This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/sports/oscar-pistorius-reeva-steenkamp-court-bail.html#commentsContainer
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Tearful in Court, Pistorius Later Disputes Murder Charge | Tearful in Court, Pistorius Later Disputes Murder Charge |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| JOHANNESBURG — The prosecution in the case against Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee track star accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend, said Friday that it planned to charge him with “premeditated murder,” the most serious murder charge under South African criminal law, as Mr. Pistorius made a tearful appearance at a courtroom in the South African capital, Pretoria. | JOHANNESBURG — The prosecution in the case against Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee track star accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend, said Friday that it planned to charge him with “premeditated murder,” the most serious murder charge under South African criminal law, as Mr. Pistorius made a tearful appearance at a courtroom in the South African capital, Pretoria. |
| Dressed in a gray suit and a blue shirt, Mr. Pistorius struggled to maintain his composure. He repeatedly wept, at times sobbing and holding his face in his hands. Mr. Pistorius did not speak or enter a plea. But later on Friday a statement released by his agent said that he disputed the murder charge “in the strongest terms” and that “our thoughts and prayers today should be” for the woman who was shot, Reeva Steenkamp, and her family, “regardless of the circumstances of this terrible, terrible tragedy.” | Dressed in a gray suit and a blue shirt, Mr. Pistorius struggled to maintain his composure. He repeatedly wept, at times sobbing and holding his face in his hands. Mr. Pistorius did not speak or enter a plea. But later on Friday a statement released by his agent said that he disputed the murder charge “in the strongest terms” and that “our thoughts and prayers today should be” for the woman who was shot, Reeva Steenkamp, and her family, “regardless of the circumstances of this terrible, terrible tragedy.” |
| The defense asked the magistrate, Desmond Nair, for a postponement of the bail hearing, and the case was adjourned until Tuesday. Mr. Pistorius was sent to a Pretoria police station, where he will remain in custody until his next court appearance. | The defense asked the magistrate, Desmond Nair, for a postponement of the bail hearing, and the case was adjourned until Tuesday. Mr. Pistorius was sent to a Pretoria police station, where he will remain in custody until his next court appearance. |
| If convicted, Mr. Pistorius would face a mandatory life sentence, though under South African law he would be eligible for parole in 25 years at the latest. South Africa abolished the death penalty in 1995. | If convicted, Mr. Pistorius would face a mandatory life sentence, though under South African law he would be eligible for parole in 25 years at the latest. South Africa abolished the death penalty in 1995. |
| The accusation against the man nicknamed the Blade Runner stunned a nation that had seen him as a national hero who had overcome the acute challenge of being born without fibula bones. Both of his legs were amputated below the knee as an infant, and yet he still became the first Paralympic sprinter to compete against able-bodied athletes at the Olympics in London last year. | The accusation against the man nicknamed the Blade Runner stunned a nation that had seen him as a national hero who had overcome the acute challenge of being born without fibula bones. Both of his legs were amputated below the knee as an infant, and yet he still became the first Paralympic sprinter to compete against able-bodied athletes at the Olympics in London last year. |
| Grim-faced and looking tired, Mr. Pistorius entered the court as the events at his home in Pretoria eclipsed a State of the Nation address by President Jacob Zuma on Thursday evening and took up the front page headlines in many newspapers on Friday. “Golden Boy Loses Shine,” said a one in The Sowetan. “Oscar’s Bloody Valentine,” The Daily Sun blared its front page. | Grim-faced and looking tired, Mr. Pistorius entered the court as the events at his home in Pretoria eclipsed a State of the Nation address by President Jacob Zuma on Thursday evening and took up the front page headlines in many newspapers on Friday. “Golden Boy Loses Shine,” said a one in The Sowetan. “Oscar’s Bloody Valentine,” The Daily Sun blared its front page. |
| In editorials, newspapers cautioned against a rush to judgment. | In editorials, newspapers cautioned against a rush to judgment. |
