Accused of murdering his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day,
Olympic South African “blade runner” Oscar Pistorius is quickly falling from
grace. Pistorius’ girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp was shot three times early
Thursday morning at his home. Now Pistorius is facing a charge of premeditated
murder.
On Tuesday, Mr. Pistorius denied those claims. “I fail to
understand how I could be charged with murder, let along premeditated,” he said
in an affidavit. “I had no intention to kill my girlfriend.”
Why, then, had he shot four times through the bathroom door
where Steenkamp was located? Pistorius claims he awoke in the night after he
heard a noise coming from the bathroom. He went to investigate without pulling
on his prosthetics. The bathroom window didn’t have burglar bars, and in the
affidavit he said he was nervous that someone might have broken in and afraid
without his prosthetics on.
He called to Ms. Steenkamp to phone the police and fired
four shots through the bathroom door. It was dark in the house, and he didn’t
realize she was not in bed until after he had fired the shots.
Pistorius claims he then put on his prosthetics and tried to
kick in the door before breaking it down with a cricket bat. He carried her
downstairs, where “she died in my arms,” he says.
The affidavit was read aloud at Mr. Pistorius’ bail hearing,
and the
NY Times reports “the athlete wept so uncontrollably that the magistrate,
Desmond Nair, ordered a brief recess to permit him to regain his composure.”
Seen as a golden couple, there had been no previous reports
of the two fighting or having any domestic issues that might lead to a motive.
“We were deeply in love and I could not be happier,” Pistorius’ affidavit read.
“I know she felt the same way.”
If Pistorius is convicted, he will face a mandatory life
sentence with a chance for parole in 25 years maximum. The death penalty was
abolished in South Africa nearly twenty years ago, so he will not face that.
Pistorius has broken down completely in his two court appearances so far and is
clearly distraught over the situation, which does give some emotional weight to
his story. But that will not be enough to convince the jury, and they’ll need
more evidence to decide on a sentence—innocent or guilty.
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