The trial of Oscar Pistorius for the Valentine's Day killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp -- Pretoria, South Africa

Good to see you, AD!  

I have many problems with OP's accountings.

First: Reeva slipping quietly past him into the bathroom.
1. OP suggests she may have used the light from her cell phone to find her way down the darkened passageway. IF that had happened, OP would have seen the light. He was standing in line to the hallway.

2. OP suggests Reeva had slipped past him while he was bringing in the fan(s). If she had, he would have seen her since the distance from the bed to the balcony door was less than5 feet. He has stated he did NOT set foot onto the balcony.

3. OP has stated the light was turned on for the balcony. Again, this light would have illuminated the bedroom and he would have seen her. Further, IF the light from the music system had bothered him, I would think the light from the balcony would have, too. No mention of the larger light bothering him.

3. OP has stated the open bathroom window is where he believed an intruder could have clamored up two floors and gained entrance. I am confident a reasonable person WOULD have opened the bath window for cross ventilation. He said it was hot and he had two fans blowing air in from outside, coming in from the balcony. The bedroom door was shut. Where was the air to go??? Logic says with cross ventilation it would have chased the hotter air out from the bath area.

4. OP does not report the sound of a toilet flushing. Reeva's bladder had been emptied according to the coroner. There was no report of urine in the toilet. Reeva's body was found in the toilet area and her pants were properly fastened. This means she had already voided, flushed the toilet prior to her death. And that means OP WOULD have heard the sound of the toilet flushing indicating Reeva was in the stall. OP knew where she was... in the stall.

He has falsified SO many stories and spun so many lies I simply must doubt everything he says as being true. When other witnesses has testified I am inclined to believe them for they have nothing to gain with their testimonies and OP has everything to gain by promoting his BS....

I still wonder where he got the Black Talon ammo as it is illegal even in the USA...Black Talon is ONLY used by the military of assorted countries. Certainly not legal in SoAfrica. And that is why his father will not testify! (IF he had given the Black Talon ammo to son OP, father would be in violation of the law. IF OP had lied and father did NOT give the ammo to OP, well, that would disqualify OP's story and make OP a liar... again.

Oscar Pistorius Trial Resumes After Break

May 4, 2014

By LIEZL THOM via GOOD MORNING AMERICA


ABC US News | ABC Business News

The defense team for Oscar Pistorius will try to salvage the case this week when his high profile trial resumes this week in the High Court in Pretoria.

The case stood down for just over two weeks to accommodate the Easter Weekend and several other public holidays in South Africa, and will be disrupted by another public holiday on Wednesday, when South Africans go to the polls to vote.

~Snipped~

When the case resumes Monday, the defense is expected to continue to call witnesses to support this version.

It is expected that ballistics expert Tom "Wollie" Wolmarans, will be the next witness to testify. Wolmarans, a retired SAPS forensics expert, is widely recognised as one of the best in the field.

Read more:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/oscar-pistorius-trial-resumes-break/story?id=23583310

Hi Freckles!

It is also good to "see" you.

 

Oscar Pistorius trial to resume as defence team tries to convince judge he didn't mean to kill Reeva

May 04, 2014 09:26     By Richard Hartley-Parkinson
 
Forensics experts will take the stand to defend Pistorius's account that he didn't intend to shoot Reeva Steenkamp to death

The trial of Oscar Pistorius is set to resume again tomorrow, with more drama expected as his defence team continues to put forward its case.

~Snipped~

Forensics experts are expected along with people who have analysed his voice while his vulnerability as a disabled person will be covered.

The athlete's trial over the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp adjourned over two weeks ago for Easter .

One of the key points that Pistorius's team has been keen to put across is that his screams sound like that of a woman when he is anxious.

Already we have heard some of his high-pitched wailing in court when he has become emotional under questioning.

