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| Prosecutor Describes Pistorius as a Self-Centered Bully | Prosecutor Describes Pistorius as a Self-Centered Bully |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The double-amputee athlete Oscar Pistorius returned to the stand for a fourth straight day on Thursday to face new questions from a prosecutor intent on depicting him as a narcissistic, self-centered bully who routinely berated the girlfriend he killed and who recklessly carried a loaded gun everywhere he went. | The double-amputee athlete Oscar Pistorius returned to the stand for a fourth straight day on Thursday to face new questions from a prosecutor intent on depicting him as a narcissistic, self-centered bully who routinely berated the girlfriend he killed and who recklessly carried a loaded gun everywhere he went. |
| “It’s all about ‘I’, it’s all about Mr. Pistorius,” the state prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, told the court, challenging Mr. Pistorius to explain why he had waited months, until the first day of his testimony this week, to offer an apology to Ms. Steenkamp’s family. “You never thought about them. You never thought how they would feel,” Mr. Nel said. | “It’s all about ‘I’, it’s all about Mr. Pistorius,” the state prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, told the court, challenging Mr. Pistorius to explain why he had waited months, until the first day of his testimony this week, to offer an apology to Ms. Steenkamp’s family. “You never thought about them. You never thought how they would feel,” Mr. Nel said. |
| “You are not sorry that you killed their daughter,” he continued. | “You are not sorry that you killed their daughter,” he continued. |
| “I’m terribly sorry that I took the life of their daughter,” Mr. Pistorius replied. In the courthouse gallery, June Steenkamp, the victim’s mother, looked on impassively. | “I’m terribly sorry that I took the life of their daughter,” Mr. Pistorius replied. In the courthouse gallery, June Steenkamp, the victim’s mother, looked on impassively. |
| Mr. Nel also sought to poke holes in the narrative of events presented by Mr. Pistorius, who has depicted his relationship with Ms. Steenkamp, a law graduate, model and budding reality TV star, as warm and loving. Reading line by line from messages sent from their cellphones, the prosecutor characterized Mr. Pistorius as a man who ridiculed Ms. Steenkamp and who persistently blamed others for mishaps. | Mr. Nel also sought to poke holes in the narrative of events presented by Mr. Pistorius, who has depicted his relationship with Ms. Steenkamp, a law graduate, model and budding reality TV star, as warm and loving. Reading line by line from messages sent from their cellphones, the prosecutor characterized Mr. Pistorius as a man who ridiculed Ms. Steenkamp and who persistently blamed others for mishaps. |
| In one message read to the court, Mr. Pistorius mocked Ms. Steenkamp for speaking in “annoying” accents. In another, he told her to stop chewing gum in public. Ms. Steenkamp, meanwhile, objected to Mr. Pistorius playing a rap song by Kendrick Lamar, apparently making a reference to the song’s lyrics, which include an expletive and the refrain “don’t kill my vibe.” | |
| “You picked on her incessantly,” Mr. Nel said. | “You picked on her incessantly,” Mr. Nel said. |
| “It’s all about Mr. Pistorius,” he continued. “That is what your relationship was all about.” He added, “Reeva believed you treated her very badly.” | “It’s all about Mr. Pistorius,” he continued. “That is what your relationship was all about.” He added, “Reeva believed you treated her very badly.” |
| “Apart from ‘I miss you,’ boo-hoo-hoo, you never wrote a long message saying how you felt about her,” Mr. Nel said. “Your messages were only about you.” | “Apart from ‘I miss you,’ boo-hoo-hoo, you never wrote a long message saying how you felt about her,” Mr. Nel said. “Your messages were only about you.” |
| Mr. Pistorius, 27, has denied a charge of premeditated murder, which carries a minimum jail term of 25 years. He says that he shot Ms. Steenkamp, 29, by mistake when he fired four rounds from a handgun through a locked bathroom door, believing there was an intruder in his home who was about to attack him. | |
| Mr. Pistorius, who competes on scythe-like prosthetic blades and is the world’s best-known disabled athlete, faced the prosecutor for the first time on Wednesday, in what became an emotional and acrimonious day in court. Mr. Nel’s tactics have earned him the nickname “the pit bull.” | Mr. Pistorius, who competes on scythe-like prosthetic blades and is the world’s best-known disabled athlete, faced the prosecutor for the first time on Wednesday, in what became an emotional and acrimonious day in court. Mr. Nel’s tactics have earned him the nickname “the pit bull.” |
| On Thursday, the prosecutor challenged Mr. Pistorius’s argument that he had acted in self-defense, to fend off intruders, when he fired four times through the bathroom door. There had been no intruders, Mr. Nel said, no ladder on the side of the house, nor an imminent threat as Mr. Pistorius claimed. “We know for a fact you had no reason to shoot,” he said. | On Thursday, the prosecutor challenged Mr. Pistorius’s argument that he had acted in self-defense, to fend off intruders, when he fired four times through the bathroom door. There had been no intruders, Mr. Nel said, no ladder on the side of the house, nor an imminent threat as Mr. Pistorius claimed. “We know for a fact you had no reason to shoot,” he said. |
