TIMELINE: Oscar Pistorius case
Posted September 12, 2014 5:41 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Oscar Pistorius first made history at the London Olympics in 2012 when he became the first double-amputee track athlete to compete at any games. He didn’t win a medal but did make the semifinal of the 400 metres and the final of the 4X400 metres relay, propelling the world’s best-known paralympian to the level of an international track star and one of the world’s best-known sportsmen.
He was born without fibula bones due to a congenital defect and had his legs amputated at 11 months. He runs on carbon-fiber blades.
On Feb. 14, 2013, his girlfriend, 29-year-old model and reality TV star Reeva Steenkamp, was killed.
South Africa is a nation of 50 million where nearly 50 people are killed each day, one of the world’s highest murder rates. U.N. statistics say the nation has the second highest rate of shooting deaths in the world, behind only Colombia.
In South Africa, there are no juries, so a judge ultimately would decide Pistorius’ guilt or innocence, sometimes with the help of two advisers.
Here is a timeline of events leading up to the verdict on Friday.
Feb. 14, 2013
Steenkamp was killed on the morning of Valentine’s Day. She was discovered in a pool of blood in Pistorius’ upscale home in a gated community in the South African capital of Pretoria. Authorities said she had been shot at four times, and a 9-mm pistol was recovered at the home.
Feb. 15, 2013
Pistorius, then 26, was charged with premeditated murder, which carries a life sentence.
Feb. 19, 2013
Steenkamp’s private funeral was held.
Feb. 19 and 20, 2013
Pistorius was returned to court for a bail hearing.
Pistorius said in an affidavit read in court that he and Steenkamp had gone to bed and that when he awoke during the night he detected what he thought was an intruder in the bathroom. He testified that he grabbed his 9-mm pistol and fired into the door of a toilet enclosed in the bathroom, only to discover later to his horror that Steenkamp was there, mortally wounded.
The prosecution alleged the couple had had a fight before the shooting and that Steenkamp had fled and locked herself in the bathroom’s toilet stall and Pistorius had fired four shots through the door, hitting her with three bullets. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel has said the killing was premeditated because Pistorius took time to put on his prosthetic legs before the shooting.
Feb. 20, 2013
Pistorius’ main sponsor, Nike, suspended its contract with Pistorius, following eyewear manufacturer Oakley’s decision to suspend its sponsorship.
Feb. 21, 2013
Pistorius was granted bail. Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair set the bail at 1 million rand ($113,000), with $11,300 in cash and proof that the rest is available. The magistrate said Pistorius had to hand over his passports and turn in any other guns he owned. Pistorius also could not leave the district of Pretoria without the permission of his probation officer, Nair said. The magistrate also ruled that he could not return to his home.
March 28, 2013
A judge eased Pistorius’ bail restrictions and ruled that he could travel overseas to run. Pistorius’ passport would be held by a court while he was in South Africa, and he could only leave the country if he provided an itinerary of his travel plans at least a week before he was due to leave. Pistorius had to also hand his travel documents back to the court within 24 hours of returning home, Judge Bert Bam ruled.
April 3, 2013
Pistorius started running again and his return to regular training was imminent, his agent said. It was the first time it was confirmed that the athlete ran since he was charged with Steenkamp’s death.
June 3, 2013
Pistorius again appeared in court. Acting Chief Magistrate Daniel Thulare postponed the case until Aug. 19 to allow police more time to investigate the killing. Pistorius spoke just three words in the 15-minute court appearance after the magistrate asked him if he understood he was still bound by the same bail conditions: “Yes, your honour.”
June 13, 2013
Pistorius was left off South Africa’s team for the Paralympic athletics world championships in July 2013 in France. South Africa named a squad of 32 athletes for the event in Lyon from July 19-28. It was the first major meet that Pistorius would miss.
Aug. 19, 2013
Pistorius was indicted on the charge of murdering Steenkamp. Prosecutors said witnesses heard a woman screaming before the sound of the gunshots.
March 3, 2014
Pistorius pleaded not guilty at his murder trial, saying the killing was an accident
March 28, 2014
The murder trial was delayed until April 7 because one of the legal experts who was to assist the judge in reaching a verdict was sick, abruptly ending expectations that the double-amputee athlete was about to testify.
April 7, 2014
Pistorius testified, saying, “I sat over Reeva and I cried.” He told how he broke open the stall door in his bathroom to discover his mortally wounded girlfriend inside and slumped over in the cubicle. “I don’t know how long I was there for,” he said.
May 20, 2014
Pistorius would start a period of psychiatric evaluation at a government institution, a judge ruled as she postponed the murder trial until June 30.
June 30, 2014
A panel of mental health experts concluded that Pistorius was not suffering from a mental illness when he shot Steenkamp, the chief prosecutor at the trial said. A psychologist and three psychiatrists also assessed whether Pistorius was capable of understanding the wrongfulness of his act. That the experts believed Pistorius was “capable of appreciating the wrongfulness of his act.”
Aug. 8, 2014
The prosecution and defence ended their final arguments.
Sept. 11, 2014
The judge said Pistorius can’t be found guilty of premeditated or common-law murder but that he was negligent in the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, raising the possibility he’ll be convicted of culpable homicide.
Culpable homicide normally carries a five-year sentence in South Africa when a firearm is used, but it can be changed by a judge depending on the specific circumstances of the killing.
“Culpable homicide is a competent verdict,” Judge Thokozile Masipa said.
Masipa said there were “just not enough facts” to support the finding of premeditated murder in Steenkamp’s fatal shooting.
Sept. 12, 2014
Judge found Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide, a charge similar to manslaughter.
Timeline written by The Associated Press, compiled by Diana Pereira/680News