Read more:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/oscar-pistorius-trial-resume-defence-3494544#ixzz30o4GYB6l

OSCAR PISTORIOUS MURDER TRIAL - LIVE STREAM

LINKS:

The Telegraph - Watch live: Oscar Pistorius murder trial

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/oscar-pistorius/10689058/Oscar-Pistorius-murder-trial-March-11-as-it-happened.html


The Guardian - Oscar Pistorius trial - live stream

Full coverage of the trial of South African athlete for murder of girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in Pretoria last year

http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2014/mar/03/reeva-steenkamp-oscar-pistorius-trial-live-stream


Mediaite - Oscar Pistorius Trial LIVE VIDEO

http://www.mediaite.com/online/watch-live-here-oscar-pistorius-murder-trial-day-7/


WPTV  West Palm Beach - Live video from the Oscar Pistorius murder trial

http://www.wptv.com/oscar-pistorius-trial


eNCA - Oscar Pistorius Trial LIVE

http://www.enca.com/oscartrial/

Oscar Pistorius Murder Trial Resumes After Brutal Cross Examination

In the dock for the murder of his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, Pistorius appeared to change his defence under cross examination, casting doubt on his credibility

Agence France-Presse  |  Last updated on Monday, 05 May 2014 08:40

Pretoria:  Oscar Pistorius's murder trial resumes Monday after a two-week break, with the defence expected to call another round of expert witnesses after the prosecution tore apart the athlete's testimony.

Read more:

http://sports.ndtv.com/othersports/othersports/223811-oscar-pistorius-murder-trial-resumes-after-brutal-cross-examination

Oscar Pistorius ‘was falling apart’ at scene of Reeva’s death

Charl du Plessis
5 May 2014 14:54

Oscar Pistorius was pleading with Reeva Steenkamp to stay with him while he desperately attempted to staunch the blood flowing from her near-lifeless body.

“Stay with me, my love,” is what witness Carice Viljoen recalls Pistorius saying when she was the first person to encounter him at his home after the fatal shooting on February 14 2013.

Viljoen, who is the defence’s fifth witness, testified that she was woken by her dog barking after which she heard a man screaming for help.

Shortly after this, Viljoen realised her parents were awake. She testified that her mother told her that Pistorius had phoned her father, Johan Stander.

Read more:

http://www.citypress.co.za/news/oscar-pistorius-falling-apart-scene-reevas-death/

We Tried Our Very Best to Save Reeva’s Life Viljoen Tells Court

Posted by: Mara Ispas
Posted date:  May 5, 2014

Oscar Pistorius’s neighbour, Carice Viljoen, on Monday testified that Pistorius was begging her to take his slain girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, to the hospital. Pistorius is accused of murdering his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day last year.

Viljoen said when she and her father, Silver Woods Estate manager Johan Stander, arrived at Pistorius’s home, he was carrying Steenkamp down the stairs. Viljoen said she told Pistorius to put Steenkamp down, and he placed her near the bottom of the stairs.

“We both knelt over Reeva. He begged me to help. He was begging and pleading with Reeva as well,” she said.

Read more:

http://www.sabreakingnews.co.za/2014/05/05/we-tried-our-very-best-to-save-reevas-life-viljoen-tells-court/

Oscar Pistorius Trial: Monday 5 May 2014, Session 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cW8gWbXjCQ




Oscar Pistorius Trial: Monday 5 May 2014, Session 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTYFykD2nRk

Oscar Pistorius trial adjourned till Tuesday

Published on May 5, 2014
The Oscar Pistorius murder trial resumed this morning in the North Gauteng High Court after a two week postponement, Day 26. Two defence witnesses were called to the stand. Former Silverwoods estate manager Johan Stander and his daughter, Carise Viljoen were the first to arrive at the athlete's home after he shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp. They described to the court how the athlete was carrying Steenkamp's lifeless body down the stairs when they entered his house. Pistorius faces possible life imprisonment if found guilty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvVoUDdSggQ

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

TODAY   |  May 05, 2014

Oscar Pistorius friend testifies as trial resumes

Testimony resumed at Oscar Pistorius’ murder trial on Monday after a two-week break. A friend of the athlete’s takes the stand. NBC national investigative correspondent Jeff Rossen reports.

http://www.today.com/video/today/55105945#55105945

(Very informative video)

Pistorius did not call the police, he called Johan Stander instead, when Stander arrived at his house, he asked Stander to take Reeva to the hospital.

Pistorius and his lawyers have claimed that the police "altered" the crime scene. And, that is exactly what Pistorius did when he removed Reeva's body from the toilet cubicle. Why didn't he immediately call the police when he supposedly realized that he didn't shoot an intruder?

