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Oscar Pistorius became known as “Blade Runner.” Born in 1986, he’s remembered as the South African former professional sprinter, who as a double-amputee competed in 3 Paralympic games and the 2012 Summer Olympics. He was celebrated as the first amputee runner to ever compete at an Olympics Games.
Pistorius competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics as a double-amputee athlete. He represented South Africa in the 400-meter event and the 4 x 100 meter relay race. He finished the semi final of the 400-meter in 8th place and the relay team finished in 8th place.
Pistorius was introduced to Reeva Steenkamp, a South African model, in November 2012 and two quickly began dating. Their relationship came as a surprise to Pistorius’s ex-girlfriend of many years, Samantha Taylor.
On the night of February 13, 2013, Reeva spent the night at Oscar’s house in Pretoria, South Africa. The following morning, on Valentine’s Day, first responders were called to Pistorius’s house for a reported shooting. Reeva Steenkamp had been fatally shot 4 times.
But, who was the shooter? Oscar Pistorius. But according to Oscar, it’s not what you think.
According to Pistorius, him and Reeva went to bed around 10:00 p.m. on February 13th. Around 3:00 a.m., Pistorius woke to bring the fan from the patio inside the bedroom to cool down the bedroom. Reeva also woke up and asked Pistorius, “you can’t sleep?”
Next thing, Pistorius hears a noise coming from the bathroom. He believes it’s an intruder attempting to break into the house. Pistorius grabbed his 9 mm pistol from underneath the mattress and headed back towards the bathroom. He heard another noise and fired 4 shots through the lock bathroom door.
The person in the bathroom? Pistorius’s girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
After realizing what he’d done, Pistorius screamed for help and called 9-1-1.
Pistorius was arrested and charged with Reeva’s death. Thousands of people showed up to the South Africa courtroom to witness Pistorius plead not guilty. The trial against Pistorius began on March 3, 2014.
The prosecution argued that Pistorius never thought there was an intruder in the house. This is because the prosecution had 5 of Oscar’s neighbors testify that they heard the couple arguing and fighting on the night of the shooting.
The medical examiner found undigested food in Reeva’s stomach, which suggests she ate less than 2 hours before her death at 3:00 a.m. Which tells a much different version of events. Reeva’s cell phone was also found in the bathroom where she was shot, which suggests she was trying to run away from Pistorius and leave the house.
The defense argued that Pistorius suffered from an anxiety disorder and that’s why he believed there was an intruder. However, when the court assembled a panel of 4 doctors to examine Pistorius, they didn’t find any evidence of a mental health diagnosis.
In South Africa, criminal trials are heard in front of a Judge, not a jury. On September 12, 2014, Judge Masipe found Pistorius not guilty of intentional murder instead found him guilty of the lesser charge of culpable homicide. Pistorius received a 5 years prison sentence.
Prosecutors appealed Judge Masipa’s ruling and in 2015 the Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa changed the ruling from culpable homicide to murder. The court ruled that Pistorius must have known someone would have died if he fired through a closed door.
Judge Masipa, the trial judge, resentenced Pistorius to 6 years in prison, sentencing him to only 1 additional year. This decision upset the public and women rights activists who believed Pistorius should receive a longer sentence for killing Reeva.
On November 24, 2017, the higher South African Court increased Pistorius’s prison term to 15 years. Pistorius is currently serving his sentence in a p[rison in the city of Pretoria, South Africa and will be eligible for parole in 2023.
South Africa has some of the highest rates of crimes against women. In 2018, more than 2,700 women and 1,000 children were murdered by men. More than 100 rapes are reported each and every single day in South Africa. What we witnessed in the case of Oscar Pistorius and the murder of Reeva Steenkamp, has been seen as just another case in which the South African criminal justice has failed women. The only difference was that the defendant was a famous, Olympic athlete.
Episode Sources:
Oscar Pistorius trial: The evidence for and against Independent website article
Oscar Pistorius trial: Evidence BBC News article
Oscar Pistorius Wiki
Reeva Steenkamp Wiki
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