The Trial Of Oscar Pistorius: Latest Updates And Highlights

After months of hearings, the judge in the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius said on Thursday that there were “not enough facts” for him to be found guilty of premeditated murder, the most serious charge facing the double amputee track star.

nytimes.com

The judge in Oscar Pistorius’s trial for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp said the state failed to prove that he was guilty of murder on Valentine’s Day last year. Judge Thokozile Masipa said there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that Pistorius, 27, was guilty either of premeditated murder or second-degree murder. Masipa will rule on culpable homicide when the court returns from adjournment later today. “Culpable homicide is a competent verdict,” she said.

businessweek.com

In a lengthy recitation of the facts, Judge Masipa said that Mr. Pistorius had acted “unlawfully,” but did not immediately disclose her ruling on the lesser charge of culpable homicide which would bring a lower sentence than murder charges she dismissed. Sitting in a woooden dock, Mr. Pistorius sobbed as the judge spoke. The judge said that Mr. Pistorius had been a “very poor witness” who had delivered evasive and inconsistent testimony under harsh cross-examination.

nytimes.com

Pistorius cried on the shoulders of his sister Aimee after Masipa adjourned the court. If convicted of culpable homicide, Pistorius could serve as many as 15 years in prison. Pistorius gave different explanations about why he fired at the door in his bathroom in his Pretoria home, Masipa said. He testified at one point that he fired without thinking and at another that he was shooting at someone he believed was about to attack or kill him. She called him “a very poor witness.” Masipa rejected the defense’s contention that the shooting was a reflex and the Paralympian lacked cognitive capacity.

businessweek.com

The athlete, Judge Masipa said, had denied the state’s accusation that he killed Ms. Steenkamp after an argument, and had denied that he acted with premeditation. She said it was “common cause” that, after the shooting, Mr. Pistorius broke down the locked toilet cubicle door, cried out for help and was in an emotional state. Judge Masipa said the issues were limited to whether Mr. Pistorius “had the requisite intention” to commit murder and “whether there was any premeditation.” “There were no eyewitnesses,” Judge Masipa said, and the only people at the scene when the shooting happened were Mr. Pistorius and Ms. Steenkamp.

nytimes.com

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.

bbc.com

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.

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", BBC 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.

independent.ie

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.

bbc.com

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.

irishexaminer.com

When state prosecutor Gerrie Nel asked Dr Vorster whether someone with anxiety disorder plus guns would be "a danger to society", she replied: "Yes". There are no juries at trials in South Africa, so the athlete's fate will ultimately be decided by the judge, assisted by two assessors.

bbc.com

If found guilty, Mr Pistorius - a national sporting hero dubbed the "blade runner" because of the prosthetic limbs he wears to race - could face life imprisonment. If he is acquitted of murder, the court must consider an alternative charge of culpable homicide, for which he could receive about 15 years in prison.

A spokeswoman for Oscar Pistorius has denied allegations that the South African Olympian received acting lessons ahead of his emotional trial for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, Agence France-Presse reported. The accusation came in an open letter by Jani Allan, a well-known South African columnist.

bbc.com

"I have it from a reliable source that you are taking acting lessons for your days in court," she wrote in an open letter posted on her website on Monday last week. "Your coach has an impossible task. Oscar, you are the latest in a long line of faux heroes. Like so many who preceded you, you have betrayed your people and disappointed your fans," she added.

hngn.com

We "deny that our client has undergone any 'acting lessons' or any form of emotional coaching", Anneliese Burgess, media manager for the Pistorius family, said in a statement on his website. Over the course of the trial, Pistorius has repeatedly broken down and sobbed openly in the witness box as he narrated his version of shooting Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year.

nationalpost.com

According to AFP, proceedings have continuously been disrupted by his vomiting and loud crying, with the court being adjourned a couple of times as well. His sincerity during the emotional outbursts has been questioned by some. However, the allegations have been described as "fictitious" by Pistorius' family. Any "suggestion that Mr. Pistorius 'took acting classes' is totally devoid of any truth," they claimed.