Oscar Pistorius murder trial: as it happened

Court resumes after a two-week break as estate manager Johan Stander describes how Pistorius battled to save his girlfriend's life

By  Lucy Kinder, and Aislinn Laing in Pretoria
8:00AM BST 05 May 2014

~Snipped~

12.48 Here is the take from Reuters about Johan Stander's evidence this morning:

Stander, who lived near Pistorius in the Silverwoods estate, was the first person on the scene after the 27-year-old shot dead his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.  

Taking the stand, Stander told the court that he received a phone call from a distressed Pistorius in the middle of the night, saying he had killed 29-year-old law graduate and model Steenkamp by mistake.  

"Oom (Uncle) Johan, please, please come to my house. I shot Reeva. I thought she was an intruder. Please, please come quickly," he quoted Pistorius as telling him in a phone conversation minutes after the shooting.  

Stander also testified about previous break-ins at the estate but was forced to admit under cross-examination that it was "generally a safe place".  

Pistorius' defence hinges on his assertion that he heard a noise in the middle of the night and thought it was an intruder climbing into the bathroom adjoining his bedroom.

12.08 No more details about Pistorius's housekeeper 'Frank' apart from the fact that lawyers after the session today said he "heard nothing" despite apparently being in the same house as Pistorius and Reeva when the incident occurred. Johan Stander's house, from where his daughter said she clearly heard screams, is 212 metres away.

Read more:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/oscar-pistorius/10759350/Oscar-Pistorius-murder-trial-as-it-happened.html

Oscar Pistorius was ‘torn apart’ after shooting, ‘asking God to help him,’ court hears

Christopher Spillane, National Post Wire Services | May 5, 2014 9:23 AM ET



South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius in the dock at the high court in Pretoria, South Africa, 05 May 2014.

Oscar Pistorius’s lawyers began repairing their defence in his trial for the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, with two witnesses testifying they found the Paralympic athlete distraught and pleading for help to get her to the hospital.

Read more:

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2014/05/05/oscar-pistorius-was-torn-apart-after-shooting-asking-god-to-help-him-court-hears/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Large graphic here:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/02/20/graphic-in-his-own-words-how-oscar-pistorius-killed-reeva-steenkamp/

James Grant ‏@CriminalLawZA  · 1h  
@barrybateman Seems Nel is pursuing the point that it doesn't matter who was behind the door - that #OP was not under attack and knew it.

Barry Bateman ‏@barrybateman  · 1h  
@CriminalLawZA what leads you to this conclusion?

James Grant ‏@CriminalLawZA  · 1h  
@barrybateman Nel's insistence that Stander admit Oscar said he shot RS because he thought she was an intruder - no mistake/accident.

Barry Bateman ‏@barrybateman  · 1h  
@CriminalLawZA bada-bing. He knew exactly what he was looking for.

More ...

https://twitter.com/barrybateman

Oscar Pistorius trial: Malawian housekeeper 'was at Pistorius home on night of shooting'

Paralympian's Malawian housekeeper was staying at his house the night he shot his girlfriend dead but 'heard nothing' and will not give evidence at murder trial

By Aislinn Laing, Johannesburg
7:17PM BST 05 May 2014

A Malawian housekeeper was staying at Oscar Pistorius's house on the night Reeva Steenkamp was killed but “heard nothing” and will not be called by either the State or the defence team to give evidence in the athlete's murder trial, it has emerged.

Frank Chiziweni is understood to have slept in the domestic quarters next to Pistorius's kitchen on the ground floor of his home on a security estate outside Pretoria.

On the night Pistorius shot Steenkamp, neighbours living up to 170 metres away claimed they were woken by sounds of an argument, shots and screams then a man shouting for help.

Read more:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/oscar-pistorius/10809123/Oscar-Pistorius-trial-Malawian-housekeeper-was-at-Pistorius-home-on-night-of-shooting.html

Once again, court is in a LONG recess until Thursday as the defense is NOT prepared with the next witness. Wed is a holiday so they just take a LONGER holiday! This is at least the FOURTH time defense has stated they need more time to prepare for the next witness, witness was not there in court, witness was delayed, and the best? Did not want to start exam on a Friday afternoon and have the prosecution cross exam on Monday! Felt it would be too disruptive to have the testimony split... ho hum. I smell BS...

