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Judge in Oscar Pistorius Trial Begins Reading Verdict Judge in Oscar Pistorius Trial Begins Reading Verdict
(35 minutes later)
PRETORIA, South Africa — The long-running and oft-delayed murder trial of Oscar Pistorius neared its climax on Thursday as Judge Thokozile Matilda Masipa began reading her judgment.PRETORIA, South Africa — The long-running and oft-delayed murder trial of Oscar Pistorius neared its climax on Thursday as Judge Thokozile Matilda Masipa began reading her judgment.
After 41 days of testimony spread over months since the trial opened in March, it was not clear when the judge would finally pronounce a verdict. Some South African legal specialists said the hearing could run into Friday.After 41 days of testimony spread over months since the trial opened in March, it was not clear when the judge would finally pronounce a verdict. Some South African legal specialists said the hearing could run into Friday.
Mr. Pistorius, 27, is accused of murdering his 29-year-old girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013. Until that point, Mr. Pistorius, a double amputee track star who had challenged able-bodied runners at the London Olympics in 2012, seemed to be reveling in a glittery career of sporting success and celebrity acclaim.Mr. Pistorius, 27, is accused of murdering his 29-year-old girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013. Until that point, Mr. Pistorius, a double amputee track star who had challenged able-bodied runners at the London Olympics in 2012, seemed to be reveling in a glittery career of sporting success and celebrity acclaim.
He has not disputed that he fired four rounds through a locked toilet cubicle door, killing Ms. Steenkamp, a law graduate, model and budding television personality. But while the prosecution has said he committed premeditated murder, the athlete, nicknamed the Blade Runner for the scythe-like prosthetic limbs he uses to compete, insists he killed her by mistake, believing an intruder had entered his home. Judge Masipa began her reading with a recital of the charges, including those that accused Mr. Pistorius of showing recklessness in handling firearms on various occasions. They were said to include incidents when he was accused of firing a pistol in a restaurant and through the open sun-roof of a car.
Dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and black tie, Mr. Pistorius sat in the wooden dock as the judge read to a courtroom packed with lawyers, journalists and relatives of both Ms. Steenkamp and Mr. Pistorius.
The athlete, Judge Masipa said, had denied the state’s accusation that he killed Ms. Steenkamp after an argument and had denied that he acted with premeditation. She said it was “common cause” that, after the shooting, Mr. Pistorius broke down the locked toilet cubicle door behind which Ms. Steenkamp was slumped, cried out for help and was in an emotional state.
Judge Masipa said the issues were limited to whether Mr. Pistorius “had the requisite intention” to commit murder and “whether there was any premeditation.”
“There were no eyewitnesses,” Judge Masipa said and the only people at the scene when the shooting happened were Mr. Pistorius and Ms. Steenkamp.
The fascination with the trial, which was initially set to last three weeks, has been compared in South Africa and elsewhere to the attention paid to the O.J. Simpson case in the United States.
He has not disputed that he fired four rounds through the toilet cubicle door, killing Ms. Steenkamp, a law graduate, model and budding television personality. But while the prosecution has said he committed premeditated murder, the athlete, nicknamed the Blade Runner for the scythe-like prosthetic limbs he uses to compete, insists he killed her by mistake, believing an intruder had entered his home.
As the trial unfolded, moreover, the defense and the prosecution offered Jekyll-and-Hyde depictions of Mr. Pistorius.As the trial unfolded, moreover, the defense and the prosecution offered Jekyll-and-Hyde depictions of Mr. Pistorius.
The prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, described him as trigger-happy, mendacious, narcissistic and prone to rage. By contrast, the lead defense lawyer, Barry Roux, sought to present him as anxious and fearful of South Africa’s violent crime, laboring under the psychological burden of growing up since the age of 11 months with both legs amputated below the knee. The prosecutor, Gerrie Nel, described him as trigger-happy, mendacious, narcissistic and prone to rage. By contrast, the lead defense lawyer, Barry Roux, sought to present him as anxious, vulnerable and fearful of South Africa’s violent crime, laboring under the psychological burden of growing up since the age of 11 months with both legs amputated below the knee.
If Mr. Pistorius is found guilty of premeditated murder, he will face a minimum 25-year jail term. The judge – presiding with two assessors in the absence of juries under the South African legal system – could also consider lesser charges. Mr. Pistorius also faces three counts related to firearms offenses.If Mr. Pistorius is found guilty of premeditated murder, he will face a minimum 25-year jail term. The judge – presiding with two assessors in the absence of juries under the South African legal system – could also consider lesser charges. Mr. Pistorius also faces three counts related to firearms offenses.