freepressjournal.in

"This type of comment makes a mockery of the enormous human tragedy involving the Steenkamp family and our client and his family," Burgess said in the statement. The allegations followed seven days of emotional testimony from Mr Pistorius, who at times broke down in court and vomited when evidence from the post-mortem examination was presented to court.

lawyerherald.com

The SA Human Rights Commission has received a complaint over the manner in which State prosecutor Gerrie Nel conducted his cross-examination of murder accused, Oscar Pistorius. The complainant requested that the SAHRC investigate whether Nel was allowed to call Pistorius a "liar" while he was on the stand.

iafrica.com

The complainant, Jan Landman, a former commissioner of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious, and Linguistic Communities, said that he felt the Nel was infringing on Pistorius's right to a fair trial. "It is in the public interest that the Human Rights Commission as a matter of urgency should investigate to what extent the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of SA (Chapter 2) is contravened," Landman reportedly said.

iol.co.za

Gerrie Nel was also reprimanded in court by Judge Thokozile Masipa on Friday, for calling Pistorius a liar. "Watch your language Mr Nel," said Masipa. "You don’t call the witness a liar, not while he is in the witness box," she said. The SAHRC said that it was assessing the complaint and would inform Landsman on whether it would invetsigate or not.

iafrica.com

The Oscar Pistorius murder trial reached the "crux of the case" today as prosecutor Gerrie Nel took the court through the moments when Reeva Steenkamp was shot. The 27-year-old Olympic and Paralympic athlete, who denies deliberately killing his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day last year, has faced a week of tough cross-examination. Yesterday, he was portrayed as an egotist who was reckless with guns and who publicly humiliated Steenkamp on several occasions.

bbc.com

Today, the prosecution repeatedly questioned the plausibility of Pistorius’s version of events on the night of the shooting. Nel questioned why he would go towards danger rather than head for safety and why Steenkamp never once responded to his shouts and screams. Nel said the "crux of the case" is what was going through Steenkamp’s head in the moments before she died. "You knew Reeva was behind the door and you shot at her," he told Pistorius. "That is the only thing that makes sense."

theweek.co.uk

Nel tells Pistorius that the most "improbable" part of his story is that Steenkamp never uttered a word from the toilet before she was shot. Pistorius says he presumes that she kept quiet because she was "terrified" and thought the danger was coming towards her. But Nel says the "only reasonable explanation" was that Steenkamp was standing, facing the door, talking to him and that he shot her knowing who he was aiming at. "She wasn't scared of anything, except you. She wasn't scared of an intruder. She was scared of you," he says.

Pistorius repeatedly denies Nel’s claims and says Steenkamp had been involved in a similar incident, where she locked herself away and was not able to speak to people for a day or so afterwards. There is some confusion when Nel asks Pistorius if Steenkamp screamed after the first shot. Pistorius says categorically she did not, but then claims he misunderstood the question. He says: "The sound of the gunshot, you would not have heard anyone scream. I was screaming. I couldn’t hear my own voice."

bbc.com

Nel says that, for Steenkamp, being in that small cubicle when four shots were fired through the door must have been "horrific". He says that "what happened to her that night was unthinkable" and the "crux of the case" is what was going through Steenkamp's head in those moments, but he claims he has not heard Pistorius talk about it. The athlete points out that he has already spoken about this in court today. "There are many times that I am haunted by what she thought in the last moments of her life," he adds. "Many, many times."

theweek.co.uk

Pistorius is asked once again to describe the moment he opened fire. He says he thought he heard the door opening and he discharged the firearm. But Nel says: "You knew Reeva was behind the door and you shot at her. That is the only thing that makes sense." Nel questions why Pistorius "felt vulnerable" yet rushed "towards danger" on the night of Steenkamp's death. Pistorius claims he did not rush, but walked towards the bathroom with his gun to get as much distance as possible between Steenkamp, who he believed was in bed, and the "intruder", who he believed was in the bathroom.

belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Nel questions why he did not try to take Steenkamp to safety through the main bedroom door. Pistorius says he cannot comment on hypothetical events. "It's very easy to look back and look at all the possibilities but that is not what happened," he says. Pistorius says he was shouting and screaming to Steenkamp to call the police and to the "intruder" to get out of the house. Pistorius tells the court: "My version has stayed the same. The state's version has chaged many times, but my version has not changed."

Pistorius makes another mistake in his evidence. After saying it had sounded as if the "intruder" may have kicked the toilet door, he tells the court: "I never, ever said somebody kicked the door." After Nel points out the mistake, Pistorius apologises. "You are thinking of something that never happened and you have to keep up," says Nel. "You have to keep up with an untruth." The prosecutor tells him that his mistakes appear "as convincing as his evidence" in the way that they are delivered.

theguardian.com

Oscar Pistorius has hired US forensic experts in a bid to prove his girlfriend’s death was a tragic accident. The Blade Runner shot model Reeva Steenkamp through a bathroom door and claims he thought she was a burglar.

upi.com

The group completed a reconstruction of the murder scene in the early hours of Tuesday and attempted to match the evidence to Pistorius's version of events on the night of Steenkamp's death, South Africa's eNCA television reported.

They benefited from the co-operation of the South African police, who lent them the lavatory door through which the athlete famously fired shots on February 14. The sprinter's trial is set for March 3 to 20 at the Pretoria High Court.

firstpost.com

The double amputee athlete is currently out on bail. He has admitted to killing Steenkamp but has denied murder, saying he shot her through a locked bathroom door because he thought she was an intruder.

firstpost.com

Pistorius is accused of using his 9mm gun to shoot four rounds at Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door at his upmarket home in Pretoria on February 14.

thehindu.com

The trial of double-amputee Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius on charges of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp will begin on March 3, 2014, a judge ruled on Monday.

washingtonpost.com

Pistorius, who shed tears as he prayed with his brother Carl and sister Aimee while awaiting the start of the hearing, was handed the eight-page indictment sheet during the brief court session.

The athlete admits he shot her, but says he mistook her for an intruder. State prosecutors plan to call 107 witnesses, according to the indictment.

Oscar Pistorius, charged with murdering his girlfriend, was granted permission to travel abroad by a South African judge on Thursday, South African media said.

reuters.com

Judge Bert Bam says the Olympic and Paralympic athlete must provide authorities with his travel plans at least a week before he leaves the country.

usatoday.com

He will also be allowed to return to his home in Pretoria, where Reeva Steenkamp was shot and killed.

bbc.co.uk

The life of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has turned into a tragedy with new reports stating that the Blade Runner is now suicidal.

christianpost.com

One of Oscar Pistorius's close friends says the Olympian is "on the verge of suicide" as he awaits the trial for premeditated murder in the shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

According to his friend Mike Azzie, Pistorius is seeing no way to redeem himself. The source believes the Olympian may be on the verge of taking his own life.

complex.com

"I would say that, just speaking to him, that he is a broken man and that I would go as far to say that he would be on the verge of suicide. It really worries me."

guardian.co.uk

Azzie also said Pistorius, who is out on bail, regularly talks about Steenkamp as he awaits his next court appearance on June 4.

ndtv.com

Lawyers acting for 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' defence said he should be allowed to travel if he won consent from the detective working on the case.

reuters.com

They also argued that mandatory alcohol and drug tests were unnecessary and there was no need for him to report to a police station twice a week or be visited by a probation officer.

