Reeva Steenkamp: Friends, Family Remember Young Model As Oscar Pistorius Found ‘Negligent’ But Not Guilty Of Murder

Reeva Steenkamp’s friends and family are remembering the young model as Oscar Pistorius’ murder trial draws to a close.

As reported in the Inquisitr, on Thursday morning Judge Thozokile Masipa cleared Oscar Pistorius on the charges of premeditated murder and murder without premeditation.

According to the Guardian, she said Pistorius acted “too hastily and used excessive force … It is clear his conduct was negligent.”

There remains the possibility that Pistorius could be found guilty of culpable homicide, also known as manslaughter. The trial will resume on Friday, when Judge Masipa will likely rule on Pistorius’ other charges.

As the seven-month trial draws to a close, Reeva’s friends and family are remembering the young beauty. In an interview with the BBC, Reeva’s law school friend, Kerry Smith, said she just wanted justice to be served.

Smith disputes Oscar Pistorius’ account of the details surrounding Reeva’s death. Pistorius said he mistakenly shot Reeva to death on Valentine’s Day 2013 because he thought she was an intruder. He argued that he did not realize that it was just Reeva in the bathroom of their home in Pretoria, South Africa.

Smith said Reeva would have screamed in the moments leading up to the shooting:

“She was not a quiet person at all. She would have screamed, hearing him shout in the house, she would have let rip, she would have not kept her mouth shut at all.”

Smith said Reeva and Pistorius’ relationship was brief, but escalated quickly.

“I think she genuinely loved him and that blinded her. I think she got to a point where she thought it was all fine,” she told the BBC.

Reeva’s parents have also expressed their reservations about Pistorius. According to the Telegraph, neither June or Barry Steenkamp ever met Pistorius while Reeva was alive.

June, Reeva’s mom, said Reeva would call her and express her fears about the relationship with Pistorius.

“She was afraid, she was so afraid,” June said. “She phoned me and she said, ‘Mummy I’m in the car with Oscar and he’s driving like a lunatic.’

June said she believed the couple fought a lot, but at the time, she thought the fighting was normal.

“We feel bad that we couldn’t protect her,” June said. “From the day she was born we protected her, but this we could not protect her from.”

At the time of her death, Reeva Steenkamp had only been dating Pistorius for three months.

[Photo source: Twitter]