Pistorius trial: A look at main issues on 1st dayBy Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, March 4, 6:40 AM
PRETORIA, South Africa — Oscar Pistorius pleaded not guilty to four charges, including murder for girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp’s shooting death, on the first day of his trial at a court in the South African capital, Pretoria. Here is a look at the main issues Monday in the murder trial of the double-amputee Olympic athlete that has raised international interest and was carried, in part, on live television.
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PISTORIUS IN COURTPistorius carried a notepad and pen into court and later brought in what appeared to be a laptop bag. Facing a possible life sentence if found guilty of premeditated murder in Steenkamp’s shooting death, Pistorius sometimes made notes during the day’s proceedings and passed some of them to his legal team in front of the wooden bench the athlete was sitting in.
The Olympian wore a dark gray suit and black tie and appeared relaxed, smiling at one point. He spoke little to the court. He only confirmed to the judge that he understood the charges against him and then said “not guilty” to each one of them.
Members of his family, including his uncle Arnold, sister Aimee and brother Carl sat directly behind him in Courtroom GD.
KEY ARGUMENTSThe opening day focused on the sequence of events in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14, when Pistorius concedes shooting four times through a door in his bathroom, hitting girlfriend Steenkamp three times and killing her. He says he thought she was a dangerous intruder.
The first witness to testify, Michelle Burger, lives near Pistorius’ house. She said she heard a woman’s “blood-curdling” screams and a man shouting for “help” before the sounds of the gunshots. The testimony backs the prosecution’s assertion that there was a loud fight before the shooting.
Cross-examining her, Pistorius lawyer Barry Roux argued she could have been mistaken in two ways: The shots she thought she heard could have been Pistorius hitting the toilet door with a cricket bat to get to his girlfriend out after the accidental shooting. Also, the screams were actually Pistorius and not a woman, Roux suggested, because the athlete had a high-pitched voice when he was anxious.
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