E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSIt was a long and emotional week for Oscar Pistorius, who is accused of premeditated murder in the killing of his girlfriend, . Pistorius must surrender his passport and cannot return to his home, which was the scene of the shooting. NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports.
PRETORIA, South Africa -- Oscar Pistorius was granted bail Friday pending his trial for the alleged murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
Olympic and Paralympic star Pistorius, dubbed the “Blade Runner,” maintains he did not realize Steenkamp was in the locked bathroom of his home in a suburb of Pretoria, South Africa, and fired through the door in a panic over a possible prowler early on Valentine's Day.
However, prosecutors say the 26-year-old committed the “premeditated murder” of Steenkamp, 29, a model and trained lawyer, who was staying overnight at his house.
On the fourth day of his bail hearing Friday, Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair told the court that he had "come to the conclusion that the accused has made a case to be granted bail."
There was a cry of "yes" from the public gallery after his decision, and his relatives embraced, cried and prayed.
In contrast to the joy of his relatives, Pistorius looked upset.
Nair spoke for more than 90 minutes prior to announcing his decision, summarizing the testimony given to the four-day hearing, citing previous cases and the relevant laws.
He said he had “difficulty” with several aspects of Pistorius’ account of what happened, talking of a number of “improbabilities.”
“I have difficulty in appreciating why the accused did not ascertain the whereabouts of his girlfriend,” Nair said. He said he also struggled to understand “why the accused would not seek to ascertain who was in the toilet” before opening fire.
'Not a flight risk'
But he said he had concluded that Pistorius was "not a flight risk" and said there was no evidence before him that the athlete might interfere with state witnesses. He also said he did not have evidence to suggest Pistorius was "not of a stable mind."
Nair also criticized Warrant Officer Hilton Botha – a police officer pulled from the case because he is facing attempted murder charges -- for making “several errors” during his testimony to the bail hearing.
He also said Botha had “blundered” when he claimed to have found testosterone in Pistorius’ room and had not “spent as much time as he ought to have if he wanted to show the accused has a propensity to violence.”
Nair set bail at a million rand (about $112,000). Pistorius, who was to be freed on payment of the money, was ordered to report to a police station twice a week, among a number of bail conditions.
Pistorius was also ordered to stay away from witnesses, surrender his passports, hand over his firearms and not drink alcohol. The case was then adjourned until June 4.
The athlete left the court at about 5:45 p.m. local time (10:45 a.m ET). He could be seen in a silver Land Rover that was pursued by members of the media on motorcycles after it left the court compound, Reuters reported. The SUV traveled to the home of Pistorius' uncle, Arnold Pistorius, in the Pretoria suburb of Waterkloof, where at least five private security guards kept reporters at bay.
Medupe Simasiku, a spokesman for the prosecution, said that they respected the court’s decision.
“We would like to assure everyone that we’re still confident of this case,” he said. “We believe that we will make it through during the trial."
Before the bail decision, prosecutor Gerrie Nel had told the court that “one must stretch” to believe Pistorius’ account of what happened on the night of the shooting.
And Nel questioned why Steenkamp would have stayed silent and not alerted Pistorius that she was in the bathroom.
“Why would she not have shouted, 'Where are you (Oscar)? What's going on?’” Nel said. “She did not say a word. She did not scream. She did nothing! I think that's improbable. ... It's not true!"
In a statement read to the court on Tuesday, Pistorius described waking up and and going to his bedroom balcony to bring a fan inside and close the sliding glass doors and blinds. After hearing a noise in the bathroom, the double-amputee said he felt "a sense of terror" and feared a prowler was in the house.
Pistorius' account added:
"I fired shots at the toilet door and shouted at Reeva to phone the police. She did not respond and I moved backwards out of the bathroom, keeping my eyes on the bathroom entrance. Everything was pitch dark in the bedroom and I was still too scared to switch on a light. Reeva was not responding.
"When I reached the bed, I realized that Reeva was not in bed. That is when it dawned on me that it could have been Reeva who was in the toilet."
Defense lawyer Barry Roux told the court before the decision on bail that Pistorius should at most be charged with culpable homicide, which is the unlawful, negligent killing of someone under South African law.
He said “intent” to possibly kill a burglar could not be transferred to become intent to kill Steenkamp.
Roux said Pistorius would not be able to flee the country unnoticed. If he went through security at an airport, "the system would react."
The lawyer added that Pistorius would not skip bail, saying that his prosthetics needed adjustment every month and that he also required medication for his stomach.
The arrest of Pistorius stunned millions who watched in awe last year as the sprinter reached the semi-final of the 400 meters at the London 2012 Olympics.
