CBS/AP/ February 19, 2013, 8:29 AM

Oscar Pistorius: "She died in my arms"

PRETORIA, South Africa Oscar Pistorius told a packed courtroom Tuesday that he shot his girlfriend to death by mistake, thinking she was a robber. The prosecutor called it premeditated murder.

CBS Radio's Sarah Carter reports the judge in the case said he could not rule out the premeditation charge, which lead to the double amputee's lawyer reading out an affidavit at his bail hearing. In it, Pistorius said that he felt vulnerable because he did not have on his prosthetic legs when he heard noises in the bathroom, and that was when he pumped bullets into the locked door. Then, Pistorius said in the sworn statement, he realized that model Reeva Steenkamp was not in his bed.

"It filled me with horror and fear," he said.

He put on his prosthetic legs, tried to kick down the door, then bashed it in with a cricket bat to find Steenkamp, 29, shot inside. He said he ran downstairs with her, but "She died in my arms."

Play Video

Pistorius: I thought girlfriend was a burglar

13 Photos

Reeva Steenkamp's funeral

32 Photos

Oscar Pistorius' model girlfriend

26 Photos

Oscar Pistorius

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel on Tuesday charged the 26-year-old athlete and Olympian with premeditated murder, alleging he took the time to put on his legs and walk some seven yards from the bed to the bathroom door before opening fire. If convicted of the crime, correspondent Emma Hurd reports for CBS News that Pistorius could spend the rest of his life in prison.

The Valentine's Day shooting death has shocked South Africans and many around the world who idolized Pistorius for overcoming adversity to become a sports champion, competing in the London Olympics last year in track besides being a Paralympian. Steenkamp was a model and law graduate who made her debut on a South African reality TV program that was broadcast on Saturday, two days after her death.

The magistrate ruled that Pistorius faces the harshest bail requirements available in South African law.

Nel told the court that Pistorius fired into the door of a small bathroom where Steenkamp was cowering after a shouting match. He fired four times and three bullets hit Steenkamp, the prosecutor said.

"She couldn't go anywhere. You can run nowhere," prosecutor Nel argued. "It must have been horrific."

Pistorius sobbed softly as his lawyer, Barry Roux, insisted the shooting was an accident and that there was no evidence to substantiate a murder charge.

"Was it to kill her, or was it to get her out?" he asked about the broken-down door. "We submit it is not even murder. There is no concession this is a murder."

He said the state had provided no evidence that the couple quarreled nor offered a motive.

Nel rebutted: "The motive is `I want to kill."'

As details emerged at the dramatic court hearing in the capital, Steenkamp's body was being cremated Tuesday at a memorial service in the south-coast port city of Port Elizabeth. The family said members had arrived from around the world. Six pallbearers carried her coffin, draped with a white cloth and covered in white flowers, into the church for the private service.

Pistorius was born without fibula bones and had them amputated when he was 11 months old.

The man known as the Blade Runner because of his running prostheses last year became the first double-amputee track athlete to run at the Olympics.

© 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
180 Comments Add a Comment
linkicon reporticon emailicon
1pheasant1 says:
Jodi slaughters Travis in the bathroom.

Oscar slaughters Reeva in the bathroom.

I'll use the outhouse.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
vista8635 says:
God don't like ugly, and neither did Reeva Steenkamp!
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
Cambridge_1 says:
This sort of thing happens to me all the time: I hear a noise, pump some bullets through a door or wall and the next thing police are carrying out bodies. Right?

This guy was told what to say by his lawyers. The legal grounds here are very shaky, unethical and borderline. The lawyers are just making stories up so they can get rich and famous.

The prosecutors are going for too much with pre-meditated murder- this was obviously a fit of rage gone way too far.

This should be an interesting case to watch!
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
nardus9 says:
He is innocent.

He went to the balcony to bring the fan in not close the sliding the door was closed. maybe was hot and wanted to put the fan on in the room.
He then closed the door, the blinds and the curtains. During that time Reeva must have went to the bathroom unnoticed.

He then heard noises in the bathroom and realized that someone was in there. Believing Reeva was still asleep in bed. he took his gun and went to the bathroom door shouting at Reeva to call the police. Reeva hearing Oscar shouting at her to call the police realised something must be wrong and that there must be an intruder or burglar. She then must have decided that it would be safer to stay in the toilet, keep quiet and lock the door. (Taking into consideration the violent crimes in SA and the usual rape that goes with it in SA) Most women in SA would have done the same.