| “It will be up to a judge to decide if there was any criminal culpability,” said an editorial in The Times, a national daily. “Until then, innocence needs to be presumed.” | “It will be up to a judge to decide if there was any criminal culpability,” said an editorial in The Times, a national daily. “Until then, innocence needs to be presumed.” |
| Justice Malala, a columnist and political analyst, wrote in an opinion column in The Guardian, “In a country of very few heroes, particularly those who transcend the always-present color line, we do not want them to flicker and die.” But he added, “Now he is fallen, and we are lost.” | Justice Malala, a columnist and political analyst, wrote in an opinion column in The Guardian, “In a country of very few heroes, particularly those who transcend the always-present color line, we do not want them to flicker and die.” But he added, “Now he is fallen, and we are lost.” |
| For others, Ms. Steenkamp’s death was a grim reminder of the violence that pervades South African life. The South African Institute of Race Relations pointed out that Ms. Steenkamp was just one of the 2,500 women murdered in South Africa every year. Gun control advocates said they hoped her death would lead to a further tightening of gun ownership rules. | For others, Ms. Steenkamp’s death was a grim reminder of the violence that pervades South African life. The South African Institute of Race Relations pointed out that Ms. Steenkamp was just one of the 2,500 women murdered in South Africa every year. Gun control advocates said they hoped her death would lead to a further tightening of gun ownership rules. |
| An impassioned editorial in The Star, another national daily newspaper, said: “The true tragedy of our country is that the abnormal is becoming the normal. Violent crime has transcended and redefined the benchmark of brutality — and we accept it.” | An impassioned editorial in The Star, another national daily newspaper, said: “The true tragedy of our country is that the abnormal is becoming the normal. Violent crime has transcended and redefined the benchmark of brutality — and we accept it.” |
| The courtroom in Pretoria was packed with journalists from around the world. Some relatives of Mr. Pistorius had to squeeze into the crowded standing area at the back of the courtroom. Members of his family, also weeping, were in the courtroom when he appeared. | The courtroom in Pretoria was packed with journalists from around the world. Some relatives of Mr. Pistorius had to squeeze into the crowded standing area at the back of the courtroom. Members of his family, also weeping, were in the courtroom when he appeared. |
| Police officials have indicated that they will oppose an expected application for bail. | Police officials have indicated that they will oppose an expected application for bail. |
| Early Thursday morning, the police arrived at Mr. Pistorius’s house in a gated community in Pretoria to find Ms. Steenkamp in a puddle of blood, dead from gunshot wounds. Mr. Pistorius, 26, who ran on carbon-fiber blades that earned him his nickname, was charged with murder. | Early Thursday morning, the police arrived at Mr. Pistorius’s house in a gated community in Pretoria to find Ms. Steenkamp in a puddle of blood, dead from gunshot wounds. Mr. Pistorius, 26, who ran on carbon-fiber blades that earned him his nickname, was charged with murder. |
| Ms. Steenkamp, 29, was a model about to make her debut on a reality television show. | Ms. Steenkamp, 29, was a model about to make her debut on a reality television show. |
| Early news reports said that Mr. Pistorius, a gun enthusiast, had mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder. But police officers discounted that notion and disclosed previous law enforcement complaints about domestic episodes at his home. | Early news reports said that Mr. Pistorius, a gun enthusiast, had mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder. But police officers discounted that notion and disclosed previous law enforcement complaints about domestic episodes at his home. |
| Jenna Edkins, a woman who said she had dated Mr. Pistorius on and off for years, took to Twitter to defend him. | Jenna Edkins, a woman who said she had dated Mr. Pistorius on and off for years, took to Twitter to defend him. |
| “I have dated Oscar on off for 5 years, not once has he ever lifted a finger to me, made me fear for my life,” she posted on Friday. | “I have dated Oscar on off for 5 years, not once has he ever lifted a finger to me, made me fear for my life,” she posted on Friday. |
| Alan Cowell contributed reporting from Paris, and Mukelwa Hlatshwayo from Pretoria, South Africa. |