In South Africa, Pistorius was seen as a rare hero who commanded respect from both blacks and whites, transcending the racial divides that persist 19 years after the end of apartheid.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related:
Pistorius bail hearing in chaos as lead detective is axed from case
Fragrance brand parts ways with Pistorius
Pistorius' uncle: Olympian in shock, 'will bounce back'
This story was originally published on Fri Feb 22, 2013 2:34 AM EST
Leave a Comment:
This sounds like the kind of feeble lies during this trial, as us Americans have to put up with our, king Obama, and his cronies.
What the hell is your problem. This has nothing to do with the President of your country. Like him or not, he's the current president. I'll bet you didn't vote in the election. This is what's bringing America down. Incestuous arguing and refusal to cooperate and support incumbents.
My girlfriend pee'd in the bed last night cause she was scared to go to the bathroom after reading this story... I was able to hold mine.
You're an idiot.
Which idiot shoots through a locked bathroom door not knowing where their partner is, not even calling their name. And which idiot believes that story.
The first idiot isn't really an idiot; he's a liar and a killer. The second idiot is about as idiotic as an idiot can get.
Right. It's an idiot that doesn't exist.
Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair asked “what kind of life would Pistorius lead if he flees, given his protheses?”
(a) What kind of message would the court be sending to Reeva Steenkamp's
family and to the rest of the world if the court will allow this murder to walk free?
The only bird that can’t fly away is a jailed BIRD.
OK enough already, just tell us when the trial starts next year or after the next Olympics !
Release him? Throw his Ass in jail until the trial. He showed his girlfriend no mercy. Take his legs away.
...and beat him with them!
Unless South Africa's system is corrupt, I don't see how this guy walks away without jail time. His story simply doesn't add up. Fearful of break-ins, he sleeps with open windows? He feels helpless without his prosthetics but goes to the balcony to remove a fan? He removes the fan even though it's "pitch dark" to the point he can't see his girlfriend in bed? The "intruder" locks them self in the bathroom? FOUR shots fired, not one, to scare off an intruder? Does NOT call police after the incident but instead calls a friend? The argument heard by neighbors two hours before the shooting? This guy has an incredible uphill battle to make his version of the story plausible.
It makes me sick that the courts are the theatre that allows tis type of crap to make news. His lawyer sees it as a chance for fame and fortune and maybe....the thrill of getting this freak off. Think of the money and time wasted on trials for @!$%#birds like this.
She could have locked the door and stayed silent when Pistorius screamed, thinking he was yelling at an intruder somewhere else in the house. What is harder to believe is that he never noticed or checked whether she was in bed and that it never occurred to him that she could be in the bathroom.
By his own story, he is guilty of negligent homocide at a minimum. He grossly over-reacted.
Blindly firing through a bathroom door not knowing who or what is on the other side is an issue to me. Anyone who takes a hunting or gun safety course is ALWAYS told to be certain of your target. I guess people do this all the time. Just seems that if there was an intruder and you're holding a gun... that you would want to know who or what your target is before pulling the trigger.
Jail, execution, etc. It doesn't matter. Those three shots ended two lives. I believe the dead girlfriend was the lucky one after the fact.
She was lucky? Wow, you're very strange.
So! He is just a lowlife, owe money, drug dealing, little piece of @!$%#. That's so afraid of thugs coming after him that he shoots through his bathroom door not knowing it could be her. Yep! that possibly could be what happened. Yep! We Believe you.
I cannot believe that there are people out there, including women, that actually believe this man unbelievable lie. His intent clearly was to kill someone, premeditated murder. I hear someone using the toilet. He shoots without asking the person to come out or anything. We have a water closet, my spouse or I never lock the door when we are using it. I hope justice prevails.
Nobody gets poor betting on the stupidity of mankind.
By the way, are you related to Ben?
"I moved backwards out of the bathroom, keeping my eyes on the bathroom entrance. "
< If you moved backwards out of a room, how would you be able to keep an eye on the door of the bathroom (if you're not facing the door?"
Everything was pitch dark in the bedroom and I was still too scared to switch on a light.
<<< Too scared? He just said he'd shot who he thought was a burglar. What was he afraid of now? Another burglar?
Reeva was not responding. < "Responding?" < this isn't how someone talks unless they are talking about some medical emergency. Usually people say "She didn't answer."
All of these things are discrepancies. Why in the world would a burglar / who if had broken in wouldn't have come unarmed... would have gone through a house, down a hall and into a bathroom, lock the door - before anyone new he was there?
HOW did he KNOW anyone was in the bathroom in the first place? Was there noise? What noise? Noise of someone using the toilet? Burglars like to pee before they burglarize or something?
The bullet holes in the door were from hight up... he had his pros legs on - had to have / but claimed he didn't.
None of this makes any sense.
He said he was too scared to turn on the lights. I dont know about the rest of you but if I heard noises in the middle of the night and thought it was a burglar the second thing I would grab is a flashlight. I should probably mention that the first thing would be the 9mm.
Jeff, exactly. Too scared to turn on the lights with a gun in your hand, what a crock. Also if you think your girlfriend is sleeping and there is an intruder, why didn't he wake her up? That's the first thing I would do is tell my wife, hey I heard something and going to check it out.
