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Subscribe to RSSThe prosecution is challenging Oscar Pistorius' testimony about what happened on the night his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp was killed. NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports.
Oscar Pistorius' uncle says the Olympic sprinter is in "extreme shock" -- barely eating and spending his time reading the Bible -- but will "bounce back and be greater than ever" when his murder case is over.
In an interview that aired Wednesday night on the South African television network eNCA, Arnold Pistorius called his nephew a "soft person" and said he's certain he is not guilty of charges he intentionally killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
"Oscar will survive. He will have a tough time going forward, but he is a survivor," the uncle said.
"Nobody can be the same ever again if such a tragedy comes over your life but he will bounce back and be greater than ever.”
His prediction came after the athlete's lawyers and prosecutors faced off in a South African courtroom for the second day of a hearing that will determine if the 26-year-old runner gets bail or sent to prison until a trial. The hearing continues Thursday.
Pistorius, the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics, has been in custody since the Valentine's Day shooting at his Pretoria home.
"He spent a lot of time reading, especially reading his Bible...His mother was extremely religious," Arnold Pistorius said, adding that his nephew had only started eating again Tuesday night.
Pistorius, who claims he thought a prowler was in his house when he shot through a locked bathroom door and killed his model girlfriend, has sobbed through some of the court proceedings.
"He's grieving. He is in extreme shock. I don't expect it to get over it even soon," the uncle said, but added that the Olympian's life and career are far from over.
"I can tell you that Oscar, with his character, is able to work through this," he said. "He will bounce back and be greater than ever."
During Wednesday's hearing, Pistorius' lawyer subjected a police official to a tough cross examination in which he admitted a witness who heard an hour of screaming before the shooting was a thousand feet away from the apartment.
Warrant Officer Hilton Botha disputed Pistorius's version of the shooting, in which he claimed to have opened fire after rushing to the bathroom on his stumps in a panic.
He said the downward trajectory of the shots suggested Pistorius had on the artificial legs that gave him the nickname Blade Runner and aimed at someone on the toilet.
"I believe he knew she was in the bathroom," Botha testified.
Related:
Oscar Pistorius in court: Defense exposes cracks in police evidence
Pistorius: I felt 'sense of terror' on night I mistakenly shot girlfriend
Sportscaster: Pistorius was 'jumpy' about safety
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Too bad his beautiful girlfriend won't be bouncing back.
BOTH of them were a MISMATCH.....to begin with. Her mother has asked...."Why my little Girl?" I can answer that. Because....."some little girls" like MONEY, so....SHE DECIDED to "Hitch HER wagon to a STAR".
If Pistorius had found ANOTHER lady...who might have been slightly DISABLED, maybe not as pretty...this thing might NOT have happened. This is what happens when "beauty" starts to chase MONEY and a COMFORTABLE LIFESTYLE. I don't think she LOVED PISTORIUS. It was more....HIS POPULARITY, and a little money...to boot.
But, of course....they looked at him as a "HERO"......for having OVERCOME his DISABILITIES.
I still maintain that there was a SERIOUS argument.....having to do with his DISABILITY. His EGO was hurt, and he chased her into the bathroom......to "Even the playing field" and SHOT her to DEATH. Also...the bathroom door was LOCKED. WHY?
When I first heard of the news....I thought to myself...."Oh well, things happen like this.....all the time."
CASE CLOSED.....GUILTY AS CHARGED.
Forget about the BURGLAR. There NEVER was a BURGLAR. It was a "GATED COMMUNITY"....remember?
We can't stereotype and believe that this is honesty, and asume that a woman with her own millions was gredy after another mans millions as per this case either. Reeva was a successful model herself and very beautiful and could get anyone. It takes a stride for some people to appreciate a paraplegic no matter how handsome he is but he is a beautiful person as the world can see. I don't swear for anyone but I believe him so far. People argue but that does not mean they don't love each other and are still dedicated to each other, and does not mean that Oscar Pistorius would risk it and sacrifice his success to spend a lifetime in jail after God gave him so much freedom and blessings without feet! he is not a child, he knows if he murders he might even be hanged, given some kind of putting to sleep or whatever they do in Pretoria or get a life sentence.
Reeva did not have millions....she was just starting in a media that was banking on her as potential star. She never got there. OP on the other hand, had millions, a rich family and popularity. Likely she was hitching a ride with him. Was the price worth it ? now, the world knows her, for a little while as a victim. OP was not a paraplegic but a bilateral below the knees amputee. Huge difference ! when people commit murder under rage, they think of nothing....but their pursuit of the deed. Only later, do they realize what they did and usually they lie to cover it up.