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 1 million rand (73,603 pounds), hand over his passports and forbidden from returning to his house, the scene of the crime.

freemalaysiatoday.com

Oscar Pistorius’ father suggested that his son needed to have multiple guns in his home because the government in his country fails to protect white people.

opposingviews.com

The "Pistorius family own weapons purely for sport and hunting purposes," the Olympic icon's family said in the statement provided by a spokesman.

Henke Pistorius also blamed the ANC-led government for the high number of South Africans who carry guns, Britain's The Daily Telegraph reported.

upi.com

At the end of 2012, in the first blush of his romance with Reeva Steenkamp, the model he later shot and killed, Pistorius got deeper into his hobby.

Pistorius had steadily become a keen collector of firearms during his Olympic year, according to an official at a South African gun collectors` club where Pistorius was a member.

india.com

The remedy which can be bought online, including on Amazon.com, is marketed as a homeopathy remedy used for temporary muscle relief and symptoms associated with male sexual weakness.

straitstimes.com

We have had confirmation from Oscar's legal team that the herbal remedy that he used was called Testis Compositum - which is used to aid muscle recovery.

globalpost.com

The prosecution claimed during the Olympian medallist's bail hearing last week that police had found two boxes of "testosterone" and needles, but it had countered as legal herbal remedy.

yahoo.com

A substance found in star athlete Oscar Pistorius's home during a search by police probing the killing of his girlfriend is a herbal remedy for muscle recovery.

thesundaily.my

Pistorius was ordered to surrender his two passports, post bail of 1 million rand ($113,000) in cash and guarantees, and refrain from drinking alcohol until his case resumes on June 4.

Oscar Pistorius faces at least four random tests for drugs and alcohol in coming months to ensure he is complying with bail terms, an official said yesterday.

freemalaysiatoday.com

A South African magistrate allowed Oscar Pistorius to go free on bail yesterday, capping hearings that foreshadow a dramatic trial in the Valentine's Day killing of the star athlete's girlfriend.

Pistorius -- who's charged with murdering GF Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day -- was granted bail in exchange for 1,000,000 rand (or $113,000).

tmz.com

Detective Warrant Officer Hilton Botha, would face his own trial in May with two other officers.

time.com

The gun was pictured in 2010 during a magazine photoshoot at the Blade Runner’s Pretoria home, where last week he allegedly murdered girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

A judge is expected to rule whether South African Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, accused of murdering his girlfriend, can be released on bail.

bbc.co.uk

The prosecution case against Oscar Pistorius began to unravel a series of police blunders and the lead investigator’s admission that they have no evidence challenging Pistorius' claim.

nst.com.my

The lead detective in athlete Oscar Pistorius’ murder case is himself facing attempted murder charges for opening fire on a minibus containing seven people in 2011.

themalaysianinsider.com

Pistorius' family was "satisfied" with the bail hearing, but "finds the contradictions in Botha's testimony extremely concerning.

thesundaily.my

The prosecution also claim they have a statement from a witness who said he heard gunshots, followed by a female screaming, followed by further gunshots.

independent.co.uk

A witness heard "non-stop shouting" coming from the home of Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius shortly before his girlfriend was shot dead

"I fired shots at the toilet door and shouted to Reeva to phone the police. She did not respond and I moved backwards out of the bathroom, keeping my eyes on the bathroom entrance."

guardian.co.uk

"I put on my prosthetic legs, ran back to the bathroom and tried to kick the toilet door open. I went back into the bedroom and grabbed my cricket bat to bash open the toilet door.

guardian.co.uk

With the benefit of hindsight I believe that Reeva went to the toilet when I went out on the balcony to bring the fan in. I cannot bear to think of the suffering I have caused her and her family..

guardian.co.uk

Media reports have alleged that Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp's skull was crushed and a blood-soaked cricket bat was found at his home.

The paper said police had not yet worked out whose blood it was on the cricket bat, but said Reeva Steenkamp’s head was "crushed".

dailychilli.com

Oakley, the eyewear maker, suspended its contract with Pistorius. And Nike, which sells shoes and other athletic gear, said it has no plans to use him in future ad campaigns.

