OSCAR PISTORIUS MURDER TRIAL: the blade runner oscar pistorius shoots girlfriend

[JsMom]

Good for the bastard!

[Duchess]

That's all he's been doing, sobbing & vomiting, vomiting & sobbing. There is a poll out there asking if his hysterics are helping him or hurting him.

[Duchess]

...they give him a clean bucket for barfing at the start of everyday now.

[JsMom]

I think he makes himself sick just like he has the rest of us. I hope it isn't helping him but now days who knows.

[HairOfTheDog]

Day 6 -- 10 March 2014


Cross-examination of Silverwood Security Lead Guard - Mr. Baba
Roux told Baba that Oscar called him first, not the other way around. Baba denied that; he said he wouldn't have been so surprised to find trouble at the house if Pistorius had call him first. Baba says he called Pistorius after talking to Stipp. Pistorius told him that everything was fine tearfully and then called back a short time later.

Roux had a chart of phone calls. He contends that Stipp got through the first time he called even though Stipp testified otherwise. Roux also contends that Pistorius called security first, even though Baba testified otherwise. Roux too contends that Baba made conflicting statements about what Pistorius told him on the phone. In his first statement, Baba said Pistorius told him that "he was fine". In the second statement made shortly thereafter that morning, Baba said that Pistorius told him "everything was fine".

Baba responded that he was tired at end of shift and what Pistorius told him was that "everything was fine". Roux accused Baba of embellishing his statement. IMO, the fact that Pistorius said anything was fine right after he blew Reeva's brains out and as she lay dying says it all - whether Pistorius claimed it was "he" or "everything" that was fine at that moment. I think Roux is nitpicking because that's all he can do with Baba's incriminating account.

[HairOfTheDog]

Day 6 -- 10 March 2014 (continued)

State Pathologist Dr. Saayman Testifies re: Autopsy Results
As Duchess and Js noted, court moved slowly today due to a whole lotta retching from Pistorius -- stopping the court throughout the day. Real or fake? I don't know or care. Either way, what's making him vomit is what HE did to Reeva. She's the victim, not Pistorius.

Anyway, this very critical expert testimony could only be summarized by reporters due to its graphic nature and out of respect for Reeva and her loved ones. Conferences on what the media could and couldn't show contributed to a slow-moving day of testimony. The judge made the ruling in court that the pathologist's testimony was banned from live stream, Twitter, and blogging reports at the detailed level; the judge eventually ruled that only a summary account could be reported (though some media attempted to make a case for showing it all -- they were eventually denied).

So, between retching episodes, huddles and hand-holding with his family members and all kinds of attention paid to the killer, we learned from Pathologist Saayman the gist of what the victim, Reeva Steenkamp, suffered.

Saayman testified that Reeva ate at approximately 1:00 a.m. and died at 3:00 a.m. (HOTD: Pistorius claims the couple were asleep by 10:00 p.m.).

He said that Reeva was hit in the hip, the thigh and the head. The ammunition with which she was shot was designed to kill, not to wound. She was struck with Black Talon bullets that explode inside the target. Here's what they look like before impact and after.


Fuck.

Court was adjourned and Pathologist Saayman will be cross-examined by Roux tomorrow.

[Duchess]

So glad that one more of his statements has been proven to be false.

[HairOfTheDog]

---------------DAY 6, 10 MARCH 2014 REFERENCES-------------



Live Tweets from the courtroom:
Part 1 - http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Oscar_...1-20140310
Part 2- http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Oscar_...2-20140310

[Duchess]

Will there come a time when we are privy to the autopsy results?

[HairOfTheDog]

Will there come a time when we are privy to the autopsy results?

I think they might be released once the trial is over and the sensationalism dies down. South African media outlets may successfully petition for them to be unsealed down the line.

Didn't get to watch the trial videos yesterday and won't be able to today either, but hope to catch up tonight.

We should be hearing the state forensic experts testify about blood spatter, bullet trajectories, and other physical evidence soon.

I don't think that physical evidence is going to make or break either side's case in this one because it's not a "whodunnit?" and the state's findings are going to be open to alternate interpretations by defense witnesses (some legal pundits disagree with me there, so maybe the prosecution has a smoking gun that I don't see). I think the circumstantial evidence is more significant in this case and so far it's really working against Pistorius.

[Duchess]

Oscar was barfing in court again today when pix of Reeva's face and body were accidentally shown.

[HairOfTheDog]

Oscar was barfing in court again today when pix of Reeva's face and body were accidentally shown.

Jesus. Real or bullshit, the barfing is too much, IMO.

It's been over a year since he carried Reeva down his stairs; her brains spilling out of her head due to his own actions. And, his attorneys have had the prosecution photos, autopsy reports and such for many months.

If Pistorius has chosen not to be prepared ahead of time (or if his attorneys have chose not to prep him) thinking that getting his first-time reaction in front of the court will paint a picture of a man sick with grief, I think they're wrong. Smacks more of denial and guilt, or dramatics, to me.