@Julia, exactly. Did he even mention his girl friend? Makes me sick, the uncle is proudly talking about this gun wielding lunatic like he has made a simple mistake.
Of course he is talking like Pissy made a simple mistake. This is his entire defence, that he made a mistake.
Well,so much for hero worship
gross. I HATE the way athletes are put on a pedestal....armstrong, woods, clemons, all of them are just human beings....most of them on drugs now.
Is Oscar putting on the show? This all smells very fishy.
He's a killer and should be put to death !!!
James 3 for you in the bible KJV!
ENOUGH !
In the midst a world of pretty faces a man prays for an ugly woman because he can be sure her love is genuine.
Do not have a whole lot of respect for this uncle.
Meanwhile she's in extreme shot.
Everyone has the same thing on their mind. Did she dump before she was shot or after ?
Maybe on YOUR mind...not mine. You're pretty sick.
lets all pray he gets life in prison and the removal of his arms
.. or maybe an extended time on the toilet.. if you know what i mean
Two things:
First, from the headline, the possessive form of Pistorius is Pistorius's, not Pistorius'. It's a singular noun, so should get an apostrophe-S at the end to indicate possession. Yes, even though the word already ends in an S.
Second, who is this uncle who can't seem to go more than six hours without saying something to the media? Bit of an attention whore, if you ask me. There seems to be one in every famous person's family who makes it his or her mission in life to run to any person with a camera or microphone.
Thinkforyourself-2427469
Thank you for the correction. No one can say they have been educated too much.
Technically, either way is correct and would be left to the editor's discretion. However, I make my living as an editor and the style guides I consult routinely prefer the form "Pistorius's."
Really? I'm not too sure on that.
That's okay. I am. :)
Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed., if you care to check.
IT WAS A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT ! YES A HORRIFIC ACCIDENT. TEAM OSCAR! OSCAR IS A HUMANITARIAN HE IS HAVING PURE CRAPOLA THROWN AT HIM IN A VERY CORRUPT LEGAL SYSTEM IN SOUTH AFRICA. Everyone wants to hang this man. unless you are a rich handicapped person or just wealthy in Cape town and know how murders and home invasions happen to "privileged" people in South Africa everyday. They arm themselves more than Americans. , you cannot judge this case.UMM the police found NOTHING ILLEGAL IN HIS HOUSE check your facts NO steroids No illegal guns the illegal bullets are his fathers, someone heard shouting for 2 football fields away Really? not close by neighbors.That's evidence? that is pure BS everything they are reporting heresay as fact, and it seems the rest of the news media is following. The news reporter from the states saying he was jumpy? hello he was training hard for the olympics. when she was interviewing him. Comparing Oscar to O.J. Simpson what a joke!The truth shall set you free Oscar. Maybe not in South Africa. The US media has already hung Oscar in public.
The facts are: He shot his girlfriend in cold blood after an argument. Try to spin that if you will!
Thanks for that comment chuckietay , and that's exactly what I say, plus people are too unforgiving yet were they on trial here they would want the world to believe they are innocent. I will never cease to support Oscar no matter the outcome and there are now holes in the trial and I believe God will vindicate him and set him free and restore his life 200%. Everything is not what it seems, there are the parties involved, and the prosecutors side as well and the real truth of Pristorius's heart that only God knows and God knows it well and He is a just and fair God if Oscar is guilty, but there are holes now in the accusations so what????
Whichever way, we all need to pray for the truth to be revealed. My condolences again to Reeva's family and the hurting loved ones which includes and not excludes Osca and his family hurting at this trial and feeling so much anxiety and fear.
Quoted by By Tracy Connor, Staff Writer, NBC News
Oscar Pistorius' uncle says the Olympic sprinter is in "extreme shock" -- barely eating and spending his time reading the Bible -- but will "bounce back and be greater than ever" when his murder case is over.
In an interview that aired Wednesday night on the South African television network eNCA, Arnold Pistorius called his nephew a "soft person" and said he's certain he is not guilty of charges he intentionally killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Relax.....little Oscar is free on bail and very likely will soon will be "running" free in the bush as he will jump bail and vanish from society. He has no intention on taking a chance at jail as he knows, some details about the truth will come up. You can fool some people for a while but eventually, the truth surfaces.
There are some really mean-spirited people today on this forum.
Jean no worry its just heated mindless Rhetoric like Obama said after he refused to follow through with his campaign promises.
Warren. Another useless troll. Stay on topic troll. OOOOH. Am I being too mean to the troll?
I agree, and unforgiving yet they want forgiveness everyday.