Why the great stall game?
Waiting for a bolt of lightening to strike down someone in the court?

I hope this frustrates the court as much as it is frustrating me...  

Hi Freckles!!  It is totally frustrating, however, there is court in session today...currently a neighbor, Mr. N., is testifying.  But I do recall they may be out tomorrow.  Thanks to all for keeping us updated!!

Oscar intimidated Reeva's friend - report

2014-05-06 14:56



Friend of the late Reeva Steenkamp, Kim Myers, seen in court. (Alon Skuy, AP)

Pretoria - Oscar Pistorius allegedly leaned forward and spoke to Reeva Steenkamp's friend during an adjournment in court on Tuesday, according to a report.

Beeld reported that Pistorius whispered "how do you sleep at night?" to Kim Myers, who is the sister of Gina Myers - Steenkamp's best friend.

Pistorius is on trial in the North Gauteng High Court for Steenkamp's murder. The incident happened during a long adjournment on Tuesday morning while the next defence witness was being fetched. Pistorius apparently stood up and walked out, lingering for a moment as he passed Kim Myers.

Myers told Beeld that she was "shocked" as well as "upset and angry" by the incident.

City Press reported that police officers saw it happen and spoke to her. A source close to the investigation told City Press he hoped Myers had been advised to lay a charge of intimidation against Pistorius.

However, Pistorius's attorney said the report was "grossly untrue", according to a tweet from journalist Aislinn Laing.

Read more:

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Oscar_Pistorius/Oscar-intimidated-Reevas-friend-report-20140506

Barry Bateman ‏@barrybateman  · 7m  
#OscarTrial Mncube: “A report was made to the prosecution team to the effect that Pistorious allegedly made remarks to one of the Myers."

Barry Bateman ‏@barrybateman  · 8m  
The National Prosecuting Authority’s Nathi Mncube has responded to the Myers’ claim saying the NPA cannot do anything about it. BB

Barry Bateman ‏@barrybateman  · 26m  
@kdbnmahasane a police officer part of the investigating team. A reporter also claims to have seen a comment being made.

More ...

https://twitter.com/barrybateman

Oscar Pistorius Trial: Tuesday 6 May 2014, Session 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVh9WQES2qI




Oscar Pistorius Trial: Tuesday 6 May 2014, Session 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4nvlUQw2Kc

Pistorius murder trial day 27 adjourned for the day

Published on May 6, 2014  
Pistorius' next door neighbours have told the North Gauteng High court, that they did not hear a woman screaming on the morning of Valentines day last year. Michael Hlengethwa, and his wife, live just 18 metres away from Pistorius's home. They've told the court that they only heard a man desperately crying for help in a high pitched voice.
This against the state witness's claims of a womans blood curdling screams, followed by gun shots. Pistorius is accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in cold blood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcuyi-VAvXs

Alessandra_Deux wrote:

Large graphic here:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/02/20/graphic-in-his-own-words-how-oscar-pistorius-killed-reeva-steenkamp/

wow that graphic really hits home for me!! leaves very few questions in my estimation! I am shocked that anyone could imagine that Oscar on his "stumps" would even if fearful for his life from an intruder would trap himself into a confined area in that maze… I know that I would not be moving towards that area even with a gun…

Alessandra_Deux wrote:Oscar Pistorius trial: Malawian housekeeper 'was at Pistorius home on night of shooting'

Paralympian's Malawian housekeeper was staying at his house the night he shot his girlfriend dead but 'heard nothing' and will not give evidence at murder trial

By  Aislinn Laing, Johannesburg
7:17PM BST 05 May 2014

A Malawian housekeeper was staying at Oscar Pistorius's house on the night Reeva Steenkamp was killed but “heard nothing” and will not be called by either the State or the defence team to give evidence in the athlete's murder trial, it has emerged.

Frank Chiziweni is understood to have slept in the domestic quarters next to Pistorius's kitchen on the ground floor of his home on a security estate outside Pretoria.

On the night Pistorius shot Steenkamp, neighbours living up to 170 metres away claimed they were woken by sounds of an argument, shots and screams then a man shouting for help.

