Olympian Oscar Pistorius shot his long-term girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his Pretoria home on Valentine’s Day. Reeva Steenkamp, an accomplished model, and a law graduate sustained injuries to her head, arms, and hip. Besides hitting the headlines due to the “blade runner’s” popularity, the case had a lot of mystery in it. Pistorius claimed that he had mistaken Miss Steenkamp for an intruder when he fired four shots at her through a bathroom door. Athletics enthusiasts across the globe who the Olympian had inspired were shocked with the possibility that their hero was a killer. Critical pieces of evidence presented in court against Oscar Pistorius, elements of the heinous crime and proceedings of the case are discussed in the paper.
Evidence Presented in the Case
Four Shots
Michelle Berger, Oscar Pistorius neighbor, told the court she had four shots fired inside the Olympian’s house shortly after 3 am. This piece of evidence was crucial to the prosecutions ability to prove premeditation. Based on this piece of evidence, the state could determine the pause between the first shot and the subsequent shots indicating that the double amputee had a considerable amount of time to stop firing and consider.
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Screams
Four witnesses including Michelle told the court they were rudely woken by a woman’s terrifying cries a couple of hours after 3 am on Valentine's day. According to one of the witnesses accounts, the wails were quickly followed by a man screaming help! Help!. Furthermore, Mrs. Berger claimed that there was a pause between the first and the other shots. All the four witnesses to hearing a woman certified and bloodcurdling screams.
Argument
Estelle van Der Merwe narrated to the court how a woman's voice waked her. She claimed the woman's voice indicated she was in an intense argument over an issue with someone. Moreover, she said the woman's voice was raised such that all her attempts to block the noise proved futile. Four hours later, she had four shots fired.
Internet Surfing
Analysis of the couple's phones proved that Mr. Pistorius was connected to the internet for nearly five minutes before he allegedly shot and killed Miss Steenkamp. This helped corroborate claims by the neighbors that the couple was engaged in an altercation before the shooting. Examination of the Olympians iPad revealed that the device had been used to search google for a pornography site at 6:30 am before the shooting took place.
Elements in the Case
It was established that besides being in the right state of mind, the Olympian was fully aware of his actions hence the killing was purposeful. Additionally, it was found that the accused had no history of mental sickness.
Possible Defenses
The defense pathologist argued that the states pathologists claim that Miss Steenkamp ate two hours before she died relied heavily on controversial and inexact science. He also disputed the states claim that the model would have had an opportunity to scream as the shots were fired arguing that the interval between the four shots was only four seconds.
Defense Attorneys Arguments
I am attorney Nicholas Keane representing Oscar Pistorius in the murder trial against the state. My Lord, it is very evident that the pieces of evidence, in this case, are highly circumstantial if not doctored. The state’s claim that the Pistorius had a considerable amount of time to rethink his actions are fictitious since the interval between the four shots was only four seconds. I repeat my Lordship, four seconds. I, therefore, put it you that the murder was indeed not voluntarily. My client was a loving boyfriend to miss Stenkamp, and there is absolutely no way he would have thought of killing her let alone kill her. If my client indeed intended to kill miss Steenkamp, he would not have tied a piece of cloth around her arm to prevent the bleeding. Moreover, my clients attempt to bring Miss Steenkamp to consciousness by giving her mouth to mouth resuscitation shows that there was no intent to kill the model by the client. In also want to bring to the court's attention that my client was the first to notify the law enforcement authorities on the shootings (Thornton, 2014) . My Lord, all these paint a picture of a troubled remorseful man.
A Short Brief on my Client
My honor, Mr. Pistorius is a double amputee who went against all the odds to win our beloved country a gold medal during the last Olympics. This is a man who unlike many disabled people in our country, held on to his dreams despite many adversaries he encountered (CliffsNotes, 2016) . There are millions of children and disabled people who perceive my client not just as a South African hero but a world hero. Additionally, my client has never been involved in a criminal offense of any nature (Thom, 2014) . My client is a man who shot at his at his girlfriend after mistaking her for an intruder. It was worth noting that during the trials, my client has shown remorse and told the court that he regrets his actions.
Weaknesses in the Case Likely to be Pointed by the Prosecution
Before I rest my case, I would like to acknowledge a few shortcomings of this particular case. It is true that my client was connected to the internet hours before the shooting. It is also true that the couple was engaged in an argument, but this does not prove that my client killed miss Steenkamp as a result of the argument. Your honor, I beg you to declare a verdict of not guilty on my client since evidence points out that my client shot his girlfriend accidentally.
Prosecutors Accounts
My honor is Henry Kissinger representing the state of Pretoria in the case against Oscar Pistorius (Westfall, 2014) . My Lordship, all we have had so far from the defense attorney are arguments and counter-arguments. The defense attorney has said so much, but still, has failed to prove his case. Your honor, the defendants claim that he shot Miss Steenkamp accidentally are pure lies aimed at subverting justice. If indeed Mr. Pistorius had mistaken Miss Steenkamp for an intruder, what warranted him to fire four bullets without considering his actions. Ideally, he would have called out before pulling the trigger. Mr. Pistorius claims that he left miss Steenkamp in bed sleeping do no add up. The distance between, the defendant's bathroom and the bedroom is approximately ten meters. It, therefore, beats logic how Miss Pistorius reached the bathroom before Mr. Pistorius (Laing, 2017) . The defendant was fully aware that Miss Steenkamp was in the bathroom and that no intruder had gained entry into his home.
My Lord, Miss Steenkamp's murder has a lot of sadness and harm not only to her family and friends alone but the entire nation at large. Miss Steenkamp was a promising young woman whose dreams and aspirations have been shattered by a very selfish man (Komami, 2015) . The modeling agency Miss Steenkamp worked for are counting millions of losses after investing hugely in the late model. The family is troubled and are to the verge of despair. Lastly, Mr. Pistorius is said to be a short-tempered man who was always armed. Examination of the defendant's phone reveals an angry and jealous man who continually sent Miss Steenkamp threatening messages. I put it to you that Mr. Pistourius was fully aware of his actions and killed after an argument.
Weaknesses
The only weakness that exists in the case is the prosecution’s inability to get CCTV footages before the defendant killed Miss Steenkamp in cold blood. It has been proved beyond reasonable doubts that the defendant is indeed guilty and deserves to be locked behind bars for an extended period.
References
CliffsNotes. (2016). Elements of a Crime. CliffNotes , Retrieved From https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/criminal-justice/criminal-law/legal-elements-of-a-crime.
Komami, C. P. (2015). Oscar Pistorius convicted. The Guardian , Retrieved From https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/03/oscar-pistorius-convicted-murder-reeva-steenkamp-key-questions-answered.
Laing, A. (2017). Oscar Pistorius Trial. The Telegraph , Retrieved From http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/oscar-pistorius/10943877/Pistorius-murder-trial-the-case-for-the-defence.html.
Thom, L. (2014). Oscar Trial. Abc news , Retrieved From http://abcnews.go.com/International/oscar-pistorius-trial-defense-start-case/story?id=23212954.
Thornton, N. (2014). CRIMINAL CASE? Fremstadlaw , Retrieved From http://www.fremstadlaw.com/criminal-case/.
