Prosecutor Gets in Pistorius' Face

It's a 'harrowing exchange,' tweets journalist
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 9, 2014 6:28 AM CDT
Updated Apr 9, 2014 7:34 AM CDT
Pistorius: She 'Died Whilst I Was Holding Her'
Oscar Pistorius arrives at the high court in Pretoria, South Africa, Wednesday, April 9, 2014.   (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Oscar Pistorius has again taken the witness stand, apparently fighting emotion as he gave an account of Reeva Steenkamp's final moments. When he found her after breaking down the bathroom door with a cricket bat, he said, "I could see she was breathing, struggling to breathe." Trying to stop the blood and help her breathe, "I just sat there with her and waited for the ambulance to arrive," Pistorius told the court. After its arrival, a paramedic told Pistorius that Steenkamp "had already died whilst I was holding her," he said, per the New York Times. More from the trial:

  • The athlete faced pugnacious questioning from state prosecutor Gerrie Nel, the BBC reports. "You killed Reeva Steenkamp, didn’t you?" said Nel. "Say it. Say: yes, I shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp."
  • Showing a picture of Steenkamp's head, Nel told Pistorius, "I know you don't want to see it, but it's time to take responsibility." The sobbing athlete's response: "I don't have to look at the picture. I was there."
  • The court temporarily adjourned following a defense objection over "unfair questioning"; Pistorius left the room with his psychologist. Regular breaks look likely to continue given Nel's tactics, the BBC notes.
  • "I don't think I've ever witnessed quite such an emotive, harrowing exchange in a courtroom," tweets South Africa journalist Mandy Wiener.
  • The court is also considering a video featuring Pistorius shooting a watermelon at a firing range. A voice can be heard saying, "It's not as soft as brains but ****, it is a zombie-stopper." Pistorius says his comments "were distasteful but they related to zombies, not human beings."
(More Oscar Pistorius stories.)

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