Read more:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/oscar-pistorius/10809123/Oscar-Pistorius-trial-Malawian-housekeeper-was-at-Pistorius-home-on-night-of-shooting.html

How did this person not hear anything… when supposedly the neighbours heard "something" from their home.. where was this person when the coroner/police/everyone else arrive… can they not subpeona as hostile?

Oscar Pistorius trial mystery: Housekeeper 'will not give evidence' despite being in property during shooting

May 06, 2014 12:21 By Jessica Best

Frank Chiziweni told police he slept through the entire incident, despite many neighbours' claims to have heard bangs and screams from over 100m away

Read more:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/oscar-pistorius-trial-frank-chizweni-3501819#ixzz30xI0ExSO

Pistorius' Housekeeper Was Inside Home During Shooting

By MATT GUTMAN and LIEZL THOM | Good Morning America – 1 hour 33 minutes ago

Someone else was inside Oscar Pistorius' home in Pretoria, South Africa, the night the athlete shot his girlfriend to death -- his longtime housekeeper, Frank Chiziweni.

Chiziweni was sleeping in his room off from Pistorius’ kitchen on Valentine’s Day 2013. His presence was revealed in court Monday, when a neighbor testified that Chiziweni greeted her at the home. In the 16 months since the shooting, it was believed that only Pistorius and victim Reeva Steenkamp were in the residence.

The defense and prosecution have declined to call Chiziweni, a Malawian, to the stand. They believe he wouldn’t have said anything. Following the shooting, he told police that he “heard nothing” that night, sleeping through what witnesses who lived 200 yards away described as “bloodcurdling” screams.

Read more:

https://gma.yahoo.com/pistorius-housekeeper-inside-home-during-shooting-125556347--abc-news-topstories.html

"Carice Viljoen, a friend of Pistorius whose father he rang moments after shooting the model through a locked lavatory door of his home said when she arrived at the house, "Frank" was standing in the road with the estate security guards."

Read more:

http://www.malawivoice.com/2014/05/06/malawian-housekeeper-oscars-house-night-shot-girlfriend/

justanopinion wrote:

Alessandra_Deux wrote:Oscar Pistorius trial: Malawian housekeeper 'was at Pistorius home on night of shooting'

Paralympian's Malawian housekeeper was staying at his house the night he shot his girlfriend dead but 'heard nothing' and will not give evidence at murder trial

By  Aislinn Laing, Johannesburg
7:17PM BST 05 May 2014

A Malawian housekeeper was staying at Oscar Pistorius's house on the night Reeva Steenkamp was killed but “heard nothing” and will not be called by either the State or the defence team to give evidence in the athlete's murder trial, it has emerged.

Frank Chiziweni is understood to have slept in the domestic quarters next to Pistorius's kitchen on the ground floor of his home on a security estate outside Pretoria.

On the night Pistorius shot Steenkamp, neighbours living up to 170 metres away claimed they were woken by sounds of an argument, shots and screams then a man shouting for help.

Read more:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/oscar-pistorius/10809123/Oscar-Pistorius-trial-Malawian-housekeeper-was-at-Pistorius-home-on-night-of-shooting.html

How did this person not hear anything… when supposedly the neighbours heard "something" from their home.. where was this person when the coroner/police/everyone else arrive… can they not subpeona as hostile?

I wonder if he is illegal in the country? Something is rather odd. I would think the State would call him IF the testimony is of any value to them; same with the Defence. He is an employee/friend/live-in of OP's. That could possibly taint his testimony or make him inclined to say he say/heard nothing in order to maintain his status with OP, etc.. So then the Defence would value him as a witness, I would think.

I found this rather interesting. Perhaps, this witness did NOT hear or see anything to confirm what OP purports happened. Perhaps, his story is different as to the events of the evening. (Surely, when Reeva was eating within two hours of her death, she would have had lights on and been in the kitchen. Since he had an adjoining room, would he not have heard her there?) How is it he NEVER heard FOUR gunshots go off in the house???

" ... Asked why the defence would not call Mr Chiziweni either, the source responded: “He is an employee of Mr Pistorius's. What you don’t hear can be as damaging as what you do.”

The housekeeper is the second member of South Africa's massive but often invisible domestic worker class to be referred to in the murder trial.

