Oscar Pistorius

aiyoyo wrote:http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/blood-marks-in-pistorius-bedroom-emerge-as-new-evidence-in-murder-trial/article1751

There's more to the story :
Blood on the wall above the bed, bedside table, and duvet.
Bedroom's door was damaged.
No explanation offered yet by Defense.

Châtelaine wrote:I saw elsewhere the mention of an empty cartridge found in the - LONG - corridor between the bedroom and the bathroom. If true, it IMO will be "difficult" to explain that too ...

Châtelaine wrote:

Châtelaine wrote:I saw elsewhere the mention of an empty cartridge found in the - LONG - corridor between the bedroom and the bathroom. If true, it IMO will be "difficult" to explain that too ...

***
To continue, I just saw about evidence of this bullet cartridge indeed being in the corridor between the bedroom and the bathroom.  Talking about pieces of a jigsaw puzzle ... IMO he abused her in the bedroom, followed her to the bathroom and shot her in cold blood. Then managed to destroy the crime scene[s] and counted on his fame [and pity] to get away with his uncontrollable anger and fits.
  

aquila wrote:

Châtelaine wrote:

Châtelaine wrote:I saw elsewhere the mention of an empty cartridge found in the - LONG - corridor between the bedroom and the bathroom. If true, it IMO will be "difficult" to explain that too ...

***
To continue, I just saw about evidence of this bullet cartridge indeed being in the corridor between the bedroom and the bathroom.  Talking about pieces of a jigsaw puzzle ... IMO he abused her in the bedroom, followed her to the bathroom and shot her in cold blood. Then managed to destroy the crime scene[s] and counted on his fame [and pity] to get away with his uncontrollable anger and fits.
  

As I understand it the prosecution haven't begun yet. It will be very interesting to see if there is anything to suggest the cricket bat was used to break down the bathroom door before a gun was fired. Now if that can be proven you have the answer to the 'angry a**h*le' fired with rage and a totally different set of circumstances.

sallypelt wrote:
All the defence appears to have in this case, is to discredit all the witnesses,"

PeterMac wrote:

sallypelt wrote:
All the defence appears to have in this case, is to discredit all the witnesses,"

Are there any other cases where all the defence has is to discredit the witnesses / dogs, I wonder !

parapono wrote:

aiyoyo wrote:http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/blood-marks-in-pistorius-bedroom-emerge-as-new-evidence-in-murder-trial/article1751

There's more to the story :
Blood on the wall above the bed, bedside table, and duvet.
Bedroom's door was damaged.
No explanation offered yet by Defense.

Sorry aiyoyo

The link doesn't work for me.
I get: "Oops, page not found".

parapono

Châtelaine wrote:

Châtelaine wrote:I saw elsewhere the mention of an empty cartridge found in the - LONG - corridor between the bedroom and the bathroom. If true, it IMO will be "difficult" to explain that too ...

***
To continue, I just saw about evidence of this bullet cartridge indeed being in the corridor between the bedroom and the bathroom.  Talking about pieces of a jigsaw puzzle ... IMO he abused her in the bedroom, followed her to the bathroom and shot her in cold blood. Then managed to destroy the crime scene[s] and counted on his fame [and pity] to get away with his uncontrollable anger and fits.
  

aquila wrote:

Châtelaine wrote:

Châtelaine wrote:I saw elsewhere the mention of an empty cartridge found in the - LONG - corridor between the bedroom and the bathroom. If true, it IMO will be "difficult" to explain that too ...

***
To continue, I just saw about evidence of this bullet cartridge indeed being in the corridor between the bedroom and the bathroom.  Talking about pieces of a jigsaw puzzle ... IMO he abused her in the bedroom, followed her to the bathroom and shot her in cold blood. Then managed to destroy the crime scene[s] and counted on his fame [and pity] to get away with his uncontrollable anger and fits.
  

As I understand it the prosecution haven't begun yet. It will be very interesting to see if there is anything to suggest the cricket bat was used to break down the bathroom door before a gun was fired. Now if that can be proven you have the answer to the 'angry a**h*le' fired with rage and a totally different set of circumstances.

ultimaThule wrote:

aiyoyo wrote:

Châtelaine wrote:It had been brought up, that he seems to have changed his side of the bed [according to a former girl-friend], which could be significant. There may be an innocent misunderstanding, though, IMO, as to what one would call the left or right side of a bed. When on stands in front of the bed, the LEFT would be at one's left hand side, whereas when one lays in it, it could be referred to a as being on the RIGHT side of the bed ...

I was reminded of this by recollection of a former Dutch t.v. presenter [Professor I.A. Diepenhorst for Dutchies  ] , who would always introduce his guests by saying: "To my RIGHT, that's to my LEFT for you, is Mr. so-and-so ...". In filming, the misunderstanding is prevented by using the terms "Camera right" and "Camera left".

