Oscar Pistorius trial part 2

[JillJ72]

To continue from previous thread

I could be wrong, but I think that that was pure gruesome conjecture at the time, Howabout. It was actually Valentine's eve - ie the early hours of Valentine's Day morning.

AnyaKnowIt I was wondering that this evening. How long can Nel realistically keep going at him? I wonder how many times he can ask the same questions without being told to move it along? I would think tomorrow would be it, but I have absolutely no idea. I can't imagine he could do it for more than two more days at the max. I think he is going to pick and pick at what seem irrelevant questions to get OP in a knot and try and break him down. He is notoriously relentless and intimidating and I have to say that I wouldn't want to face him

I remember that too but I think it was pure media speculation and i remember thinking myself at the time - because they just gave out "he thought she was a burglar" - that maybe she had tried to sneak in. I don't think that has ever been his story - how could it when security saw her arriving late afternoon? I don't think Oscar's an intellectual but he's not that thick

Ah okay Sabrina. Just wondered! I found a sky news report that mentions it, and it points out that the police were surprised and didn't know where that had come from, so was wondering if it was from his camp, but could just have been speculation by outsiders:

^Initial reports in South African media suggested Miss Steenkamp was apparently shot as she woke him, trying to surprise him on Valentine's Day, and was mistaken for an intruder.

But police later said the shooting was being treated as a murder and that they were "very surprised" by those reports, which they said did not come from them.^

We have radio 4 on alarm to wake us up in the morning - and I remember that story waking me up that day. It was shocking - I remember taking it at face value at the time - and I seem to remember immediately thinking did she arrive unexpectedly at his house? Because of the whole him mistaking her for an intruder thing.

The real story is far more ambiguous.

Sabrina I'm the opposite - very organised and with it normally but I can totally understand that he might panic in such a way. I'm guessing (hoping) most people here haven't been subjected to crime, unfortunately I have, more than once, and believe me, although I wasn't hurt seriously at all, you don't think in any logical fashion at the time.

That's why I can believe he might be telling the truth. I can honestly just see it would be panic, panic, panic and when he said that after he shot he her "I just didn't know what to do" I totally believed him (Of course that could be true, of course, even if he knew she was in the loo)

Been watching it all tonight.

Quite frankly I think OP did amazingly well to keep so calm. I'd have lost the plot at all that nit picking and refusal to accept my answers.

I remember it too. I was at work and saw it on the internet. I work with a few South Africans and we were just "how awful". Then they said he was being charged with murder and we were all shocked beyond belief at that.

If it was blood spurting that indicates she was alive at that moment doesn't it? I wonder if he will be asked why he bought those particularly lethal bullets. Right from the start it has seemed to me that he is very immature emotionally. He behaves as if he is a 4 or 5 year old who has been caught doing something very naughty.

I do hope that is the truth, Louise. The alternative is hard to think about. His story is just... well - it's either 'you couldn't make it up' or 'truth is stranger than fiction' vs. ' domestic violence - one more woman murdered by her partner.'

Either way, its one more woman killed by her partner.

Pennies Alex Crawford on Sky said his family thought he did quite well. He certainly stumbled a bit but he did keep calm apart from when Nel pulled the watermelon stunt, and he only needed a short recess then. I would have got really pissed off with Nel, especially when he was smirking and would have wanted to give him a right slap. Of course that wouldn't be the best thing to do would it? I always thought that Nel was going to try and provoke OP into losing his temper. Not sure that will happen but I know I would if he was going on at me like that.

I still think they have no real motive and only circumstantial evidence so Nel is going for the shock tactics in an attempt to get something.

eddiemairswife I think they covered why he bought those bullets today. Something about it was for a trail walking trip or something but I missed some of it

I agree that OP does seem immature, like a little boy in some ways and while I am not making excuses for him, perhaps with his difficult background that might make sense. Despite the fact that he emphasises his mother always told him to focus on what he could, rather than couldn't do, he must have been mollycoddled a bit surely? The way his sister is with him and she is actually younger, it's as though he is the baby of the family.

Mind you, he's only 27. I work with some young men that age and while they'd don't run around with guns, they are like 5 year olds in so many ways; you wouldn't believe the immaturity

Obviously there's a gun culture in SA that I'm not familiar with being in the UK - but in the testimony today about the bullets - I think he just said the bullets are for trail walking, wild animals - not that that was why he had bought them.

Yes, though, if I'd been his mother, I'd have babied OP. His sister is obviously deeply protective of him as well.

Sabrina it is indeed "truth is stranger than fiction" and although I understand why some people don't believe it, it is the kind of thing that "could" be true. It's actually like some awful Greek tragedy why ever he shot her, exactly the kind of thing Euripides would have made a great play of. Young man fights against all the odds to become a major world-renowned hero, achieving great fame and fortune, becoming a role model, and in the blink of an eye, it's all gone because of one moment of madness. (can you tell I studied Ancient History? )

You don't know that Louise - nobody does, except Oscar Pistorius.

I think if he is convicted, his sister is going to take it very badly indeed.

On a separate note, I wonder how wealthy the family really are? She has a job in banking or something like that I think and must be taking compassionate leave or something but I bet she won't be paid for it. I know it sounds awful but if my brother was on trial for 2 or 3 months I seriously couldn't afford to miss work every day. I get the impression Uncle Arnold is wealthy but not sure about the rest.

Re the bullets. I saw some firearm expert say that the bullets were the ones of choice for home defence. The reason given was there was less chance of bullets passing through targets and hitting family members behind or in the vicinity.

Sorry - don't know what? That it was a moment of madness? I'd say there's no question - rage or panic. He hardly planned it in advance

Isn't he selling the house to pay for legal fees, or is that more tabloid gossip?

His sister looks lovely - maybe compassionate leave? It's a very famous case.

In my personal circumstances - I could go to support a family member in this way - but I know loads of people couldn't.

Lousie - I meant you don't know what happened - it could be a very ordinary case of dv. He could be lying. You don't know - only OP knows.

Compassionate leave yes but how long would they pay her for? You usually only get a week or two when your parents die.

We're having that annoying sort of text conversation where we're one post behind each other!

Her employers mayhave been v compassionate to her considering the case, or maybe she's just taking it unpaid for the moment?

Sabrina - no of course I don't "know", none of us do but there has been no real evidence of dv. If there was any proper evidence, the prosecution would have used it. If he was bashing Reeva he would have bashed someone else before her.

Well, no real evidence, like police reports, maybe - but a few hints at it -like her texting that she was scared of him. Plus it's well documented he had a fearsome temper. He was jealous - he admitted it.

There were reports of her in contact with an ex - reason enough for a temper tantrum on his part? It's strange to me for them to be leaving parties early, having angst ridden arguments, so early in a relationship.