Dr Johan Stipp, a neighbour and radiologist who gave evidence about going to Pistorius' house to offer medical assistance after the shooting, made mention of a “servant” who lived on his property.

His wife Anette Stipp said the domestic worker also heard a woman screaming around the time of the shooting, but she was never called to give evidence. ..."

Oscar Pistorius Trial: Day 27 Court Transcript

Line-by-line updates from the courtroom in Pretoria, where the Paralympic athlete is on trial accused of murdering his girlfriend.

12:10pm UK, Tuesday 06 May 2014

http://news.sky.com/story/1255839/oscar-pistorius-trial-day-27-court-transcript

Oscar Pistorius Trial: Thursday 8 May 2014, Session 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNyLF_HFxnc




Oscar Pistorius Trial: Thursday 8 May 2014, Session 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJDyfb_Y-iQ

Oscar Pistorius was ‘heartbroken’ after shooting, says social worker upset over suggestions athlete feigned grief

CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA AND GERALD IMRAY, ASSOCIATED PRESS | May 8, 2014 9:16 AM ET

PRETORIA, South Africa — Oscar Pistorius’ defence team continued Thursday to present a picture of a man who was heartbroken after he killed his girlfriend in what he says was a tragic accident.

The defence called a social worker and probation officer who visited Pistorius in a police cell a day after he fatally shot Reeva Steenkamp to testify at the double-amputee Olympian’s murder trial. Social worker Yvette van Schalkwyk said she observed an emotionally devastated Pistorius last year who was grieving for his slain girlfriend and concerned for her parents.

“I saw a heartbroken man. He cried 80 per cent of the time. He talked to me about what they planned for the future, his future with her,” said van Schalkwyk, who told the court that she decided to testify at the trial because she was upset by suggestions reported in the media that Pistorius was feigning grief to sway the judge in his favour.

Read more:

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2014/05/08/oscar-pistorius-was-heartbroken-after-shooting-says-social-worker-upset-over-suggestions-athlete-feigned-grief/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Oscar Pistorius trial: Athlete 'never said sorry for what he did'

MARIA TADEO | Thursday 08 May 2014

Oscar Pistorius was accused of failing to apologise for shooting girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, his murder trial heard.

Taking the stand, Yvette van Schalkwyk told Pretoria's High Court she was requested to monitor Pistorius' behaviour and provide emotional support for the athlete during his bail application last year.

~Snipped~

In cross examination, state prosecutor Gerrie Nel accused her of adapting her evidence and feeling "sorry for him", insisting that his emotions are "all about him" and he did not explicitly apologise for killing Ms Steenkamp.

"Being a probation officer, having done lots of reports, the first thing you look for is somebody saying 'I'm sorry for what I've done.'", Mr Nel demanded.

Read more:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-trial-athlete-never-said-sorry-for-what-he-did-9337841.html

Oscar Pistorius defense calls anesthetist

Christopher Torchia and Gerald Imray, Associated Press     8:05 a.m. EDT May 8, 2014

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Oscar Pistorius' defense team called an anesthetist to testify at the double-amputee runner's murder trial Thursday in an attempt to counter prosecution claims that Pistorius is lying about the timeline of events on the night he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Prof. Aina Christina Lundgren was being questioned on her expertise regarding how long it takes a person to digest food after eating.

The testimony relates to an autopsy report on Steenkamp's body that said she still had food in her stomach after she was killed by Pistorius, leading prosecutors to challenge his story that the couple last ate around eight hours before he shot her through a toilet door. An expert testifying for the prosecution said a person's stomach is normally empty of food six hours after eating and Steenkamp ate much later on the night of the killing and not in line with Pistorius' story.

