Oscar Pistorius Goes on Trial Monday
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Jemal Countess/Getty Images(PRETORIA, South Africa) — The shooting death of model Reeva Steenkamp by “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius has captured global attention and led to a blot of unresolved questions, but those questions will begin to be answered Monday when Pistorius goes on trial on a charge of premeditated murder.
Prosecutors in Pretoria, South Africa, say Pistorius, 27, intentionally shot Steenkamp, 29, in the bathroom of his home in a gated community on Valentine’s Day in 2013 during an argument. Pistorius also faces three firearms charges.
The athlete, known as the “Blade Runner,” does not deny that he fired four shots through a locked bathroom door, hitting Steenkamp three times. But he insists he acted in self-defense after mistaking her for an intruder during the middle of the night.
The two sides have listed more than 100 witnesses including family members, ex-girlfriends, neighbors, police, forensic psychologist, ballistic experts, even a weather forecaster. The trial could last up to six weeks, officials said.
If convicted, Pistorius could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Parts of the court proceedings, which has been billed as South Africa’s “trial of the century,” will be televised.
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