E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Alexander Joe / AFP - Getty Images
Pallbearers carry the coffin of the late South African model Reeva Steenkamp into the crematorium building in Port Elizabeth Tuesday.
The funeral of model and law-school graduate Reeva Steenkamp – slain by her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius – was held in South Africa Tuesday.
As a magistrate ruled he would be prosecuted for premeditated murder, family and friends of Steenkamp spoke of their grief.
Pistorius’ lawyers have admitted he shot Steenkamp while she was in a small, locked bathroom, but claim he thought she was an intruder.
Adam Steenkamp, Reeva’s brother, spoke to reporters after the service at a 90-seat chapel in Port Elizabeth, where Steenkamp grew up.
Alexander Joe / AFP - Getty Images
A mourner at model Reeva Steenkamp's funeral holds the ceremony program Tuesday.
“There’s a space missing inside all the people that she knew,” he said.
“Everyone is sad understandably, but at certain points we were smiling whilst remembering Reeva because we only have good memories of her,” he added.
'He's a danger'
Reeva’s uncle Mike Steenkamp thanks people who had sent message of support, saying he had been “amazed” that people were “so touched by Reeva’s passing away.”
A cousin, Sharon, said that Reeva’s “love is in our hearts.”
Referring to the bail hearing Tuesday, one mourner, Gavin Venter, an ex-jockey who worked for Reeva's father, told Reuters that Pistorius should remain in jail.
"Without a doubt. He's a danger to the public. He'll be a danger to witnesses. He must stay in jail. He's already shown how dangerous he can be for what he did to Reeva," he said.
Her mother, June Steenkamp, said in an interview with The Times of Johannesburg, that her bubbly, blonde daughter was "the most beautiful person who ever lived."
"Why my little girl?" she said.
"All we have is this horrendous death to deal with ... to get to grips with," she added. "All we want are answers ... answers as to why this had to happen, why our beautiful daughter had to die like this."
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related:
Prosecution: Nothing to support claim Pistorius thought girlfriend was intruder
Mother of Pistorius' slain girlfriend: 'Why my little girl?'
Leave a Comment:
Celebrities are very risky love partners. You play, you might pay. Make sure you are with someone for the right reasons.
Why don't you stick to the subject at hand instead of a smarmy ad. I hpe you are proud that you have piggybacked your ad on an article about a murdered woman. You are absolutely without a sense of decency
What a terrible and unnecessary loss of life. I feel so sorry for her family as she will definitely be irreplaceable, it's something they have live with for the rest of their lives and no parent should have to bury their child. Oscar should speak about what really happened and by doing that i think he will feel alot better.If his actions were due to steroid use than i think the olympic body should recall all medals from all the athletes who have pariticipated in the olympics. All athletes should in future be very carefully examined before participating in an olympic event and any doctor authorising steroid use should be banned from practicing.
"slain by her boyfriend" I see the writers at Msn already have him convicted. What happen to innocent until proven guilty?
Oscar's pretty jumpy and insecure in his own home... Kind of makes one happy they were not there for a guest visit.
The part that gets me is that he felt the "intruder" would be a threat even though locked in a very small 5ft x 5ft bathroom.
I tend to believe in the premeditated murder charge... Nothing wrong in saying "slain by her boyfriend". He DID in fact shoot her.
clarkjoebob,
Not sure where you live but EVERYTHING I have seen with the justice system it's "Guilty until proven innocent" !!
Actually he is guilty of killing her. What we don't know for sure if it was an accident or not... so to say MSN writers have convicted him is incorrect.
clarkejoebob,
Pistorius did actually kill her, so saying she was "slain by her boyfriend" is not jumping to conclusions. He has admitted as such, the only matter for courts to decide is whether or not it is premeditated.
I pray that her family and friends can find peace and comfort.
It's hard to understand why someone who had so much going for him would destroy everything he had worked so hard for. Reminds me of OJ. I just don't get it. What a waste. And devastating for the young woman's family.
And am curious how he is allowed (or not) to have his prosthesis in a cell with him in case he is suicidal. Bed sheets are the threat in such cases but what about his metal legs?
what a beauty this awful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Unfortunately, this sounds like, if she had been plain or homely, it'd be less of a loss. She was beautiful to those who loved her, and that's where the loss really is.
So sad. I wish the police would have forced her to return to her own home when they got called to this house for their domestic dispute 2 hours earlier before they were called back again for her murder.
Yes but, there's no guarantee she wouldn't have eventually gone back to his place at another point in time.
I find it hard to believe that he had to shoot at someone through a locked door of a bathroom in his home. If you had any doubts as to the identity of the person, why not call the police?
