Oscar Pistorius Can’t Stomach Horrific Scenes
As the second week of the Oscar Pistorius murder trial nears an end, it has become painfully clear that the South African Olympian can’t stomach the horrific reality his actions have caused. Whether Pistorius committed premeditated murder, as the prosecution contends, or suffered a sickening case of mistaken identity, one thing’s for sure: The results are making Oscar Pistorius sick.
Popularly known as the “Blade Runner,” Oscar Pistorius, a South African runner and the first double leg amputee to compete in the Olympics, is accused of shooting and killing girlfriend and model, Reeva Steenkamp, while she hid behind a locked bathroom door early Valentine’s morning, 2013.
For the second time this week, Pistorius vomited in response to the gruesome evidence being presented in the trial.
The Olympian first became physically ill on Monday when Dr. Gert Saayman took the stand. The pathologist, who conducted the autopsy on Steenkamp, explained in explicit detail the gunshot wounds to Steenkamp’s head, upper arm, hand, and hip. The bullets used, he explained, are designed to flare out upon impact and inflict as much damage as possible. Each of Steenkamp’s wounds could have been fatal on their own, said Saayman, but the shot to her head likely caused her immediate death.
Upon hearing these revelations, Pistorius began gagging, retching and then threw-up, briefly bringing the testimony to a halt. Similar episodes followed and a bucket accompanied Oscar afterward.
While Monday’s physical illness stemmed from Saayman’s graphic verbal testimony, it was visual pictures that triggered Oscar’s gag-reflex on Thursday.
According to CNN, both the prosecution and defense were referring to photos of the murder scene which were displayed on court room monitors, one of which was directly in front of Pistorius. A photo of Steenkamp laying bloody and lifeless on her back first forced Oscar to drop his face into his hands, then later, a similar image pushed Pistorius over the edge and in his apparent anguish he vomited.
At that point, the prosecution removed the more ghastly images from the series of photos.
Investigator Col. Schoombé Van Rensburg was among the first on the scene, and described a “trail of blood” that snaked up Pistorius’ stairs away from Steenkamp’s body to the upstairs rooms where the tragic shooting unfolded. According to Van Rensburg, Steenkamp’s body was at the bottom of the stairs, covered by trash bags and towels.
“We then followed the trail of blood up the stairs,” Van Rensburg told chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel. Along with Warrant Officer Hilton Botha, they continued following the trail through Oscar’s bedroom and ultimately into the bathroom where Reeva had been killed.
Whether premeditated murder or a case of mistaken identity as claimed by the defense, reliving the horror of last year’s Valentine’s morning understandably appears to be taking a toll on Oscar Pistorius and has left an indelible stain on him that likely can never be erased.
Photos via Pool and Sky News
