by ANDREA FRENCH Section Editor
Paralympic Gold Medalist and 2012 summer Olympic participant, Oscar Pistorius, has been charged with killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp early Valentine’s Day morning.
South African sprint runner, Pistorius, has been arrested and charged with murder, though many are still unsure about exactly what happened on the night of February 14.
South African police say that there have been other reported issues of domestic violence in that residence.
In court on February 19, Pistorius said that he heard someone in the bathroom in the middle of the night when he woke up to close the window. Prosecutors say that Steenkamp came to Pistorius’s house to spend the night. He said nothing about his girlfriend not being in the bed, but he claimed that he called her name several times to find out where she was. When no one answered, he continued to hear sounds coming from the bathroom, so he shot his 9mm gun through the door of the bathroom, killing Steenkamp.
Pistorius also included that he had no idea that he was shooting his girlfriend through the bathroom door, because she made no noise while being shot. She was shot three times, and Pistorius continues to claim he thought it was a burglar.
The State argues that Pistorius’ actions indicate premeditated murder. He got up, attached his legs, and shot through the door of the bathroom four times.
“Oscar Pistorius should be convicted of murder. I don’t understand how he could be so suspicious of a burglar when he had no clue where his girlfriend was. Instead of finding his girlfriend he just shoots through the door. Plus he said that the window was open, but he was scared of a burglar. It just doesn’t make sense,” says sophomore Taylor Zeni.
On Friday, February 22, magistrate Desmond Nair ruled to release Pistorius on a one million rand ($112,000) bail, claiming the prosecution’s argument that Pistorius is a flight risk could not be established.
Pistorius cannot contact witnesses, use drugs or alcohol, and must relinquish his firearms and passport. Moreover, he cannot return to his home as it is a crime scene, and he must check in at a police station twice a week.
In the summer 2012 Paralympic games in London, Pistorius won gold medals in the 4 x 100 meter relay and in the 400 meter individual events.
In his home country of South African, Pistorius is a celebrity and was named one of the top 100 most influential people of the year in 2012 TIME Magazine.
“I find this to being really disturbing. Oscar Pistorius was an inspiration to people everywhere. He was a man with no legs, who made it to the Olympics, and now his reputation has been ruined,” says sophomore Mikey Perrotta.