P.s. I've been loosely following when I can this week -- hoping to get better caught up soon. The forensic evidence and how it connects to where I think the state is headed has been a bit disjointed so far, IMO.

[Duchess]

Some pix shown in court -

The first is Oscar, taken in his garage after the police arrived. I thought his chest would be more blood covered given he just carried Reeva downstairs.















Source

[JsMom]

The barf bucket!

[Duchess]

That made me laugh too. Whatta drama hag.

As I look at the pix I'm wondering why all the blood is on what would be Reeva's left. Isn't it her right side that was facing the door?

[HairOfTheDog]

Forensic Experts

Unfortunately for the prosecution, their forensic experts have thus far helped bolster Roux's claims that the investigation was sloppy and unreliable, IMO. The toilet door wasn't preserved properly, splinters on the door were missed, what Roux claims was a socked-prosthetic print on the door (from Pistorius trying to kick the door) was not analyzed and couldn't be explained by Vermuelen, and I don't think it was proven by Forensic Analyst Lt. Col Vermuelen's in-court door banging demo that the only way the marks to the door could have been made was if Pistorius was on his stumps at the time (as he claims and the defense argues against).

And, today was worse for Nel with the testimony of ex- police commander van Rensburg who desribed how he found a police ballistics expert handling Pistorius' gun without wearing gloves, and how he was "furious" when at least one of the Pistorius' valuable wristwatches disappeared from his bedroom whilst police investigated the crime scene.

Van Resenburg also said he had ordered the bathroom door through which Pistorius shot Steenkamp removed from the house, placed in a body bag and taken to his office being that it was the most valuable evidence because the deceased was behind the door. (Resenburg retired after three decades amidst criticism and allegations of mishandling the critical door evidence.)

[HairOfTheDog]

Two week in...

I think the prosecution had a better first week than did the defense. But, the defense scored some major points during this second week, particularly in attacking the police investigation and the state's forensic analysis.

The prosecution's case now, as told in opening statements and as testimony suggests, is that Pistorius and Reeva were fighting. She was screaming and fled to the toilet; locking herself in. Pistorius, in a rage, shot her through the toilet door - with intent to kill. He used a cricket bat to break the door.

The prosecution claims that Pistorius was on his stumps when he shot Reeva and banged down the door with the bat (according to the testimony of Vermeulen) and put on his legs to carry Reeva down the stairs.

I'm still not clear as to whether Nel is suggesting that the first set of bangs that the neighbors reported hearing was Pistorius trying to get at Reeva using the cricket bat before he gave up and chose to shoot instead, or if Nel is instead in agreement with the defense that Pistorius tried to bang down the door after the shooting and Nel just hasn't gotten around to explaining the two sets of bangs with an interim between.

The defense claims that Pistorius and Reeva were fine, went to bed around 10 p.m., Pistorius went to put a fan out on the balcony and was alarmed by sounds from the toilet - thinking it was an intruder. He yelled at Reeva to call police, retrieved his gun whilst on his stumps, shot through the door and then realized Reeva wasn't in the bedroom. So, he put on his legs and tried to kick the toilet door down and then used the cricket bat.

I think Nel scored his biggest points early on with the ear witness neighbors insisting that they only heard gunshots and not cricket bat bangs and that they'd heard two distinct voices during the incident - male and female. The other prosecution witnesses, Guard Baba, ex-girlfriend Taylor, and Darren Fresco help to depict Pistorius as wanting to cover his ass and being reckless with guns, but I don't know how much the judge is gonna weigh those factors in the murder decision (though I think the separate gun-related charges were bolstered by Taylor and Fresco).

Next week may be the final week of trial. We've heard nothing about the phone content at trial yet. Were investigators able to uncover anything of any significance on Pistorius' iPad? Do Reeva's phone records offer anything to support the prosecution's theory? If the phone content didn't render anything that the prosecution can use to bolster its theory, I hope Nel has some other big reveals in store. I don't think this is a slam dunk for the prosecution by a long shot, based on the trial to date.

[ZEROSPHERES]

I find those pictures hard to look at knowing how scared and vulnerable she must have felt alone in that situation. Also knowing the only person who could render aid wanted you dead so you couldn't contradict what he was going to say had happened.

[ZEROSPHERES]

That made me laugh too. Whatta drama hag.

As I look at the pix I'm wondering why all the blood is on what would be Reeva's left. Isn't it her right side that was facing the door?

I think the bullets went completely through her and exploded on the way ripping very large and bleeding exit wounds on her left side. The entry side would not have as much trauma or or resultant blood and organ discharge.

[Duchess]

I'd like to hear some explanation in regards to the coroner's report about the food in Reeva's stomach given Oscar said they were in bed at 10 PM. Also, I think there was an unopened Valentine's gift, I'd like to know about that too simply because most women wouldn't leave something like that wrapped after being presented with it. I say that thinking it was for Reeva and not Oscar AND Oscar stating he was fine when asked by security if everything was alright (or words to that effect).