The Valentine’s Day death of model and law school graduate Reeva Steenkamp, 29, is being called a murder and her boyfriend, Olympic runner and double amputee Oscar Pistorius, has been granted bail while criminal charges pile up for others linked to the world-class runner.
Carl Pistorious, the suspect’s brother, has now been charged with “culpable homicide” in the death of a motorcyclist he allegedly struck and killed with his vehicle in 2008. This follows the dismissal of the chief investigator in Steenkamp’s shooting for his alleged involvement in the attempted murder of seven people.
The complications and side stories have captivated the world and many are divided on the truth of what really happened on Valentine’s Day in the Pistorius home.
In sworn testimony, Pistorious said he heard a noise coming from the bathroom in the middle of the night and, feeling vulnerable without his prosthetic legs, fired a pistol at the bathroom door. He then said he realized Steenkamp was not in bed and so he busted down the locked door to find her fatally wounded on the other side.
Prosecutors refute the testimony, arguing that there would be no reason for an intruder to lock the bathroom door, which Pistorius had to break down. They also question his description of kicking the door down, although that could have been no more than poor turn of phrase. Further, there are questions of fighting between the two in the past and it’s said that there had been reports of domestic disputes in the home, including on the night of the shooting.
Pistorius is now free on bail and living with relatives until the June 4 trial commences. Due to problems with evidence caused by the former chief investigator and the strange circumstances of the case, it’s difficult to predict the outcome and the proceedings are sure to rivet fans as well as legal scholars.
(Photo credit: Ed Clayton)