Corporate sponsors of Olympic "blade runner" Oscar Pistorius have begun to distance themselves from the sprinter, who is accused of murdering his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius' agent was forced to cancel all future races, he said, so Pistorius could concentrate on defending himself against allegations he murdered his model girlfriend

ndtv.com

Pistorius' agent has begun cancelling races since the Olympic athlete was charged with the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Oscar Pistorius won't run in any of the future races that the athlete was contracted to compete in, but the Paraylmpic gold medalist's sponsers are standing by him as he faces a murder charge

The family said that Steenkamp will be cremated in a ceremony closed to the public and the media in the city on South Africa's southern coast.

Police in South Africa are reportedly investigating the discovery of a bloodied cricket bat at the home of Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius.

telegraph.co.uk

'Police find bloodied cricket bat at Oscar Pistorius home' - South African police have found a bloodied cricket bat at the home of Oscar Pistorius.

Women's rights groups in SA have called for proceeds from a reality television show featuring Reeva, whom Paralympian Oscar is accused of murdering, to be donated to charity.

independent.co.uk

"You have either made an impact in a positive way or a negative way." Reeva Steenkamp said in a snippet of a celebrity reality TV show set to air in full later today.

The South African Broadcasting Corp. aired the Tropika Island of Treasure program, showing the late Reeva Steenkamp.

"Oscar Pistorius has appeared in court here in Pretoria this morning formally charged with the murder of Reeva Steenkamp. The alleged murder is disputed in the strongest terms," the statement added.

india.com

Oscar Pistorius's family and management company has issued a statement in which he disputed the allegation he murdered his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp "in the strongest terms".

ndtv.com

OLYMPIC star Oscar Pistorius broke down in tears in the dock as he was charged with the Valentine's Day murder of his model girlfriend, a charge he denied "in the strongest terms".

theaustralian.com.au

Family says athlete denies murder 'in strongest terms' as court proceedings begin over shooting of Reeva Steenkamp

guardian.co.uk

The Paralympian appears in court with his head bowed and breaks down in tears after being formally charged with murder.

sky.com

Pistorius sobbing, shaking, almost bending over double in the dock as legal arguments continue.

firstpost.com

According to the Beeld newspaper, police and security guards were called to his house about two hours before the shooting, after neighbours heard him and Steenkamp argue.

iol.co.za

South African media reported on Friday that Paralympic and Olympic track star Oscar Pistorius shot his girlfriend four times through a bathroom door at his Pretoria home.

reuters.com

Pistorius’ lawyer, told reporters the athlete was “emotional” after his arrest, “but he is keeping up.”

nst.com.my

Oscar Pistorius was charged on Thursday with shooting dead his girlfriend at his upscale home in Pretoria.

reuters.com

Publicist, Sarit Tomlinson described Miss Steenkamp as "the sweetest human being" and "a talented and bright young girl", adding that the couple had a "healthy, fabulous relationship".

"She was the sweetest human being and an absolute angel on earth," her publicist said. "It's a huge loss. She was a talented and beautiful girl.

huffingtonpost.co.uk

It was reported that his girlfriend, believed to be former FHM model Reeva Steenkamp, 30, was trying to surprise him for Valentine's Day and he thought she was an intruder.

Pistorius shot his girlfriend in the head and arm, although the circumstances surrounding the incident are unclear.

Afrikaans-language newspaper Beeld is reporting he mistook the woman, his girlfriend of a year, for a burglar to his Pretoria home.

smh.com.au

South Africa's Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius has been arrested after shooting dead his girlfriend having mistaken her for an intruder

ndtv.com

A body was discovered at the athlete's home in the Silverwoods estate in eastern Pretoria, South African police said.

sky.com

Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius born 22 November 1986) is a South African sprint runner.

wikipedia.org