Read more:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2014/05/08/oscar-pistorius-trial/8839277/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20UsatodaycomWorld-TopStories%20(USATODAY%20-%20World%20Top%20Stories)

Karyn Maughan @karynmaughan
Wolmarans finds that Reeva likely in upright position, leaning forward at time she was first shot. @eNCAnews #OscarTrial

7:57 AM - 8 May 2014

http://www.enca.com/oscartrial/

AS IT HAPPENED: Oscar Pistorius trial, day 28

2014-05-08 09:18

Duncan Alfreds

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Oscar_Pistorius/Live/LIVE-UPDATES-Oscar-Pistorius-trial-day-28-20140508

Alessandra_Deux wrote:

Oscar Pistorius Trial: Thursday 8 May 2014, Session 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNyLF_HFxnc




Oscar Pistorius Trial: Thursday 8 May 2014, Session 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJDyfb_Y-iQ

Session Two: @ the 8.00 mark:
Witness states to prosecutor/court she believes the victim slipped!!!
This is based upon "other factors"...
 
Say what???
Did the witness not see the body or pictures showing the gunshots to the body???? 
 

Barry Bateman ‏@barrybateman  · 11h  
A columnist knows someone who knows someone who claims Oscar took acting lessons, so Defence calls a witness to refute this. Bizarre

Barry Bateman ‏@barrybateman  · 11h  
So essentially, #OscarPistorius defence team allowed a social worker to volunteer testimony to rebutt media reports. Value to case?

More ...

https://twitter.com/barrybateman

Oscar Pistorius Trial: Friday 9 May 2014, Session 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZi6DQaT8gk




Oscar Pistorius Trial: Friday 9 May 2014, Session 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0r0A_LsEME

Patricia Visagie wraps day 29 of Pistorius trial

Published on May 9, 2014  
Day 29 of the murder trial of of Paralypmian Oscar Pistorius.
A second expert witness testifying in Oscar Pistorius's defense, has again contradicted some aspects of the athlete's testimony before court. Ballistic expert Wollie Wolmarans is being cross-examined by state prosecutor Gerrie Nel. Wolmarans has presented a new theory about how he believes Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et482d1mKqE

Oscar Pistorius Trial: Day 29 As It Happened

Line-by-line updates from the courtroom in Pretoria, where the Paralympic athlete is on trial accused of murdering his girlfriend

11:21pm UK, Friday 09 May 2014

http://news.sky.com/story/1258136/oscar-pistorius-trial-day-29-as-it-happened

Pistorius expert: Last shot hit girlfriend while still falling, not sitting covering head

BY CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA AND GERALD IMRAY, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS    MAY 9, 2014 5:42 PM

~Snipped~

Both sides say the first shot likely hit Steenkamp in the right hip as she was standing behind the door, causing her to fall.

The painstaking debate over detail reflects the defence's efforts to show that Steenkamp was not arguing with Pistorius after fleeing from him when she was shot in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14, 2013 — as the prosecution contends

Read more:

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Oscar+Pistorius+defence+expert+Last+shot+girlfriend+Reeva/9822579/story.html#ixzz31GvxKoQV

Oscar Trial: Ballistics expert under fire

South Africa | Friday 9 May 2014 - 1:02pm

Gill Gifford

PRETORIA - A ballistics expert’s filing system, his socialising with a fellow expert witness before handing his report in to court and the cause of bruises on model Reeva Steenkamp’s back were the focus of cross-examination in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial.

Defence expert Tom Wolmarans was grilled on his investigation process by prosecutor Gerrie Nel in the North Gauteng High Court on Friday.

Wolmarans said he had sent his written report through to the lawyers and had added and amended it as he went along – mostly giving his instructions verbally.

Nel, through repeated questioning, ascertained that Wolmarans had given through preliminary reports to the defence before he signed off the final report that was presented to court.

“Why did you not bring that to court? Why would you not want us to see it?” Nel asked.

Read more:

http://www.enca.com/south-africa/oscar-trial-ballistics-expert-under-fire

Friday's testimony was very revealing.
Witness stated an experiment was done with the cricket bat IN OP's home.
Witness stated Dixon was present, Oscar was present, and perhaps Oscar's uncle was present.
Witness stated he was not a sound expert but was present to record the experiment.
Oscar demonstrated how he swung the cricket bat at the door.

None of this experiment had been revealed to the court before.... Prosecution had NO knowledge of this activity or the interaction of the participants with each other.

What bothers me is:
1. The lack of visible and recorded measuring, ie, a yardstick or ruler or measuring tape to indicate distances.
2. The witness (again) fails to produce records! Here he is testifying to amending his first reports/notes but fails to produce the original or even the first amendments. Apparently, he only produced a report when the trial began.
3. The witness has sat in on testimony of others testifying PRIOR to his own testimony. In particular, the testimony of Dixon and another expert witness...

