It was an emotional day in South Africa for all those in attendance of the Oscar Pistorius murder trial. Pistorius is on trial facing first degree murder charges in the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius has never denied shooting Steenkamp, but says it was an act of self defense. Pistorius believed his girlfriend was an intruder trying to break into their home.
The prosecution, up until this point, has done everything it can to tell their version of what happened on Valentine’s Day in 2013. They allege the couple had been arguing all night and in a fit of rage, Pistorius shot his girlfriend through the bathroom door where she tried to hide.
Sobbing throughout his testimony, Pistorius recalled what happened “the moment that everything changed”. He heard the bathroom window open in the middle of the night which made him suspect someone was trying to break in. He tells his story that includes shooting through the bathroom door four times only to find his girlfriend badly injured on the floor. At that point all I wanted to do was just look inside to see if it was Reeva,” he said while trying to fight back tears.
Judge Thokozile Masipa called a recess for the remainder of the day when Pistorius became overcome with emotions. Pistorius left the courtroom crying, accompanied by his brother and sister. The trial is scheduled to start again tomorrow.
