Oscar Pistorious has been painted as a control freak
Oscar Pistorious with Reeva Steenkamp
IT’S the trial that has gripped the world – and it now hinges on seven unanswered questions.
Defence lawyers for South African athlete Oscar Pistorius expect to conclude their case this week after eight weeks of evidence.
That Pistorius (27), killed his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp (29), is not in doubt.
He claims he mistook her for an intruder. The prosecution allege he callously killed her following a row.
The prosecution and defence agree that at 3.17am on Valentine’s Day 2013, the amputee and Olympic sprinter known as the ‘Blade Runner’ approached the door of his bathroom in his Pretoria home.
Armed with a 9mm handgun, he fired four times through the door and hit girlfriend Reeva in the hip, arm and head. The bullets he used were infamous ‘Black Talon’ ammunition which expand on impact and cause greater damage than conventional bullets.
There is no jury, so Judge Thokozile Masipa will have to decide if Pistorius is telling the truth. The case will hinge on seven key questions...
WHAT TIME DID COUPLE GO TO BED AND EAT LAST MEAL?
According to Pistorius’s version of events, Steenkamp last ate at 7pm and the couple went to bed around 10pm on February 13. However, medical experts said the contents of her stomach suggest she ate around 1am – two hours before the killing.
When asked how Steenkamp had eaten when they were supposed to be asleep, Pistorius said: “I don’t have an explanation for it.” Neighbour Estelle Van Der Merwe also said she heard people arguing around 1am – a time Pistorius claims to have been asleep.
WHAT SIDE OF THE BED WERE THEY SLEEPING ON?
Pistorius claimed he woke up shortly after 3am and spoke to Steenkamp in bed. He claims he then went to move fans from a balcony, placing Steenkamp’s jeans over an LED light that was bothering him.
He says he mistakenly thought Steenkamp was in bed when he heard a noise from the bathroom which he thought was a burglar and went to investigate armed with his handgun.
However, the prosecution claims he is lying about what side of the bed he was sleeping on. He said he usually sleeps on the right of the bed, but because of a shoulder injury he changed and slept on the left side on the night of the killing.
However, his iPad and prosthetic legs were on the right side, while Steenkamp’s bag and sandals were on the left side of the bed. The gun holster was found under the side of the bed where prosecutors say Steenkamp was sleeping, proving, they say, that Pistorius knew she was not in the bed when he got the gun.
The prosecution have also questioned how Pistorius did not notice Steenkamp passing behind him and going to the bathroom when he woke up, as he admitted she probably would have had to use her mobile phone to light the way.
WHY DID REEVA NOT CALL OUT FROM THE BATHROOM?
Prosecutors said the most “improbable” part of Pistorius’s story is that Steenkamp never uttered a word from the toilet before she was shot.
According to Pistorius, he walked on his stumps towards the bathroom door and yelled for the “intruder” to get out of the house before calling to Steenkamp to alert the police. As he approached the bathroom, he said he heard the sound of wood moving and thought the door was opening. He said he was “overcome with fear” and fired four shots through the door.
Prosecutors say it is extremely hard to believe Steenkamp made no attempt to communicate with Pistorius during the whole episode, despite the fact he was shouting at the apparent intruder.
DID HE MEAN TO FIRE?
Pistorius claims he didn’t consciously fire the weapon. The prosecution says he knew Steenkamp was in the toilet and she was talking to him when he shot her.
The trajectory of the bullet shows the first shot was aimed towards the toilet before Pistorius changed position and fired three more in the direction of a magazine rack on the floor – one of which missed her.
The prosecution says the first bullet struck Reeva in the hip, Pistorius heard her fall, and then he changed his firing position. He denies this and said he couldn’t hear her fall as his ears were ringing.
did she Scream?
Pistorius maintains that Steenkamp did not scream during the entire ordeal. However, several neighbours claim to have heard a woman screaming. A ballistics expert said he believed there was a pause between the first and second shots. The prosecution said it would be improbable that Steenkamp didn’t scream after the first shot, which hit her in the hip.
WAS HE A GUN-OBSESSED, ‘CONTROLLING' BOYFRIEND?
The prosecution put forward the suggestion that the athlete was a controlling and jealous boyfriend. In a text message, sent a few weeks before her death, Steenkamp wrote:
“I’m scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me and how you will react to me.”
It was also revealed how he fired his gun in a restaurant a month before the killing and asked a boxer who was with him to take responsibility. An ex-girlfriend also told how he fired a gun through the sunroof of his car after he was angry at being pulled over by police.
DOES HE DESERVE AN OSCAR FOR COURTROOM DRAMA?
Through the trial Pistorius has been extremely emotional.
He has vomited, retched, cried and held his head in his hands at various stages and had to be removed from court. His evidence and apology to the Steenkamp family was delivered through dramatic tearful outbursts.
The prosecution allege he was using emotion to dodge difficult questions and the athlete has been accused by others of exaggerating his distress.