Something that has been bothering me… he heard a noise in the Bathroom and suspected an intruder… but from experience I can say that when I have thought that I had heard something suspicious I have been extremely quiet but awakened others and motioned them to safety… then and only then would I have approached where I heard the noise. Also when in a heighten state I would have heard every noise in the household magnified… as Freckles mentioned how could he not have heard a toilet flush… etc
The details that all add up are being missed … like in most trials I feel that if the attention to the small seemingly unimportant things were given more attention it would cause the people hearing the case to really think… the big stuff is he said .. she said.. but the details … that in my opinion is where the truth lays. JMO

'Oscar Pistorius had a troubled childhood'

Published on May 12, 2014  
The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has heard that Oscar Pistorius has an anxiety disorder. Psychiatrist, Doctor Meryl Vorster who is one of the last defence witnesses to take the stand, says the athlete was left significantly traumatized by his mother's death.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdnNXjdopho

Oscar Pistorius Trial: Prosecution considers referring athlete for 'mental evaluation'

MARIA TADEO Monday 12 May 2014

The Oscar Pistorius murder trial took a dramatic turn today after the prosecution argued the athlete should be sent for further "mental observation" after a defence expert witness claimed he suffers from an "anxiety disorder".

In an unexpected twist, state prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the court he would consider filing an application for the athlete to be referred for 30 days of psychiatric evaluation at a state mental hospital in South Africa.

His request comes after Dr Merryll Vorster, a witness for the defence, told the court his actions should be "seen in the context of his anxiety", which made him "hyper vigilant" and fearful for his own safety.

Read more:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-trial-prosecution-considers-referring-athlete-for-mental-evaluation-9356618.html

Is Oscar Pistorius crazy? State wants tests
 
By Robyn Curnow. Richard Allen Greene and Emily Smith, CNN
updated 10:16 AM EDT, Mon May 12, 2014



Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- Oscar Pistorius prosecutor Gerrie Nel wants the South African track star sent for independent psychiatric evaluation, he said Monday, in a move that could delay the athlete's murder trial for a month or more.

A psychiatrist testified Monday that Pistorius has an anxiety disorder stemming from his double amputation as an infant and his unstable parents.

He's depressed now and feeling guilt from having killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, defense witness Dr. Meryl Vorster said on the stand.

~Snipped~

The prosecutor's extremely unusual move is essentially an effort to maneuver the court into considering an insanity or "capacity" defense even though the athlete's legal team is not mounting one, CNN legal analyst Kelly Phelps said. Phelps, a criminologist and law lecturer at the University of Cape Town, said she had never seen this done before.

Pistorius' lead defense lawyer, Barry Roux, is fighting back, saying Nel is oversimplifying the law.

Read more:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/12/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-trial/?hpt=hp_t3

Oscar Pistorius has anxiety disorder, defense psychiatrist says during murder trial

AP / May 12, 2014, 9:52 AM

PRETORIA, South Africa -- The chief prosecutor in the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius said Monday that the double-amputee athlete should be placed under psychiatric observation after an expert called by the defense said Pistorius has an anxiety disorder.

Judge Thokozile Masipa has not yet ruled on the request. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said he had no other option but to ask for a study of Pistorius' mental health following testimony by a psychiatrist, who said the Olympic runner's anxiety could have shaped the way he responded to perceived threats.

Psychiatrist Dr. Merryll Vorster said events during Pistorius' life, including the amputation of his lower legs as a baby and his late mother's habit of sleeping with a gun under her pillow, contributed to his "increasing stress."

"Overall, Mr. Pistorius appears to be a mistrustful and guarded person," Vorster testified.

She said the Olympic athlete displayed "escalating levels of anxiety" through his life when she interviewed him this month. Vorster said she also spoke to members of Pistorius' family, some of his friends and his agent.

Read more:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/oscar-pistorius-anxiety-disorder-defense-psychiatrist-murder-trial/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Oscar Pistorius Trial: Monday 12 May 2014, Session 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYBnyelinBI




Oscar Pistorius Trial: Monday 12 May 2014, Session 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMi1epmqkko