After almost a year and a half since South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius has fatally shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, the case is now nearing its conclusion. The key evidence and facts of the case has since been presented to Judge Thokozile Masipa, who will be the one to give a decision on the case.
The prosecution and the defense are scheduled to give their closing arguments to the Pretoria high court on August 7, according to Sports World News. After hearing the arguments, Judge Thokozile Masipa will then rule either in favor or against the defendant. If Pistorius is found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, the Paralympian would be sent to prison for life.
According to court documents, Pistorius had shot the bathroom cubicle door, where his girlfriend is unfortunately hiding behind it, in his home on Valentine's Day lasy year. The athlete's camp claimed that the defendant thought his girlfriend was an intruder. Pistorius also insisted that at the time of the shooting, he thought Steenkamp was in their bed.
During a cross-examination in April, the 27-year-old said, "This is the night I lost the person I most cared about. I don't know how people don't understand that."
KpopStarz cited a report by New York Times, which said that the defense initially used Pistorius' mental state as an argument for the case. According to defense, Pistorius being a double-amputee made him feel vulnerable and that he may have overreacted the night of the shooting. This argument, however, was proven to be weak after a psychiatric evaluation proved that he is not suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder. He was later sent to Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital for further examination, which revealed that he is not mentally incapacitated as his camp has claimed he was when he shot Steenkamp.
Meanwhile, the prosecutors have been looking to prove that Pistorius and Steenkamp had an argument before the incident that led to the shooting. They also tried to paint an image of Pistorius as a man who has a fascination for guns and is trigger-happy. International Business Times had also given a detailed account of two witnesses who testified in court that they heard a woman scream before the shots were fired. They also recalled Pistorius at that time calling out for help. Defense attorney Barry Roux insisted that the scream had belonged to the Olympian, and that the level of distress had caused him to sound like a woman.
Both parties are set to submit their documents on Monday in preparation of the closing arguments on Thursday, IBTimes said.