It's easy -  you account for the sides from the headboard as if lying on the bed, and not from the end of the bed viewing in which will result in opposite left and right, it's bound to be.

Sleeping on the right side would  mean swinging out of bed on his right side where his prosthetic leg laid (according to his ex) would be about correct.   Even in normal circumstances an able-bodied person does not change his habitual routine, so any change or deviation in routine is always red flag.  

Reeva was not in pyjamas, she was in casual indoor clothes, another red flag.  Likely it was domestic row turned violence turned fatal. He settled an assault case filed by one of his exs just ahead of time of this criminal trial, so it seems there might be a behavourial pattern here.  Maybe he assaulted (as in physical violence) RS so she tried to run away but was restrained by him and could't escape maybe bedroom door was locked (hole in bedroom door seen on photo still needs to be explained) so she fled to the toilet, locked herself in so that he couldn't hit her anymore, refused to come out at his behest, he didn't like losing control so he shot her.
When he reached for his gun under the bed surely he would have seen the bed was empty.  If he did not wake her up how did he expect her to call the police on his instruction?  His story is so full of holes.

I don't understand how come blood was all over his trophies.  What was he doing inside the bedroom after he found her ?

No matter the competent, flawless or not of the police work,  it will invariably without fail be criticized by Defense side, nothing new there, it's what the Defense Counsel do -   pick holes and tear down the police, expert, and forensics evidence to defend client's case.  

Roux (sticky paste) is holding centre stage in Court with all his dramatic - take of glasses, pausing, staring, thinking over which voice to put on - third degree spanish inquisition grilling all the witnesses.  It's just a mind game and he's damn good at that, manipulation of evidence and mind game.
The Judge is so laid back you would think she's fallen asleep during the proceedings.

It is a live telecast of a high profile homicide case with all the right ingredients to make a grip-tthe-nation-soap that should root people to their chairs, but it is NOT.  It is boring to the extreme.  I have never seen a high profile live court case as lack lustre as this one.

Mr Sticky Paste's grandstanding coupled with the sound of his client's faux retching has ensured this trial rarely achieves dominance of my tv set for more than a moment or two but, nevetheless, I have formed an opinion which is that Oscar Pistorius has need to reflect on, and deal with, his anger management issues and this can best be achieved within the closed confines of an all male establishment for a period of not less than 20 years.

PeterMac wrote:

sallypelt wrote:
All the defence appears to have in this case, is to discredit all the witnesses,"

Are there any other cases where all the defence has is to discredit the witnesses / dogs, I wonder !

aquila wrote:

PeterMac wrote:

sallypelt wrote:
All the defence appears to have in this case, is to discredit all the witnesses,"

Are there any other cases where all the defence has is to discredit the witnesses / dogs, I wonder !

You don't need defence lawyers to do that if you're 'cash' rich. You only need a highly paid PR company with a shedload of media contacts. Then your highly paid lawyers can build upon that (if you ever get to court that is).

sami wrote:There is no grille on the window he claims was open.

I was surprised the prosecution did not make more of the bedroom door damage and blood behind the bed.  They were just mentioned, thus allowing the defence to muddy the waters by claiming scene disturbance by police.  It was just left hanging.  Perhaps they intend to question the defendant about it in more detail.

parapono wrote:

aiyoyo wrote:http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/blood-marks-in-pistorius-bedroom-emerge-as-new-evidence-in-murder-trial/article1751

There's more to the story :
Blood on the wall above the bed, bedside table, and duvet.
Bedroom's door was damaged.
No explanation offered yet by Defense.

Sorry aiyoyo

The link doesn't work for me.
I get: "Oops, page not found".

parapono

Blood marks in Pistorius’ bedroom emerge as new evidence in murder trial
GEOFFREY YORK
Johannesburg — The Globe and Mail
Published Monday, Mar. 17 2014, 6:48 AM EDT
Last updated Monday, Mar. 17 2014, 7:10 AM EDT


Follow The Globe and Mail’s Africa correspondent Geoffrey York as he tweets from Oscar Pistorius’ murder trial.

A blood-spattered bedroom wall and a damaged bedroom door are emerging as mysterious new evidence at the murder trial of Olympic hero Oscar Pistorius.

Blood marks were visible on the wall above the bed and bedside table in the Pistorius bedroom, and on a duvet cover, according to police photographs at the scene after Mr. Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day last year.

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Video: Ex-girlfriend says Pistorius carried gun 'all the time'

Video: Pistorius smashed bathroom door with bat, expert says


Video: Pistorius trial hears of bloodstained bathroom from police at the scene
The police photos, shown to court on Monday, also reveal damage to the bedroom door, suggesting that it was opened by force. The court so far has not heard any explanation for the damaged door, or the blood marks on the bedroom wall and duvet.