I don't buy it. I think he had his own reasons for killing her. What those reasons may be, though, those are anyone's guess, for sure.
I don't think it makes sense that a person can go from rage (when the police where at his home to break up their fight) to terror in 2 hours. I don't think anyone after being so enraged that police had to be called to his home could in the 2 hours following that settle down, calmly go to bed, fall into a deep sleep only to wake up utterly disoriented in absolute fear that some unknown person has broken into his home and locked themselves in his bathroom causing him to begin shooting through the door without once wondering where his girlfriend was.
Celebrities are very risky love partners. You play, you might pay. Make sure you are with someone for the right reasons.
@JK....436 .3698..I agree with you 100% ,I have said the same thing couple of days ago in a different contest and I got chewed up by some profane rs (the regular language on MSN ) but the reality is young girls fame and fortune do not go far .Nothing more tragic than bury your child , end at the hands of others .Looks like he lost his moments........now that he realize what he did ......do we have to feel sorry for him? .No monster will touch my daughter for his own power.
Now for those who dislike my writing skills .....go back in the hole and enjoy your own in your own world cause you are better than anyone .
Maybe he got sick of her telling him to put the seat down...
truly a tragic situation.
Maybe he got sick of her telling him to put the seat down...
May she rest in Peace...I hope he family and friends can get threw this together .It is a hard to try to understand.I hope he goes to prison for life.
During the early morning hours, it said, Pistorius woke up and went to his bedroom balcony to bring a fan inside and close the sliding glass doors and blinds.
From this article....
Nel said Pistorius had armed himself, put on his prosthetic legs, walked to the bathroom and shot Steenkamp several times through the locked door as she sat on the toilet. "She locked that door for a purpose," Nel said.
“As I did not have my prosthetic legs on I felt extremely vulnerable. I had to protect Reeva and myself. ... I felt trapped as my bedroom door was locked and I have limited mobility on my stumps,” it said.
So he was up to get a fan without prosthetic legs.....but then felt terror because someone was in bathroom!
This whole thing confuses me!
What an unnecessary loss of life. I feel so sorry for her family as no parent should have to bury their child. If Oscar comes clean and says what really happened he would feel alot better. If his actions were due to steroid use i feel that all the athletes who took part in the olympics and paralympics should have their medals recalled. I feel that the olympic body should become very strict and check all athletes for steroids. I also feel that any doctor who authorises steroid use to any athlete should be stripped of their medical licence and to be barred from practicing for life.
what a line of BS. His lawyers must think the whole world fell off a turnip truck last night. If the facts are correct she must have been making a great deal of noise behind the locked bathroom door.
Our prayers goes out too the family and friends. She was a beautiful young lady. And were sorry for your loss.
let's hope he does not get the american justice - where he gets off, or the harsher version, a slap over the wrist - Casey Anthony type circus where the jury is formed of eleven dumb people with zero logic!
Thats normally where an intruder goes when he gets in your house, the bathroom and locks the door......right
Here we go again. Guns in the wrong hands. How many more must die?
This is a case when it just doesn't sound right-based on the current information; however, I will continue to see how it plays out.
Sorry for her, her family and friends. If she was already doing some schmaltzy Reality Show - she was going nowhere. I feel sorry for him - was she dumping him (yet surprising him on Valentine Day)? Was he really so worried about home invasion? Wouldn't she have known that? Wouldn't he have recognized her voice after the first shot and stopped? A lot of this is gonna be revealed in details we'll hear as the trial develops. My bet - there is more to this than self defense.
hopefully this will be the last story about this couple.
Where's Johnny Cochrin when you need him....thats right, he's dead......if it doesnt fit you must equite. The defense attorney has to come up with a catchy line like that.
insensitive JERK!!!
Dude - learn how to spell.
I think they were fighting and she ran in there and locked herself in the bathroom and he snapped and shot her. It was in a fit of rage. It sounds like there was history there and he was an abusive control freak.
Kills her on Valentine's day, unbelievable. Maybe she was trying to break up with his crazy ass.
That was OVERKILL and if you "thought" someone was in your house, why wouldn't you yell out "who's there?" If your beautiful girlfriend yells out "Me, Honey, well then.....why would you shoot her? If no one answered then you call the police and stand outside the door with your gun.
BUT TO SHOOT THROUGH THE DOOR that many times?? Give me a break. When he realized he killed her, he freaked out. Embarrassment and guilt set in.
So a beautiful nice girl died because of someone else's insecurities and anger issues. Now because of his status and money, he will get a lesser sentence like all athletes that commit crimes = Michael Vick, OJ Simpson, Etc...