Oscar then shouted at the "burglar" to leave. All he heard was the door locking and thinking that someone must be hiding in there. Reeva on the inside of the toilet could not have known that Oscar was actually shouting at her in the toilet and therefore kept quite. Oscar believed the person in the toilet was a danger to him and Reeva and since the "burglar" did not respond to his shouts. he deemed it necessary to fire at the "burglar" in self defence as he would not have been able to defend them in a struggle against a normal bodies person.

A very sad story but accident none the less.

This should not even go to trial.
The cops and prosecutor are just pushing this because his famous and they want their own 15 minutes of fame.

Don't get me wrong there should be a proper investigation and all evidence should be considered as well as all possible routes of what might have happened. But so far that has not been happening. The investigating officer has made more public accusations than actually investigating the case and it became clear today in court when he was found lacking and even contradicting himself.
reply
OHMaven replies:
linkicon reporticon emailicon
You are either delusional or a relative of Oscar. There are so many "holes" in his story that prove it wasn't an accident. To begin with, who goes to their balcony in the middle of the night to retrieve a fan, close the windows/blinds (without a light on?)
Even if Oscar could see by the glow of the moon (before shutting everything off), It wouldn't be that easy coming back to bed. Going with the "glow theory", wouldn't he have been able to see his girlfriend in bed, as easily as he could see the window?

Secondly, she was found dead wearing white shorts and a tank top.~Excerpt from another story:" Botha, the detective in charge of the investigation, told the court he arrived at Pistorius' house in the early hours of Valentine's Day to find Reeva Steemkamp dead at the bottom of the stairs, wearing white shorts and a tank top, with her body covered in towels."

I find it hard to believe that she did her yoga exercises wearing the same clothes? Did she also sleep in them to, as Pistorius would have the world to believe? Classy woman don't sleep in their clothes! The contents of her overnight bag (she was reported to have one and an Ipad in the room) will either refute or collaborate his story....
flxp replies:
linkicon reporticon emailicon
Nardus9: Denial aint just a river in Africa. Wake up and smell the coffee.
See all 4 Replies
linkicon reporticon emailicon
catbyte says:
Sure. Makes perfect sense. You hear a noise in the bathroom, strap on your legs and blast away at a closed bathroom door without looking to see if your girlfriend is in bed or not. He's a better runner than he is a liar.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
missbrain says:
as this murder has the whole of africa and the world buzzing i wonder if this world has really lost its mind ? this seems like oj simpson all over again.its not fair that as wemen we now fear for our lives knowing the one who claims to love you in the end might be the one who robs you of your life. what oscar did was wrong and there is no excuse i for one would fully support the death penalty coz its just too much the way wemen are loosing their lives to uncontroleble fits of rage by our male counter parts.she might have died in his arms but it still does not ease the pain her family feels .
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
AchillesTheGreat says:
Murdered his Girlfriend, now claims he shoots through random Bathroom Door without asking who is in there. Shoot first ask questions Later? This Monster deserves to be drowned a live with a 200 pound weight on him. He deserves no second chance at life, and South Africa needs to stop being so Liberal and bring back the Death Sentence. Some Monsters don't deserve to Breathe.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
FormerUSMCSergeant says:
Pistorius was born without fibula bones and had them amputated when he was 11 months old.
---
You can be a total idiot and be a reporter for CBS News.
Bones he was born without were amputated?
How frigging stupid can one be?
reply
WingerforLife replies:
linkicon reporticon emailicon
He was born with fibia bones.....That does not mean he did not have tibia bones. His legs(with tibia but not fibia bones were amputated
nardus9 replies:
linkicon reporticon emailicon
he had flesh but no bones .............
the flesh was amputated as they were useless without bones.

i wonder who is the idiot.......
linkicon reporticon emailicon
FormerUSMCSergeant says:
MattMarriott-
I sincerely hope you have no offspring.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
FormerUSMCSergeant says:
Oscar Pistorius: "She died in my arms"
---
Correction: She died at your hand.
reply
See all 180 Comments