Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius appeared in South African court on Friday, where he is being accused of the “premeditated” murder of his girlfriend. Early Thursday morning, Pistorius shot and killed 30-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp during what he claims was a tragic accident. Pistorius said he mistakenly thought Steenkamp was an intruder in his home.
Prosecutors are trying to prove that the shooting was no accident, while Pistorius’ agent says that the murder is being disputed in “the strongest terms.”
According to NBCNews.com, police say neighbors heard noises before the shots were fired. The fact that Pistorius reportedly fired the shots through a bathroom door seems to support the claim that he believed Steenkamp was an intruder. For what it’s worth, police also said neighbors claim there had been previous “domestic” incidents at the house.
On Thursday, Steenkamp’s publicist told TODAY that there was no sign of discord between Oscar and Reeva and described Pistorius as a “charming, great guy.”
It’s clearly far too early to know what happened, but as expected there is no shortage of theories. Most people seem to want to believe that Pistorius would never intentionally murder his girlfriend. I’m one of those people, but I’m not going to form an opinion until more details emerge.
