A new book by two amateur forensic investigators claims to shed light on overlooked details relating to the murder of Reeva Steenkamp by Oscar Pistorius on Valentine’s Day, 2013. Written by brothers Thomas and Calvin Mollett, the book is titled Oscar vs the Truth .
According to the Molletts, there is far more than initially met the eye to the shooting and killing of Steenkamp by Oscar Pistorius.
While on Monday, Oscar Pistorius learned that his sentencing will take place in June, the new book claims to shed new light on details of the murder.
‘Proof’ that Oscar Pistorius attacked Reeva Steenkamp with an air rifle and cricket bat https://t.co/7pGwrRFTtc pic.twitter.com/blLGOQoQgz
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) April 21, 2016
When asked why the brothers have evidence which was not put forward in court by the prosecution, Thomas Mollett said, “You have to look at certain areas of evidence that didn’t make the court.”
The former Paralympian had told the court he accidentally killed Steenkamp, believing her to be an intruder in his home. He told them the blood-spattered cricket bat found on the scene had been used by him in an attempt to smash open the bathroom door, after he realized he had shot Reeva.
However, according to the Molletts, Pistorius shot her with an air rifle and hit her with a cricket bat before shooting her dead through the locked door.
According to a report by Cape Talk , Mollett was referring to evidence such as a hole in the wall, a steel plate, and a pair of jeans that Oscar Pistorius was never questioned about. He also draws into question the autopsy by Gert Simons, saying a lot of Reeva’s wounds were trivialized in the examination.
According to the Molletts, Steenkamp had marks on her back that were caused by Pistorius hitting her with the cricket bat while chasing her into the bathroom. They believe the bruises were either overlooked or unexplained in the pathologist’s report and later testimony in court.
As reported by Times Live , the Molletts allege that “Oscar went after her with a cricket bat – infuriated that she locked herself away from him – and to scare and frighten her, he hit the door with the cricket bat about 2-3 times and also hit the steel plate against the bathtub wall. The time was about 3:14.”
A short while later, Reeva Steenkamp died , as four bullets tore through the bathroom door, hitting her on the hip, head and arm.
The two brothers insist they consulted with experts when putting their findings together in the new book. While not expert investigators themselves, they say many aspects of the crime scene were overlooked.
They believe the police weren’t as thorough in their investigation as at the time the case seemed to be open and shut. The testimony by neighbors to the effect that they heard Pistorius and Steenkamp was not taken into account, but according to the Molletts, those neighbors were in the perfect position to hear the alleged shouting.
They conclude the book by saying, “After considering all the evidence, we came to the conclusion that there was certainly a fight and he [Oscar Pistorius] knew she [Reeva Steenkamp] was behind that door.”
Oscar Pistorius: New look at evidence suggests bat might have been a weapon https://t.co/L1rFPoFq97 @MarianneThamm pic.twitter.com/lfuzDZQB1f
— Daily Maverick (@dailymaverick) April 20, 2016
This isn’t the first book of this nature by the Mollett brothers, who published the book “Bloody Lies,” challenging one of the most controversial murder cases in South Africa. That book tells how Fred van der Vyver was acquitted of the 2005 murder of his girlfriend, Inge Lotz.
That book daringly challenges one of the most controversial murder cases in recent South African history. Despite the fact that the defense trashed the prosecution’s case at the trial, the Molletts provided a compelling argument in the book of how every key element of the prosecution’s evidence was clear and factual, using models, measurements, forensic tests, mathematical formulae, and the views of experts both in South Africa and overseas.
Whereas in the case of Oscar Pistorius, the brothers point to the cricket bat, in the case of van der Vyver, they speak of an ornamental hammer found in his vehicle which could have matched his girlfriend’s head wounds, but was thrown out of evidence.
An interview between Cape Talk and Thomas Mollett is included below.
[Photo by Herman Verwey/Foto24/Gallo Images/Getty Images]