Mr. Pistorius, the celebrated “Blade Runner” who became the first double-amputee athlete to compete against able-bodied runners at the Olympics, has said that he accidentally shot Ms. Steenkamp through a bathroom door after mistaking her for an intruder.

Mr. Pistorius has said that he carried Ms. Steenkamp down the stairs from the bathroom to seek help for her after the shooting, but this does not seem to explain the blood in the bedroom where they slept.

In earlier testimony on Monday, a firearms instructor described how Mr. Pistorius had taken a gun competency exam and knew that he wasn’t supposed to shoot at intruders unless they were armed and threatening his life.

The instructor, Sean Rens, said he helped Mr. Pistorius to purchase a batch of seven guns, including an assault rifle, two shotguns and a Smith & Wesson 500 handgun that has been described as one of the most powerful handguns in the world. Mr. Pistorius cancelled the order about a month after the shooting of Ms. Steenkamp, he said.

In the gun-safety exam, Mr. Pistorius mostly answered “no” to a list of questions about whether he would be permitted to shoot at an intruder in different scenarios. For example, if burglars had broken into his house and were stealing an expensive stereo system, he acknowledged that he wouldn’t be allowed to shoot them. If the burglars were behind a security gate, they could not be shot either, he said.

Only if the intruders had weapons and were threatening to kill him would he be allowed to shoot at them, Mr. Pistorius said in the safety exam.

In answer to a question about “target identification,” he wrote: “Know your target and what lies beyond it.”

In addition to the shooting of Ms. Steenkamp, the court has heard evidence that Mr. Pistorius deliberately fired his 9mm pistol through the sunroof of a moving car, and accidentally discharged a Glock pistol in a busy restaurant, leaving a bullet hole in the floor.

Mr. Pistorius had a “great love and enthusiasm” for guns, Mr. Rens testified. He said Mr. Pistorius told him about an incident in which he drew his gun and went into “combat mode” or “code red” after hearing a noise in his house. The noise was later found to be a laundry machine.

Mr. Pistorius has also described the incident on his Twitter account, but the tweet has since been deleted.

Pretoria – The estate agent handling the sale of Oscar Pistorius’s Pretoria home said on Thursday, the house will be sold in a closed bid, starting at R5m.

Pistorius plans to sell the upmarket R5 031 000 Pretoria house where he shot dead his girlfriend last year, to cover the legal fees for his murder trial, his lawyer said.

Brian Webber, lawyer for the 27-year-old murder accused, said Pistorius was selling his house to cover increasing legal costs

"This is due to the unexpected extension of the trial beyond the initial three-week period for which it was originally set down," he said in a statement.

The Paralympic athlete has been paying his own legal fees since he shot dead Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year, according to the statement.

"Due to the delay in finalising the trial, the decision to urgently dispose of his single biggest asset has had to be made," Webber said.

Pistorius is being defended – at a cost of almost R100 000 a day - by Barry Roux and Kenneth Oldwadge, while his court team includes at least three other lawyers, including his family attorney Webber, as well as forensic and ballistic specialists.

Since the shooting Pistorius has been living at his uncle's house in Pretoria.

Prosecutors have charged the double-amputee sprinter with intentionally killing 29-year-old Steenkamp, and are expected to wrap up their case early next week.

Pistorius insists he fired four shots through a locked toilet door after mistaking the model for an intruder.

The authorities turned the runner's home back over to him over a year ago and he had planned to keep it sealed until the trial finished.

"He has been forced to revisit this decision," according to Webber, who said the statement was meant to pre-empt media speculation about the sale.

House value

Pistorius valued the house at R5m during his bail application in February last year.

During his bail hearing, Pistorius outlined his assets. He said he owned the house where he lived and where his girlfriend died, as well as two other houses with a combined value of R1.5m in Pretoria and an empty plot of land worth R1.6m in Langebaan, near Cape Town.

All his properties together were worth R8.3m, the sporting hero told the court.

Pistorius earned world-wide fame as the "Blade Runner" for running on two carbon fibre blades, after both his legs were amputated below the knee when he was born without fibulae.

He became the first double amputee to compete with able-bodied athletes at the London 2012 Olympics.

But he has fallen on hard times since the shooting, and lost many of the endorsement deals that earned him about R5.5m a year.

His trial opened on 3 March, and witnesses have testified to hearing a woman's terrified screams in the dead of night, followed by gunshots.

A police ballistics expert said on Thursday the first shot from Pistorius's 9mm pistol shattered Steenkamp's hip bone.

She then fell over and was struck in the head by another bullet.

The trial resumes on Monday.