I'd recommend you upgrade to a .40 cal. The 9mm doesn't have real stopping power.
I think that if his story is true, then he is a risk to society, shooting a gun like that in the house, not knowing who you are shooting and very scared, sounds like he could shoot again, very easily. He got scared too easy to do what he did, he sould be mentally evaluated as a danger to society with a weapon....and that's based on what he wrote.
Any signs of 'forced' entry into his house? Why didn't he just hold the 'suspect' at bay in the bathroom and call the cops. . . he had a gun and didn't need to use 'deadly' force after all his life wasn't in immediate danger was it? Being jury, judge and executioner gives him no 'legal' right to stand on for killing anyone despite having a gun.
First I'd like to say that this relates in no way to the O.J. trial, In case nobodys realized it the trial was a sham from the get go. Virtual unknowns for the prosecution and judge, why ? they didn't want to find O.J. guilty thats why the circus act. If he was found guilty the Blacks would have burned L.A. to the ground after looting it first and the damage to relations would have been severly damaged. Now as far as the testosterone theory I take weekly injections because of my age and lose of its levels " no rage " Oscar learned that he was not the man that he thought everyone should think he is, No matter what his excuse is he assassinated poor Reva because of it. Now no one that is confined to your bathroom with you sitting outside of its door with a gun is a threat to you or anyone. END OF STORY
This entire case smells to high heaven and everyone knows it but if these idiot cops and investigators screwed it up he could very well walk with or without legs.
I think he killed her in a blind rage but nobody was there except the two (2) involved and one of them is dead sad but true.
Calling him a hero is like calling Lance Armstrong a hero. Both taking substances obviously. You don't have syringes laying around to take regular suppliments.
So he's a Testy taker and a killer. I don't believe his story one bit. He was so terrified when hold a gun in his hand? Was afraid, but like they said left his windows open so anyone could get in, that's sounds like he was really afraid of something? With a gun in his hand, he could not ask who was behind a locked bathroom door?
Armstrong is another scumbag that thinks he should be forgiven. All he is worried about is his diminishing wealth and noting else. Greed is a bitch.
It's amazing that most that are famous and rich always think that they are above any type of punishment. Can't do the time then don't do the crime. SIMPLE. This guy is a coward.
Perfect title for this article because his story has holes anybody that believes Oscar's story; I have some beach front property for sale in Compton! But anyway I posted an article in my blog about this guy they call the blade runner (Minoritie Report) One thing I learned from this story just cause he overcame adversity doesn't mean he isn't a Killer a Racist or an @!$%#!
Do I really care? Nope. However, I do like any opportunity provided to demonstrate the inequality of the law, and it's application.
Here in America, the difference couldn't be clearer. We have blowhard butt fungus know it alls here who can pull out every poll smoking piece of fecal matter in existence to demonstrate that money (cough) does not buy you happiness. Well, here is a good example of why this idea is hog wash. If you don't have a dime, I mean, to where you cannot afford bail even if it were offered (y'know...the opposite of George Zimmerman)...well, at that point, the prosecution can literally write a fairy tail and call it justice...and they do whenever they can get away with it. Rarely does justice truly come out like in the Duke University Rape Trial where Lacrosse players were accused of raping some woman by a, oh so common, gold digging con artist...or maybe she was just about as mental as the DA...who knows? However, on the other side of the coin, people with money who can afford bail, who never spend a complete 24 hours in jail...EVER...we are talking those who can afford the greasiest New York Lawyer and bring the lawyer in from out of state...well, then you can force the most corrupt butt smear into at least entertaining the truth, no matter how unseeming it may be. Therefore...money does, INDEED, buy a person happiness.
Ok, Ok...back to South Africa.
The prosecution doesn't have a leg to stand on, metaphorically speaking. The lead prosecutor has been charged with murder as well? What is this place....Florida USA or South Africa??? Ok, enough jokes. The point of this post is that Pistorius would have likely already been "fed to the lions", or "railroaded" is what we call it in America, if him or his family did not have money.
Editori,
What kind of drugs/meds are you on? That is the most rambling, incoherent post I've seen in years.
Give the man a lie detector test if he passes let him have bail
Ummm...might as well give him a lie detector test and skip the whole trial
1. Burglars don't go into bathrooms. 2. when he left his bed, he would have noticed the woman wasn't in it. 3. How many olympic athletes do you know who would be "terrified" over a burglar? 4. This guy kept a loaded automatic pistol under his bed? 5. He fires 4 rounds at an un-identified person in his bathroom through a closed door 6. He hits his unseen target with multiple rounds. 7. He doesn't call the police. 8.Then, he and his scumbag lawyer concoct a ridiculous story to insult the courts.
This is real "theatre". Hopefully his charade will be cut short and they put this freak in a cage where he belongs.