04-10-2014, 10:53 AM
WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTO
PISTORIUS CROSS-EXAMINATION CONTINUES
"Pistorius is a liar who doesn't take responsibility for his own destructive actions" was the theme, IMO.
I agree with Nel on that front. Pistorius' self-serving claims and evasions in cross-examination piss me off -- no matter what weepy pussy tone he uses to deliver them.
The messages between the couple
Nel pointed out how Pistorius didn't return "I love you" in messages between he and Reeva, how he'd told her not to chew gum and complained about her accent, how he picked on her and accused her of flirting, how he'd never written a long return message to Reeva and instead used quick terms of endearment because, "it was all about Mr. Pistorius".
Pistorius denied picking on Reeva, so Nel asked him if he was calling Reeva a liar. Pistorius said, "Reeva never lied".
HOTD: Cant' have it both ways -- so which is it? Score one for Nel.
The reckless discharge of firearms
Nel questioned Pistorius about a shooting incident at Johannesburg restaurant in January 2013, about which the athlete said he did not discharge a firearm.
"The firearm discharged. I was trying to make it safe," Pistorius said.
Pistorius said he repeatedly took the blame for the incident, but the prosecutor tried to poke holes in his declaration.
"This is incredible. You never touched the trigger, the gun went off. You took the blame, you took responsibility, but no one remembers," Nel said.
HOTD: Pistorius is full of shit, IMO -- he disregarded safety measures, shot his friend in the foot, and told his other friend to take the blame. Everyone present has testified as much.
The shooting through the toilet door
"I remember pulling the trigger and the rounds going into the door," he told the court when asked about the night he shot and killed Steenkamp. "I did not fire deliberately."
HOTD: Uh huh. He didn't mean to fire the gun?
IMO, claiming "I didn't fire deliberately" is an attempt to avoid both premeditation and culpable homicide convictions. Not only is he now claiming that he shot due to mistaken identity, but also because it was kind of an accident.
Love of guns, shooting for damage
Yesterday, Nel had asked Pistorius what a "zombie stopper" was and if he had been in the presence of someone using the term.
Pistorius said he could not remember knowing the term or being in the presence of someone who used the term.
Nel then asked if he would be surprised and want to see it if there was a video on an international news channel on which the term was used.
Pistorius said "yes". Nel said he would show Pistorius the video.
That's when court was adjourned yesterday. Pistorius walked right into Nel's trap by lying and opening the door for Nel to introduce new evidence (a literal smoking gun). Roux objected and said it was an ambush. Nel countered that Pistorius had just invited him to "please show him the video".
Judge Masipa allowed the video to be played in court today Here it is:
After Pistorius blasts the watermelon to pieces and everyone gets excited, someone (sounds like Pistorius) is heard saying: "It's a lot softer than brain, but xxxx it's like a zombie stopper".
And, here's Nel drawing the connection between what happened to the brain-like watermelon in the video and what happened to Reeva's head when she was shot by Pistorius with that same 9mm.
Refs: today's trial broadcast and http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/10/world/...ius-trial/
PISTORIUS CROSS-EXAMINATION CONTINUES
"Pistorius is a liar who doesn't take responsibility for his own destructive actions" was the theme, IMO.
I agree with Nel on that front. Pistorius' self-serving claims and evasions in cross-examination piss me off -- no matter what weepy pussy tone he uses to deliver them.
The messages between the couple
Nel pointed out how Pistorius didn't return "I love you" in messages between he and Reeva, how he'd told her not to chew gum and complained about her accent, how he picked on her and accused her of flirting, how he'd never written a long return message to Reeva and instead used quick terms of endearment because, "it was all about Mr. Pistorius".
Pistorius denied picking on Reeva, so Nel asked him if he was calling Reeva a liar. Pistorius said, "Reeva never lied".
HOTD: Cant' have it both ways -- so which is it? Score one for Nel.
The reckless discharge of firearms
Nel questioned Pistorius about a shooting incident at Johannesburg restaurant in January 2013, about which the athlete said he did not discharge a firearm.
"The firearm discharged. I was trying to make it safe," Pistorius said.
Pistorius said he repeatedly took the blame for the incident, but the prosecutor tried to poke holes in his declaration.
"This is incredible. You never touched the trigger, the gun went off. You took the blame, you took responsibility, but no one remembers," Nel said.
HOTD: Pistorius is full of shit, IMO -- he disregarded safety measures, shot his friend in the foot, and told his other friend to take the blame. Everyone present has testified as much.
The shooting through the toilet door
"I remember pulling the trigger and the rounds going into the door," he told the court when asked about the night he shot and killed Steenkamp. "I did not fire deliberately."
HOTD: Uh huh. He didn't mean to fire the gun?
IMO, claiming "I didn't fire deliberately" is an attempt to avoid both premeditation and culpable homicide convictions. Not only is he now claiming that he shot due to mistaken identity, but also because it was kind of an accident.
Love of guns, shooting for damage
Yesterday, Nel had asked Pistorius what a "zombie stopper" was and if he had been in the presence of someone using the term.
Pistorius said he could not remember knowing the term or being in the presence of someone who used the term.
Nel then asked if he would be surprised and want to see it if there was a video on an international news channel on which the term was used.
Pistorius said "yes". Nel said he would show Pistorius the video.
That's when court was adjourned yesterday. Pistorius walked right into Nel's trap by lying and opening the door for Nel to introduce new evidence (a literal smoking gun). Roux objected and said it was an ambush. Nel countered that Pistorius had just invited him to "please show him the video".
Judge Masipa allowed the video to be played in court today Here it is:
After Pistorius blasts the watermelon to pieces and everyone gets excited, someone (sounds like Pistorius) is heard saying: "It's a lot softer than brain, but xxxx it's like a zombie stopper".
And, here's Nel drawing the connection between what happened to the brain-like watermelon in the video and what happened to Reeva's head when she was shot by Pistorius with that same 9mm.
Refs: today's trial broadcast and http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/10/world/...ius-trial/