Olympic Sprinter, "Blade Runner", Charged With Murder of Girlfriend

[DonLever]

Th Blade Runner is in court today, pleading for bail. Prosecutors have have said it was premeditated murder, thus making it harder to get bail. Oscar Pictorius said it was an accident.

The prosecutor siad his girfreind was shot 4 times while hiding in the bathroom. A bat was also used to break down the door.

Oscar said it was an accident, he thought there was an intruder in the house.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/oscar-pistorius-filled-with-horror-after-girlfriend-accidently-shot-court-told-1.1162199

[sedated]

So he didn't hear her saying anything when he was beating the door down with a bat? Then he shot four times randomly? Riiiiiight.

[hockeyville88]

I feel bad for his fans. There are probably people out there who worshiped this guy - had posters of him up in their homes, took his word as gospel, and aspired to be like him in their lives. Can't imagine the betrayal they're feeling right now. To realize that your values and ethics are modeled after someone who could do this must be devastating.

Same goes with fans of someone like Lance Armstrong or Marion Jones

[Wetcoaster]

So he didn't hear her saying anything when he was beating the door down with a bat? Then he shot four times randomly? Riiiiiight.

[Phil_314]

So many instances of athletes disappointing their fans after being such inspirations with their career achievements.

Pistorius, Lance Armstrong (cheated using steroids for his Tour titles), Mante T'eo (wins the championship only to have been a fraud... about having a dead girlfriend ), farther back there could even be the story of Tiger Woods' affair (yeah it was awhile ago but it still comes to mind).

I know they're all human and just have more exposure than most people, but "with great power (and prestige) comes great responsibility" and they should still consider the consequences of their actions, not only for their own career but for the negative influence on and tarnishing of their fans' perceptions, since their names are so widely known and previously reputable.

[hudson bay rules]

he was hopping to get away with it

[Special Ed]

What a moron. So he's trying to say he woke up and thought his girlfriend was beside him. Then heard an 'intruder' in the washroom. Feeling 'vulnerable' with his '9mm pistal' he just decides to open fire while the door is still closed.

How about this version; Neither were sleeping and in fact there was a huge argument. The woman barricaded herself in the washroom and an emotional Pistorius opened fire on her while she was hiding.

What a coward I hope he gets sent to a prison with no handicap access and take away his prosthetics.

[sedated]

Was there a bloody glove found at the scene?

[Wetcoaster]

A bloody shoe found at the scene that didn't fit him seems more likely.

[InTheCrease]

Was there a bloody glove found at the scene?

[pwnstar]

wow

[Dittohead]

What a tool. never cared about him or his story which I don't know why he is legless but hopefully someone cut them off because he's an ass. was'nt into the bladerunner thing should'nt of been allowed in the Olympics still against it when the next legless wonder comes along.

[Jägermeister]

Reports that he was in possession of steroids.

Possibly a roid rage incident?

In Oscar Pistorius Murder Case, Possible Steroid Use Under Scrutiny

The discovery of drugs at the home of Oscar Pistorius, the Parlaympic and Olympic sprinter who has been accused of murdering his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day, is raising new questions about the role steroids might have played in the tragedy.

Reports indicated that police found a cache of drugs in the bedroom of Pistorius’s home in the capital city of Pretoria.

"The drugs and syringes were found shortly after the house was sealed off,” said an unnamed senior officer to the Times Live, a South African newspaper. “Crime scene investigators were searching a room linked to the crime when they found them.”

The drugs are being subjected to laboratory tests at the University of the Free State, as are blood and urine samples from Pistorius himself. It is unclear at this point whether anabolic steroids are among the drugs reportedly discovered by police.

Even if that turns out to be the case, experts are skeptical as to whether steroids could have been a major factor in this tragic incident.

“The concept of ‘roid rage’ comes up in the media often, but it’s not a medical term,” William Llewellyn, a scientist who is the CEO of Molecular Nutrition and author of "Anabolics," a book now in its 10th edition that examines performance drugs used by athletes, said.

“In the medical community there is no data suggesting that anabolic steroids affects someone’s behavior to that kind of extreme. Hormones can affect your mood, so it’s possible to become a little more irritable or a little more aggressive.”

Abraham Morgentaler, founder of Men’s Health Boston and author of "Testosterone for Life," said that the illicit drugs often taken by athletes have little in common with medically sanctioned testosterone treatments.

“Medical grade testosterone does not cause anything similar to steroid rage,” he said. “Those are anecdotal stories about men who use illicit or illegal steroids at levels that are very high. What’s important to understand is these illicit steroids have undergone little or no testing on humans, and the levels these athletes try and use them at are in many cases up to 50 times the normal testosterone levels seen in men.”

Pistorius, 26, was born without fibulas, or calf bones, and has had both legs amputated below the knee. He was the first double-amputee to compete in the Olympic Games when he made it to the semifinals in the 400-meter race last year. He races with carbon-fiber prosthetic blades.