| “It was an accident,” Mr. Pistorius replied. | “It was an accident,” Mr. Pistorius replied. |
| From the start of his cross-examination, Mr. Nel has set a pugnacious tone, challenging Mr. Pistorius to take responsibility for the killing, seeking to undermine the defendant’s composure and producing video images that showed the athlete blasting a watermelon the size of a head with high-powered ammunition. | |
| In a move that brought gasps to the courtroom on Wednesday, Mr. Nel taunted Mr. Pistorius with a photograph of the bloodied, shot-open head of Ms. Steenkamp. | In a move that brought gasps to the courtroom on Wednesday, Mr. Nel taunted Mr. Pistorius with a photograph of the bloodied, shot-open head of Ms. Steenkamp. |
| “That’s it — have a look, Mr. Pistorius!” the prosecutor said as the athlete sat, stunned and appearing diminished, in the witness box. “I know you don’t want to, because you don’t want to take responsibility, but it’s time that you look at it. Take responsibility for what you’ve done, Mr. Pistorius.” | “That’s it — have a look, Mr. Pistorius!” the prosecutor said as the athlete sat, stunned and appearing diminished, in the witness box. “I know you don’t want to, because you don’t want to take responsibility, but it’s time that you look at it. Take responsibility for what you’ve done, Mr. Pistorius.” |
| The runner refused to look. | The runner refused to look. |
| Mr. Pistorius also faces charges related to firearms possession. The prosecution has sought to portray him as a trigger-happy gun enthusiast whose loaded weapon was ever-present, whether he was driving, swimming with friends or sleeping at home. He is described as having shot a gun out of the open sunroof of a car one time. In a separate episode, his handgun went off in a busy restaurant where there were children nearby. | |
| When questioned about the events at the restaurant, in Johannesburg, Mr. Pistorius said that he had not pulled the trigger, although he conceded that the gun had gone off. Mr. Nel responded sarcastically that the account was a “miracle,” noting that a police expert had testified that the gun could not have fired unless someone had pulled the trigger. “You fired that gun,” the prosecutor said. “You are lying.” | When questioned about the events at the restaurant, in Johannesburg, Mr. Pistorius said that he had not pulled the trigger, although he conceded that the gun had gone off. Mr. Nel responded sarcastically that the account was a “miracle,” noting that a police expert had testified that the gun could not have fired unless someone had pulled the trigger. “You fired that gun,” the prosecutor said. “You are lying.” |
| Mr. Nel told the court that Mr. Pistorius had tried to cover up the incident, and had asked Ms. Steenkamp not to discuss it with the news media. | Mr. Nel told the court that Mr. Pistorius had tried to cover up the incident, and had asked Ms. Steenkamp not to discuss it with the news media. |
| Mr. Pistorius admitted that he had made a mistake at the time. “It was a stupid thing to do. It was negligent,” he said. | Mr. Pistorius admitted that he had made a mistake at the time. “It was a stupid thing to do. It was negligent,” he said. |
| Mr. Nel also questioned Mr. Pistorius about why he kept a loaded gun and ammunition in his bedside table, including on the day of Ms. Steenkamp’s death, rather than storing them securely in a safe. The prosecutor pointed out that the athlete had also broken the law by storing ammunition for his father. | Mr. Nel also questioned Mr. Pistorius about why he kept a loaded gun and ammunition in his bedside table, including on the day of Ms. Steenkamp’s death, rather than storing them securely in a safe. The prosecutor pointed out that the athlete had also broken the law by storing ammunition for his father. |
| Mr. Pistorius replied that he kept a loaded gun at all times because of fears for his personal safety. “I carried my firearm wherever I am, my lady,” Mr. Pistorius told the judge, Thokozile Matilda Masipa. | Mr. Pistorius replied that he kept a loaded gun at all times because of fears for his personal safety. “I carried my firearm wherever I am, my lady,” Mr. Pistorius told the judge, Thokozile Matilda Masipa. |
| The prosecutor called him “negligent.” | The prosecutor called him “negligent.” |
| The athlete described himself as a gun enthusiast and said that he had grown up in a house with weapons. | The athlete described himself as a gun enthusiast and said that he had grown up in a house with weapons. |
| At one point during his testimony, Mr. Nel snickered. That prompted a rare intervention from Judge Masipa, who appeared to be addressing the prosecutor and the gallery but whose comments could be heard far and wide, as the trial is being followed around the world. | At one point during his testimony, Mr. Nel snickered. That prompted a rare intervention from Judge Masipa, who appeared to be addressing the prosecutor and the gallery but whose comments could be heard far and wide, as the trial is being followed around the world. |
| “You possibly think this is entertainment,” the judge said. “It is not.” | “You possibly think this is entertainment,” the judge said. “It is not.” |