Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius resumed testifying today after saying it was an "accident" when he fired four hollow-point bullets into a cubicle in his bathroom that killed Reeva Steenkamp.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel challenged Pistorius about arguments he had with Steenkamp in the weeks before he shot her and pushing him to apologize for his model girlfriend's death. In his apology at the start of his testimony three days ago he didn't say he was sorry for the killing, Nel said. Reeva's mother said the apology left her "unmoved," the London-based Daily Mirror reported, citing June Steenkamp in an interview.
"End of January, beginning of February, that's where there were arguments and those arguments are all about you, what's important to you," Nel said in the High Court in Pretoria, South Africa's capital. "It's all about Mr. Pistorius, that's what your relationship was about."
Pistorius, the double amputee Paralympic gold medalist who denies charges of murdering Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year. Judge Thokozile Masipa will give a final judgment in the case because South Africa doesn't have a jury system. She could consider a lesser charge of culpable homicide.
Pistorius, 27, yesterday described the shooting as an 'accident.'
Accidental Shooting
"I had my finger on the trigger, it was an accident what happened," Pistorius said yesterday. "I didn't intend to shoot anyone. I fired my firearm before I could think, before I even had a moment to comprehend what was happening."
Nel said Pistorius was tailoring his evidence to protect himself and urged him to "give us the truth and not think of the implications for you." He chided the athlete for getting "emotional" when asked difficult questions.
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. He is also facing three gun-related charges.
After the prosecution pressed Pistorius about presenting his testimony in the most favorable light, he responded, "my life is on the line, of course I think of every single word I say when I'm sitting here." He didn't look at Nel and focused on the judge through the cross-examination.
Reeva's Life
Nel responded: "Reeva doesn't have a life anymore because of what you've done. She's not alive anymore. So please listen to the questions and give us the truth and not think of the implications for you, Mr. Pistorius."
Pistorius looked away when a photograph of his girlfriend's bloodied head was presented in court and broadcast live on television as Nel pressed him to "take responsibility" for killing her.
"That's it, have a look there, I know you don't want to because you don't want to take responsibility, but it's time that you look at it," Nel said. "Take responsibility for what you've done, Mr. Pistorius."
Marius du Toit, a criminal defense lawyer in Pretoria and a former judge, said it was "unprofessional" for Nel to show the photograph, which provoked gasps in the court gallery.
"You don't have to stoop so low," he said in a phone interview. "He was aiming to get Oscar on the back foot, but the way he went about it was wrong."
Religious Man
Nel sought to undermine defense lawyer Barry Roux's portrayal of Pistorius as a religious man with a deep fear of crime who was in a loving relationship with Steenkamp.
The prosecutor questioned him about a video in which Pistorius is seen shooting shotguns and pistols with friends. When one of his shots hit a watermelon and caused it to explode, Pistorius can be heard saying, "It's a lot softer than brains" and "it's like a zombie stopper."
Then Nel, who has tried to show Pistorius as a short-tempered gun-lover reckless with his firearms, said, "you know that the same happened to Reeva's head? It exploded."
The prosecution's strategy succeeded, according to James Grant, Associate Professor of Criminal Law at Wits University in Johannesburg.
"Every little bit that was achieved by the stories of what a good Samaritan Oscar was and how he loves animals and of him being a good Christian, any good that had, was beyond reversed by the approach that Nel took in equating him firing at a watermelon to what he did to Reeva," Grant said by phone.
Carrying Body
Earlier, Pistorius battled through tears as he described carrying the bloody body of his girlfriend.
Steenkamp was hit in the arm, hip and head and died in Pistorius's home following the shooting after 3 a.m. on Feb. 14 last year. The prosecution has argued he fired the pistol after an argument, with neighbors testifying they heard a woman screaming before and after gunshots.
The trial, which is being broadcast live on radio and TV, started on March 3. Only audio broadcast of Pistorius's testimony is allowed.
Steenkamp was standing when the first hollow-point bullet broke her hip bone, then she fell on top of a magazine rack in the toilet, police ballistics expert Chris Mangena said in testimony on March 19. She was struck by two more bullets after a pause, he said.
The charges have derailed the running career of the winner of six Paralympic gold medals and cost Pistorius sponsorship deals with Nike Inc. (NKE), Luxottica Group SpA (LUX)'s Oakley and Ossur hf, the Icelandic company that manufacturers the blades he uses.
Pistorius was the first double amputee to compete at the Olympic Games in London in 2012.
To contact the reporters on this story: Paul Burkhardt in Johannesburg at pburkhardt@bloomberg.net; Christopher Spillane in Pretoria at cspillane3@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net Karl Maier, Gordon Bell
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