Pistorius bail hearing in chaos as lead detective is axed from case
(Photo: Alexander Joe / AFP - Getty Images)
Oscar Pistorius’ bail hearing descended into chaos Thursday as the lead detective investigating the killing of the Olympian’s girlfriend was removed from the case amid attempted murder charges of his own.
Yeah, that seemed like a foregone conclusion. Jesus.
South African police say the lead investigator in the case against double-amputee Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius faces attempted murder charges in an October 2011 shooting.
Police Brig. Neville Malila said Thursday that detective Hilton Botha is scheduled to appear in court in May on seven counts of attempted murder. Malila says Botha and two other police officers fired shots while trying to stop a minivan in the incident.
On Wednesday, the prosecution case against Pistorius began to unravel with revelations of a series of police blunders and Botha’s admission that authorities have no evidence challenging the double-amputee Olympian’s claim he killed his girlfriend accidentally.
So this is not exactly the prosecution’s best showing. Let’s hope that this drama doesn’t get in the way of figuring out what actually happened.
Botha initially asserted that he had found two boxes of “steroids” in Pistorius’s bedroom, hastily changing this to “two boxes of testosterone, needles and injections”. Later, questioned by advocate Barry Roux for the defence, Botha had to admit he could not be certain of the contents. Roux said it was a “herbal remedy” called testo-composutim co-enzyme used by many athletes, insisting: “It is not a steroid and it is not a banned substance.”
Botha also told the court one of his witnesses had heard a fight, “two people talking loudly at each other”, between 2 and 3am on 14 February. But, pressured by Roux, he conceded that the witness had not identified the voices as belonging to Pistorius and Steenkamp and lived some 600 metres away. There was a collective murmur from Pistorius’s family. Botha later changed his estimate to 300 metres when questioned by the prosecution.
Botha acknowledged that Pistorius’s legal team had found a spent bullet cartridge in the toilet bowl that his officers did not. He also confronted Botha, saying: “You were in the house walking with unprotected shoes. That should not happen.” Botha conceded that it should not.
Botha said police found two iPhones in the bathroom and two BlackBerrys in the bedroom, adding that none had been used to phone for help. But Roux claimed the defence team had another phone in its possession that the police had failed to request. “Why did you not come to us and ask for Pistorius’s cellphone number?” he asked.
Roux also took him to task for failing to check Pistorius’s claim that he phoned the Netcare hospital at 3.20am.
Botha said ammunition for a .38-calibre weapon had been found at the house but Pistorius did not hold a licence for it. “Did you take steps to find out who the owner of the ammunition was?” Roux demanded. Botha replied: “No, I didn’t.”
“I feel like the court proceedings went well today,” said Pistorius’ brother, Carl. ”We trust that everyone has more clarity about this tragic incident.”
Oscar Pistorius admits shooting girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, says he thought she was a robber
Oscar Pistorius says he shot his girlfriend to death by mistake, thinking she was a robber.
The double amputee said in an affidavit read by his lawyer at his bail hearing Tuesday that he felt vulnerable because he did not have on his prosthetic legs when he pumped bullets into the locked bathroom door.
Then he realized that model Reeva Steenkamp was not in his bed. He says “It filled me with horror and fear …”
He put on his legs, tried to kick down the door, then bashed it in with a cricket bat to find Steenkamp, 29, shot inside.
He said he ran downstairs with her, but “She died in my arms.” (STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP/Getty Images)
Olympian Oscar Pistorius faces his bail hearing. The prosecution contradicts his explanation of Steenkamp’s death as an accidental tragedy fueled by his fear, asserting instead he killed her after an argument, and was wearing his prosthetic legs at the time. Pistorius has been charged with premeditated murder.
I have decided that following these tragic events that we have no option but to cancel all future races that Oscar Pistorius had been contracted to compete in.Oscar Pistorius’ agent, Peet van Zyl • Revealing that his client will be withdrawing from every event he’s been contracted for, a potential prelude to a long jail stay for the iconic runner in the wake of the alleged murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. For now, Pistorius’ two biggest sponsors—the athletic company Nike and the eyewear company Oakley—are sticking by him, though it may be tough for them to hold that stance based on the outcome of the case.
After consulting with legal representatives, we deeply regret the allegation of premeditated murder. We have no doubt there is no substance to the allegation and that the state’s own case, including its own forensic evidence, strongly refutes any possibility of a premeditated murder or murder as such.Arnold Pistorius • Discussing the allegations against his nephew, Oscar, regarding the death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, which is being treated as a pre-meditated murder case in South Africa. Oscar Pistorius, the first amputee Olympic runner, has been charged with killing Steenkamp. Local press reports suggest Oscar shot Steenkamp through a bathroom door, under the belief she may have been an intruder—though police deny this allegation.
The eerie, unfortunate tweet Reeva Steenkamp made yesterday, a day before she was shot and killed in an incident—an incident where her boyfriend, Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius, is the main suspect.
Yes there are witnesses and there have also been interviews this morning. We are talking about neighbors and people that heard things that happened earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place.Pretoria, South Africa, Brigadier Denise Beukes • Discussing the murder case involving internationally-known paralympian Oscar Pistorius, who is suspecting of killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, a model known for her stances on violence against women. (“I’m not going to elaborate on it but there have been incidents (at Pistorius’ home),” Beukes noted.) Pistorius was released Thursday after facing hours of questioning—and potentially facing a stunning fall from grace after gaining international fame as the first amputee runner to compete in the Summer Olympics.
Copyright 2009-2013 Ernie Smith • Ask us stuff! • E-mail us • Follow us on Twitter • Follow us on Facebook
