Bloodied bat in Pistorius residence
February 18, 2013, Monday
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South African police have found a bloodied cricket bat at the home of Oscar Pistorius, following the Valentine's Day killing of his model girlfriend.
The star Olympian and Paralympian athlete, know as "Blade Runner,'' was charged with the murder of 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp who was shot dead at his home in Pretoria.
His father said in a newspaper interview there was "zero doubt" his son had mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder.
Pistorius's family has described the 26-year-old as "numb with shock as well as grief" over Steenkamp's death.
Police sources close to the investigation told South Africa's independent City Press newspaper that Steenkamp's skull had been "crushed."
"There was lots of blood on the bat," one source said.
Police are investigating whether the bat was used to assault Steenkamp, who was shot four times in the early hours of Thursday, or if she used it to defend herself.
"The suspicion is that the first shot, in the bedroom, hit her in the hip. She then ran and hid herself in the toilet... He fired three more shots," a police source told City Press.
Other reports suggested there had been a fight that had spilled over from Wednesday night when neighbors called security guards complaining about a "commotion" inside the house.
Police refused to comment on the case yesterday.
Pistorius - a national icon who inspired people around the world when he became the first double amputee to compete against able-bodied athletes in the Olympics last year - was spending the weekend in a police cell.
He is due to apply for bail at a court hearing tomorrow.
"We have no doubt there is no substance to the allegation and that the state's own case, including its own forensic evidence, strongly refutes any possibility of a premeditated murder or indeed any murder at all," his uncle Arnold Pistorius said.
His father Henke, 59, told Britain's Sunday Telegraph that the family had "zero doubt" his son shot Steenkamp on instinct after mistaking her for an intruder.
"When you are a sportsman, you act even more on instinct," he said. "It's instinct - things happen and that's what you do."
Police have dismissed the intruder theory, noting that there had been several previous domestic incidents at the home. City Press said Steenkamp was wearing a nightie at the time of the killing and that the bed was rumpled.
Pistorius has built up a powerful team of lawyers, pathologists and public relations experts for his defense.
One lawyer, Kenny Oldwage, acted for the driver in a 2010 accident that killed former president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela's great-grandchild Zenani.
The driver was acquitted.
The star Olympian and Paralympian athlete, know as "Blade Runner,'' was charged with the murder of 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp who was shot dead at his home in Pretoria.
His father said in a newspaper interview there was "zero doubt" his son had mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder.
Pistorius's family has described the 26-year-old as "numb with shock as well as grief" over Steenkamp's death.
Police sources close to the investigation told South Africa's independent City Press newspaper that Steenkamp's skull had been "crushed."
"There was lots of blood on the bat," one source said.
Police are investigating whether the bat was used to assault Steenkamp, who was shot four times in the early hours of Thursday, or if she used it to defend herself.
"The suspicion is that the first shot, in the bedroom, hit her in the hip. She then ran and hid herself in the toilet... He fired three more shots," a police source told City Press.
Other reports suggested there had been a fight that had spilled over from Wednesday night when neighbors called security guards complaining about a "commotion" inside the house.
Police refused to comment on the case yesterday.
Pistorius - a national icon who inspired people around the world when he became the first double amputee to compete against able-bodied athletes in the Olympics last year - was spending the weekend in a police cell.
He is due to apply for bail at a court hearing tomorrow.
"We have no doubt there is no substance to the allegation and that the state's own case, including its own forensic evidence, strongly refutes any possibility of a premeditated murder or indeed any murder at all," his uncle Arnold Pistorius said.
His father Henke, 59, told Britain's Sunday Telegraph that the family had "zero doubt" his son shot Steenkamp on instinct after mistaking her for an intruder.
"When you are a sportsman, you act even more on instinct," he said. "It's instinct - things happen and that's what you do."
Police have dismissed the intruder theory, noting that there had been several previous domestic incidents at the home. City Press said Steenkamp was wearing a nightie at the time of the killing and that the bed was rumpled.
Pistorius has built up a powerful team of lawyers, pathologists and public relations experts for his defense.
One lawyer, Kenny Oldwage, acted for the driver in a 2010 accident that killed former president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela's great-grandchild Zenani.
The driver was acquitted.
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