South African Olympic star charged with murder
February 21, 2013
Oscar Pistorius was one of the standout Olympians during the 2012 games this past summer, and now the double amputee is faced with a murder charge. According to USA Today, Pistorius, a South African native, is being charged with the murder of his girlfriend, model and law school graduate Reeva Steenkamp.
Early in the morning on Valentine's Day, Pistorius claimed that he thought there was an intruder in his upscale home, and shot at the intruder, which turned out to be Steenkamp, through the bathroom door with his 9-millimeter, which was next to his bed. He claims he did not realize that Steenkamp was not in bed and didn't mean to kill her. However, the prosecutors have a very different story. They believe that the Olympian track star put on his prosthetics and went to shoot Steenkamp after an argument. Pistorius is claiming that he went to the bathroom with just his stumps, but from where the gunshots were on Steenkamp's body, it seems as though he did put his prosthetics. This is just one of the many inconsistencies with this very high profile case, the media outlet reports.
The case has seen a number of different turns already, including the lead detective being replaced due to the fact that he is facing his own attempted murder charges. Detective Hilton Botha was recently replaced because of a case back in 2011, which was just reopened. Botha also admitted the day before he was taken off the case, that the police work done when the Pistorius murder was first investigated wasn't thorough. Reportedly, the recent incident has nothing to do with what Botha was involved with back in 2011, but many are concerned with the connection, the news source reports.
The trial and accusations have already caused some Pistorius supporters to back out. According to NBC News, Nike recently announced it will cut ties with the runner, at least until the trial is over.
"Nike has suspended its contract with Oscar Pistorius. We believe Oscar Pistorius should be afforded due process and we will continue to monitor the situation closely," the company said in a brief statement.
Even though many people are concentrated on the fact that Pistorius is facing such charges, the family of the 29-year-old woman is devastated and are trying to honor her life amidst the high profile case.
Those who want to talk about the case and its many twists and turns can make calls to South Africa using international calling cards.