The athlete’s girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, 29, was killed on the morning of Feb. 14. She had locked herself inside Pistorius’s bathroom when he fired four times through the door. She suffered three bullet wounds, and Pistorius claims she died in his arms as he carried her downstairs.

Pistorius stands accused of premeditated murder, but he said in a statement read by his attorney on Tuesday that he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder.

In court, Pistorius broke down in tears several times.

“I fail to understand how I could be charged with murder as I had no intention to kill my girlfriend," said the statement.

Pistorius was known to have a bit of a reckless personality well before the Feb. 14 tragedy; there have also been reports of previous domestic disturbances at his home.

It is yet unclear if Pistorius might have used illicit steroids, and experts say the drug’s impacts on his mood would be hard to predict at this point.

“Millions of people use these drugs. It’s possible Pistorius could have been using steroids; it’s very common in competitive sports,” said Llewellyn.

“Unfortunately, every once in a while someone is going to commit a heinous act and they could be using one of any number of illegal substances. It’s very salacious, so it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that steroids played a role.”

[Dittohead]

You can pretty much bank that every "athelete" is juicing or has juiced. Sports is becoming corrupt or more corrupt. allegations of rigged soccer matches at all levels.

[WHL rocks]

way to blow it champ... idiot.

[pwnstar]

"@CNN: Pistorius to face more charges; Witnesses heard arguing before shooting. http://t.co/8AqjhyOX"

[Scottish⑦Canuck]

Hmm. I'm not sure what to think here.

Looks like he might be granted bail anyway. I don't think the South African Police have handled this very well at all.

[hsedin33]

Sorry, but I can't help but notice his ease of access to a handgun. I know this isn't the USA, but it seems like another case of 'I'm angry, I'm going to vent my anger with bullets'. If he didn't have a gun, she still might have been able to call for help. Another scared woman falls prey to a wimp wth a gun.

http://www.thestar.c...orius_home.html

PRETORIA-A witness heard “non-stop shouting” in the home of athletics star Oscar Pistorius shortly before his girlfriend was shot dead, the lead detective in the murder investigation said on Wednesday.

Warrant officer Hilton Botha, a detective with 24 years on the force, also told the Pretoria magistrates court that police had found two containers of testosterone and needles in Pistorius' bedroom.

Pistorius, a double amputee dubbed “Blade Runner” because he raced on carbon fibre blades, sobbed uncontrollably as Botha presented his testimony about the death of Reeva Steenkamp, 29.

The law graduate and model was in the toilet of the athlete's home when she was shot dead.

The shooting and allegations that have emerged at the bail hearing have stunned South Africa and millions of people around the world who regarded Pistorius, who has no lower legs, as the epitome of sporting triumph over adversity.

“One of our witnesses heard a fight, two people talking loudly at each other ... from two in the morning to three,” Botha told the court.

Photos View gallery

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In an affidavit delivered on Tuesday, Pistorius said he woke in the middle of the night and thought an intruder had climbed through his bathroom window and entered the adjoining toilet.

The 26-year-old said he grabbed a 9-mm pistol from under his bed and went into the bathroom.

Pistorius—the highest-profile athlete in the history of the Paralympics — then described how he fired into the locked toilet door in a blind panic in the belief the intruder was lurking inside.

In his testimony on Wednesday, Botha disputed Pistorius' affidavit.

“I believe he knew she (Steenkamp) was in the bathroom and he shot four shots through the door,” the detective said, adding the angle at which the rounds were fired suggested they were aimed deliberately at somebody on the toilet.

Pistorius had said he moved into the bathroom on his stumps — the reason he felt so vulnerable — but Botha said the shots went in a “top to bottom” trajectory, suggesting Pistorius was wearing his artificial legs when he pulled the trigger.

“It seems to me it was fired down,” he said.

Botha also cited another witness on the upscale gated community near Pretoria where Pistorius lived as saying he heard a shot, followed 17 minutes later by more shots.

Another witness also spoke of a shot followed by screams, followed by more shots, he said.

Steenkamp was hit in the head, arm and hip in the locker-sized toilet room adjoining the bathroom, which itself led from the bedroom.

Pistorius' defence team disputed Botha's reference to “testosterone”, saying the substance was a legitimate herbal remedy called “testo-composutim co-enzyme.”

Related

• What happened that night, according to Oscar Pistorius

• Oscar Pistorius: What happened that night, according to the prosecution

• Kelly: Paranoia may fuel reasonable doubt

Details on the makeup of testo-composutim co-enzyme were not immediately available but administering testosterone as an anabolic agent is banned at all times under World Anti-Doping Agency rules for sports people.

At Steenkamp's funeral in the south coast city of Port Elizabeth on Tuesday, grief was tinged with anger.

“I'm disgusted with what he did. He must be dealt with harshly,” said Gavin Venter, an ex-jockey who worked for Steenkamp's father. “Without a doubt he's a danger to the public. He'll be a danger to witnesses. He must stay in jail.”

The case has drawn further attention to endemic violence against women in South Africa after the gang-rape, mutilation and murder of a 17-year-old near Cape Town this month.

Members of the Women's League of the ruling African National Congress protested outside the Pretoria court, waving placards saying: “No Bail for Pistorius” and “Rot in jail.”

The arrest of Pistorius stunned the millions who had watched in awe last year as the Olympic and Paralympic sprinter reached the semi-final of the 400 metres in the London Olympics.

But the impact has been greatest in sports-mad South Africa, where Pistorius was seen as a rare hero who had transcended the racial divides that persist 19 years after the end of apartheid.

He carried South Africa's flag at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics, and U.S. magazine Sports Illustrated named him as one of the most inspiring figures of the year.

“Many questions are being asked, but we have no answers,” Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula said in a statement.

The sprinter's endorsements and sponsorships included sportswear giant Nike, British telecoms firm BT, sunglasses maker Oakley and French designer Thierry Mugler and were thought to be worth as much as $2 million a year.

In his affidavit, Pistorius said he earned 5.6 million rand ($630,500) a year and owned properties worth nearly $1 million.

However, Nike and Mugler both said they had dropped Pistorius from advertising campaigns, while cosmetics firm Clarins said it was recalling its “A Man” perfume range out of “respect and compassion towards the families involved.”

[canucks since 77]

It just keeps getting more bizzare.

Detective in Pistorius case faces charges in 2011 shooting

Hilton Botha to appear in court in May on seven counts of attempted murder

The lead investigator in the murder case against Oscar Pistorius faces attempted murder charges himself over a 2011 shooting, police said Thursday.

The prosecution said they were unaware of the charges against the detective when they put him on the stand in court to explain why Pistorius should not be given bail.

Police Brig. Neville Malila told The Associated Press that detective Hilton Botha — who gave testimony in the Pistorius bail hearing on Wednesday — is scheduled to appear in court in May on seven counts of attempted murder. The charges relate to an incident in October 2011, when Botha and two other police officers fired shots at a minibus, Malila said.

Malila said police learned Wednesday, the same day that Botha appeared in court to oppose Pistorius' bail application, that the charges against Botha and the two others had been reinstated by the Director of Public Prosecutions. They were initially dropped following the shooting incident.

Malila said police were waiting for details from the Botha case file from the prosecutor.

Medupe Simasiku, the spokesman for the prosecutors charging Pistorius with premeditated murder, said he couldn't say how the charges against Botha would affect their case against Pistorius.

It was clear they could undermine it, however.

"The (Pistorius) prosecutors were not aware of those charges (against Botha)," Simasiku, of the National Prosecution Agency, said. "We are calling up the information so we can get the details of the case. From there we can take action and see if we remove him from the investigation or if he stays."

On Wednesday, the prosecution case against Pistorius began to unravel with revelations of a series of police blunders and Botha's admission that authorities have no evidence challenging the double-amputee Olympic athlete's claim he killed his girlfriend accidentally.

Pistorius faces a charge of premeditated murder, but says he shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp accidentally with a licensed firearm after thinking she was a dangerous intruder in his house.

Confused testimony

In his often confused testimony, Botha, who was described as a 24-year police veteran with 16 years as a detective, conceded that police had left a 9 mm slug from the barrage that killed Steenkamp inside a toilet at the scene. Police also lost track of illegal ammunition found inside the house, Botha said, and the detective himself walked through the crime scene without wearing protective shoe covers, potentially contaminating the area.

He also claimed in court that police found boxes of testosterone and needles in multiple Paralympic champion Pistorius' bedroom following the Valentine's Day shooting last week, but then said later he wasn't sure what the exact name of the substance was.

The prosecution conceded laboratory tests on the substance weren't yet completed and so it was unclear what it was.

Pistorius's defence lawyer Barry Roux asserted that authorities were taking "every piece of evidence to try to extract the most possibly negative connotation and present it to the court."

The case, which is still only in a bail hearing, has riveted much of the world with its dramatic developments as Pistorius, the man known as the Blade Runner for his famous carbon-fiber running prostheses, says he shot and killed model Steenkamp by mistake.

Pistorius fired four shots through the locked door of a toilet enclosed inside his bathroom because he thought there was an intruder in there, he says.

Prosecutors say he intended to kill the 29-year-old Steenkamp after a fight in the early hours of the morning.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/02/21/south-africa-pistorius-detective-charge.html

[sedated]

The police there really botched up, to the point that he might walk. That's really stupid, especially if people even heard arguing before it, but.. on the plus side, given it, if he truly was guilty, which I think he was anyway, he probably won't come out of this in a favourable position. I wouldn't think sponsors would touch him, and he won't have the support he had before.