The decision of Oscar Pistorius' defense team to put their client on the witness stand was necessary, according to a criminal lawyer. Cape Town, South Africa-based attorney William Booth said that although it was a risky move for a high-profile case to put the defendant on the witness stand, it was important for the court to hear his version of the events that led to the fatal shooting of model Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year.
Booth reasoned to NBC News, "Having raised that as a defense, that specifically, I believe required that he go and testify. If he didn't testify, all that there would have been was the version of the state witnesses, where at least four of them - the neighbors - were under the impression that there was shouting, then shots. And that could have indicated to the court that there was an argument and that this was a case of murder and not self-defense."
NBC News said that the Pretoria High Court has seen the troubled athlete breaking multiple times during his testimony given over the two-day period. While some questioned Pistorius' abundant display of emotions throughout the trial, the court saw the athlete losing it on his second day of testimony that the judge was forced to order a break, and eventually, and early adjournment of the hearing for that day.
Booth argued that whether the emotions were genuine or for show, his grief should not be exhibited further in court to avoid a potential unfair trial ruling. Attorney Tom Mesereau, who has also represented high-profile clients, said on MSNBC's "Ronan Farrow Daily" on Tuesday that Pistorius' excessive display of emotion could affect his sentence.
He said in the show, "It may affect sentence because someone who is remorseful, who has committed a crime, can sometimes affect a judge. But when it comes to judging guilt or innocence, I don't think the emotion is going to have nearly the effect that a lot of people think it's going to have."
