The six-month murder trial of Oscar Pistorius was often wrought with emotion and explosive testimony as a South African court tried to determine whether the Paralympic athlete, once a hero to many, was guilty of intentionally killing his girlfriend in his Pretoria home in the early morning hours of Feb. 14, 2013.
Pistorius pleaded not guilty to murder charges, saying he believed Reeva Steenkamp to be an intruder when he fatally shot her through the bathroom door. But prosecutors argued that Pistorius intentionally murdered the 29-year-old model following a late-night fight.
Judge Thokozile Masipa ruled out murder and premeditated murder as she read part of her decision in court on Thursday, saying the prosecution failed to make its case on either charge.
Here are 5 keys moments from the trial:
‘Blood-curdling screams'
The trial kicked off in a dramatic way, with the first witness, Michelle Burger, testifying that she heard a woman’s “blood-curdling” screams coming from Pistorius’ Pretoria house on the night Steenkamp was killed. Burger described hearing screams prior to the gun shots. In attempting to discredit the witness, the defence team went on the attack, saying Burger’s statements were inconsistent.
Ex-girlfriend takes the stand
An ugly picture of Pistorius emerged when ex-girlfriend Samantha Taylor took the stand. She described the athlete as quick to anger and always armed. Taylor said Pistorius once shot his gun out of a car, and she spoke of another incident in which he jumped out of a car with a gun in hand to threaten a person who he believed was following him.
Pistorius vomits in court
Pistorius threw up several times in the dock as court heard the graphic details of Steenkamp’s autopsy. The pathologist testified that Steenkamp died from gunshot wounds to the head, arm and hip. A fourth round shot by Pistorius did not hit her. Throughout the trial, Pistorius was often visibly emotional, weeping, clutching his head or covering his ears.
Pistorius testifies, apologizes
Pistorious took the witness stand in April, where he apologized to Steenkamp’s family and described awakening from nightmares to the “smell of blood” the night Steenkamp was shot to death. “I wake up every morning and you’re the first people I think of, the first people I pray for,” Pistorius said as he addressed Steenkamp’s family in court. “I was simply trying to protect Reeva.”
Trial held for psychiatric assessment
In late May, Pistorius entered a state psychiatric hospital for a month-long evaluation after Judge Masipa asked the hospital to determine if the athlete had a mental disorder at the time of Steenkamp’s shooting. The court order followed testimony from a psychiatrist who said Pistorius, who is a double-amputee, suffers from an anxiety disorder and may have felt particularly vulnerable at the time of the shooting due to his disability and concerns about crime.
With files from The Associated Press
