What happened in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial?
The murder trial commenced on 3 March 2014 in the High Court in Pretoria. Pistorius was also facing a charge of illegal possession of ammunition and two charges of firing a gun in a public space. The trial was assigned to Judge Thokozile Masipa, who appointed two assessors, Janette Henzen du Toit and Themba Mazibuko,…
What did Oscar Pistorius do to Reeva?
Justice Leach announces the verdict that Pistorius is “guilty of murder” Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of murder after a South African appeals court overturned an earlier manslaughter verdict. Pistorius killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in February 2013 after shooting four times through a locked toilet door.
What is the story behind the amputation of Pierre Pistorius?
Pistorius was born with fibular hemimelia (congenital absence of the fibula) in both legs. When he was eleven months old, both of his legs were amputated halfway between his knees and ankles. He attended Constantia Kloof Primary School and Pretoria Boys High School, where he played rugby union in the school’s third XV team.
What happened to Oscar Pistorius at the London Marathon?
As American Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner stumbled at the start of the race and stopped running, Pistorius took seventh place in a field of eight in wet conditions with a time of 47.65 seconds. However, he was later disqualified for running outside his lane. The race was won by American Angelo Taylor with a time of 45.25 seconds.
Who is Thomas Pistorius and what did he do?
Pistorius pleaded not guilty to the murder and to firearms charges, telling the court he denies the allegations of murder “in the strongest terms” and believed an intruder had broken into his house and was in his bathroom when he fired.
Who is the judge in the Pistorius v South Africa case?
Pistorius was also facing a charge of illegal possession of ammunition and two charges of firing a gun in a public space. The trial was assigned to Judge Thokozile Masipa, who appointed two assessors, Janette Henzen du Toit and Themba Mazibuko, to help her evaluate the case and reach a verdict.
How was the Pistorius case based on circumstantial evidence?
The opening statement of prosecutor Gerrie Nel noted that the murder case against Pistorius was based largely on circumstantial evidence, as there were no eyewitnesses to the incident. Pistorius provided an affidavit to the court in which he stated the following: