsened over the past few years.

Pistorius competed at the Olympic Games in London in 2012, making history, as the first amputee allowed to compete against able-bodied athletes.

A ruling is expected by Friday.


https://www.yahoo.com/gma/father-calls-release-photos-reeva-steenkamps-body-oscar-171003649--abc-news-topstories.html

Pistorius Family Reports Threats Ahead of Murder Sentence
By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, ASSOCIATED PRESS JOHANNESBURG — Jun 20, 2016, 9:33 AM ET

Oscar Pistorius and other relatives have been threatened in an extortion attempt ahead of the former track star's sentencing on July 6 for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, Pistorius' family said Monday.

South African police said they are investigating alleged threats of violence made in WhatsApp messages to Arnoldus Pistorius, a cousin of the double-amputee Olympian.

"We are aware of the allegations," said Brig. Hangwani Mulaudzi, spokesman for the Hawks, a police investigative unit.

The man who sent the messages initially told Pistorius' cousin that he had evidence that would undermine testimony for the prosecution at Pistorius' sentencing hearing last week, said Anneliese Burgess, a spokeswoman for the Pistorius family.

The man wanted payment for the alleged evidence and became "very abusive" when it became clear that he wouldn't get it, Burgess wrote in an email to The Associated Press. The man threatened to arrange for Pistorius to be assaulted in jail if he is sent back there, according to a transcript of a text message reported by City Press, a South African newspaper. ::snipping3::


http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pistorius-family-reports-threats-ahead-murder-sentence-39984370

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/07/06/oscar-pistorius-sentenced-to-6-years-in-prison-for-murder-girlfirend.html

Oscar Pistorius sentenced to 6 years in prison for murder of girlfriend
Published July 06, 2016

Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee Olympian described by a judge as a "fallen hero," was sentenced on Wednesday to six years in a South African prison for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, a ruling viewed by some as too lenient.

However, Judge Thokozile Masipa appeared to anticipate criticism of a jail term that fell far short of the normally mandated 15 years for murder under South African law, declaring: "Our courts are courts of law, not courts of public opinion."

Pistorius, who shot Steenkamp through the door of a toilet cubicle in his home in 2013, was asked to stand and face Masipa as she announced his sentence in a wood-paneled courtroom in the South African capital, Pretoria. He was calm after the ruling, embracing his aunt and tearful sister before being led down a courtroom staircase to a holding cell ahead of being taken to prison.
 ::snipping3::

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pistorius-case-returns-prosecutors-seek-longer-sentence-50903936?cid=clicksource_4380645_5_heads_posts_headlines_hed
Pistorius case returns as prosecutors seek longer sentence
November 3, 2017

A judge "overemphasized" Oscar Pistorius' disability and was far too lenient on the double-amputee athlete, prosecutors said Friday as they tried to convince a South African court to more than double his prison sentence from six to 15 years for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

"Murder is murder," chief prosecutor Andrea Johnson told a five-judge panel at the Supreme Court of Appeal. She asked them to overturn Pistorius' initial sentence and give him the prescribed minimum of 15 years. There is no death penalty in South Africa.

If the court agrees with prosecutors that he deserves a harsher sentence, Pistorius, now 30, could remain in prison until after he turns 40.

The judges did not deliver a decision on Friday. Typically, Supreme Court judges take a couple of weeks before the senior judge returns to read out the decision, which is made through a simple majority.

Nearly five years after the once-admired Olympic runner first appeared in court for shooting Steenkamp multiple times through a closed toilet door at his home, Pistorius' fate is still not certain.

He was not present at Friday's hearing as he serves his sentence at a prison near the capital, Pretoria. He has served more than a year of his six-year term. Steenkamp's mother, June Steenkamp, did attend. Speaking outside the courthouse, her lawyer said the Steenkamp family supported prosecutors' attempt to get a longer sentence.

Prosecutors had two arguments to make to the court. First, they needed to apply for permission to appeal Pistorius' sentence. They were asked by the judges to also present their arguments for why, if their appeal is allowed, his sentence should be increased.

This is the second time prosecutors have gone to the Supreme Court in the central city of Bloemfontein to challenge a decision by Judge Thokozile Masipa, who presided over Pistorius' trial.

In 2015, prosecutors successfully appealed against Masipa's judgment that Pistorius was not guilty of murder. The court overturned Masipa's verdict of culpable homicide — or manslaughter — and convicted Pistorius of murder.

Legal analysts say, however, it is more difficult to get the court to change a sentence.

After the manslaughter conviction was overturned, Masipa sentenced Pistorius to six years in prison for murder, a term just one year longer than her original sentence for manslaughter. Prosecutors called that sentence "shockingly" light.

Judges can deviate from prescribed minimum sentences if there are compelling circumstances. The prosecution says there were no compelling reasons.

"What we are saying is the court exercised its discretion inappropriately," prosecutor Johnson said, calling the six-year sentence "unjust."

She said Pistorius still had not shown "genuine remorse" for killing Steenkamp and that Masipa put the athlete's personal circumstances and his disability ahead of the need for "retribution" when she sentenced him.

Pistorius claimed he mistook Steenkamp for a dangerous intruder hiding in his bathroom in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine's Day 2013 when, without his prosthetic legs on, standing on his stumps and feeling vulnerable, he shot four times through the cubicle door.

Masipa's initial sentence was appropriate in the circumstances, Pistorius' defense lawyers said, and his disability was not exaggerated. Pistorius had both his legs amputated below the knee when he was a baby because of a congenital condition.

"Of course his disability is mentioned, but it can't not be mentioned," defense lawyer Kelly Phelps said. "It is one of the factors of this case. We can't magic away his disability."

The Question of Why Oscar Pistorius Killed Reeva Steenkamp Is Still a Mystery Open to Endless Interpretation

On Aug. 29, 2012, Oscar Pistorius proudly carried the flag of South Africa as he and his country mates walked in the Parade of Nations during the 2012 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony.

During the ensuing fortnight, the athlete known as "Blade Runner"—for the prosthetics he had not only mastered but on which he flew through the air with the greatest of ease—would win two gold medals and a silver. Born without tibia, Pistorius' legs were amputated beneath the knee when he was 11 months old.

The greatest controversy in his life till then had been the uproar over whether he should've been allowed to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, as officials and experts debated over whether his Flex-Foot Cheetahs—his J-shaped carbon fiber prostheses—gave him an unfair advantage over runners equipped with "only" their biological legs. Even when he did make history as the first-ever amputee to compete in the Olympic Games, his reception in the sporting world was split. ::snipping3::

Alas, the situation was a case of he-said, who-knows? The only other person who could truly attest to what went on in those final moments before Pistorius pulled the trigger was dead.

While the world at large had rooted for him as an athlete, a picture started to emerge of a much more complicated man, one born with a tremendous physical disadvantage but into economic privilege in a country where the gap between haves and have-nots can be staggering; a man who was always on, his mind as well as his body firing away on all cylinders; an athlete who was fiercely competitive and disciplined when it came to diet and training but prone to insomnia; a man at ease with himself and yet, at times, seemingly on edge. ::snipping3::

After Steenkamp's death, police confirmed that there had been prior calls about domestic incidents at Pistorius' house, including in 2009 when he spent a night in jail for allegedly slamming the door on a 19-year-old woman's leg during a party at his house after she refused to leave; an assault charge was eventually dropped. ::snipping3::

http://www.eonline.com/news/891942/the-question-of-why-oscar-pistorius-killed-reeva-steenkamp-is-still-a-mystery-open-to-endless-interpretation