He will end up killing himself if they give him bond. He is guilty.
He won't kill himself...he will RUN !
He's a murderer and an athletic cheat!
Careful that may be what set him off? That and I don't love you any more!
Gee whiz if only they had the NRA there this wouldn't have happened.
The US Media has tried the case already and leaves out facts when reporting. Oscar accidentally killed his girlfriend which he has admitted but it's the headlines and dirt that sales. I was disappointed in the NBC report as factual information was left out of the report and just opinion and the Prosecutions story. Oscar will have to live the rest of his life knowing he killed the women he loved and the one who loved him. What he is learning is people really don't care but love to see someone with a name got to jail. The ladies family knows it was an accident but for the public and Media truth doesn't matter.
Really when was the last time you got out of bed grabbed your gun and shot through a door without checking to see if your girlfriend/wife/kids are still in bed safe?
Hope your loved ones don't get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, do they know they are putting their lives in your hands.
Wow. Witness for the defense. Must have been there. Put him on the stand. He knows what really happened.
If he loved her so much what'd he get her for Valentine's Day?
On the contrary, the South African people I believe are the ones who are making all the hateful and judgmental remarks everywhere I look online even in threads I posted and had to close as an American. Many people especially Christians support Oscar, but there is so much profanity coming from the Africans and accusations of murderer and he has not even been tried nor have the full details of the case come forth as yet...people assume and are quick to pass judgment on him, but I will never stop supporting him regardless of the end results. God did not abandon us and I wont abandon him.
maybe you can help him flee the country, cook for him and polish his artificial legs. Did I forget anything ?
Am I the only one that finds it strange that he can shoot through a door 3 times and all 3 times hit his girlfriend? Was he shooting at the toilet because it was making noise or was he shooting at the one causing the toilet to make noise?
Yes Confussed it is very strange. From the layout of the second floor, within the masterbath there is a tiny additional "toilet" room approx. 4x5" in size, maybe smaller, where Reeva had that door shut and I believe locked. So when he shot into that tiny room he hit her.It's very strange that he claims it was an accident.
If you hear a noise coming from the bath and you are in bed with someone, the first thing you notice is that they are or are not in the bed next to you. He had the time to put his prosthetics on, got the gun, yelled for Reeva to call the police but didn't notice she was not in bed and possibly somewhere else in the house? I think the confusion is because his story doesn't make sense.
Four by five inches, eh? That is indeed one tiny bathroom!! *wink*
South African mice are smarter than the mice here.
Sorry for the typo, I was enjoying a micerly (intended typo) piece of cheese and meant to type 4/5'
They said the bathroom is very small and they showed a plan of his apartment it is online where you can see it, so there was not much space for anyone to move while sitting on the toilet as it is in a kind of corner.
maybe she had diarrhea....
Yep,
He should bounce back after 20 to life with bubba as cell mate......hopefully bubba won't call him matt and stomp him good..........
In some countries the toilet is in a tiny room separate from the rest of the bathroom. Shooting straight through the door gives you a good chance of hitting anyone on the toilet.
oh bull ....the bathroom door was locked... criminals don't lock the bathroom doors? girlfriends don't lock the door..... who locks the door? a woman hiding from a man... i believe he got mad when she wouldn't open the door and in a raging fit..thought he would fire a few rounds and show her! and the bullet hit her... check the door probably hit harder in some spots than others... and in different patterns
Really Uncle, you have a screw loose too, (nephew will be back better than ever, he is a survivor...bla bla) Why sympathy for him, and no sense for loss of of life he caused, no feeling of compassion for the girl he killed, no mention of pain and suffering her parents will have to live with every day for the rest of their lives?
If (reports of controlling, paranoid lunatic on steroids are true and he and his girlfriend could be heard fighting) if, when he is is ever allowed out of jail and free to live in civilized society again, would you or any human being ever want to be asleep in the same house with someone who would wake up, grab a gun and start shooting through a shut door? He lived in a gated community, why didn't he call security, or police.
Uncle is having the same sympathy you would have for your brother , sister, mother or father...Oh...wait... but maybe you wouldn't care either would you????
When such a crime occurs, it is best for the family of the defendant to shut up. They can love and support their family member but privately is best. These statements are irritating and offensive, showing self interest above the loss of an innocent woman. Narcissism is all over the place and that's the life OP knows.
It's not a pulled hamstring.
And definitely not a sprained ankle!
Uncle Pistorius needs to STFU.
Gotta love the headline "bounce back" LOL
That struck me, too. Pistorius already has the leaf springs. Will he now be adding shocks or struts?