Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Oscar Pistorius trial: Timeline of events

The athlete is awaiting the verdict of his murder trial

Nisha Mal
Friday 12 September 2014 04:46 EDT
Comments
Oscar Pistorius will learn the verdict of his murder trial on Thursday
Oscar Pistorius will learn the verdict of his murder trial on Thursday (Reuters)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

February 14 2013 - Oscar Pistorius is arrested for questioning over the shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. She was found dead after being shot three times at the Paralympian’s home in Pretoria, South Africa.

February 15 - Pistorius appears in court where he is formally charged with murder and told to return for a bail hearing within the next few days. He breaks down in tears. His father Henke, brother Carl and sister Aimee attend to support him.

February 16 - Reality television show Tropika Island of Treasure, which features an interview with Reeva Steenkamp, is aired in South Africa three days after she was shot dead. The South African Broadcasting Corporation dedicate the show to the former model.

February 18 - A South African newspaper reports that a bloody cricket bat was recovered from Pistorius’s home.

February 19 - On the first day of the trial, Pistorius denies murdering his girlfriend, claiming he shot her thinking she was an intruder. He breaks down in tears on several occasions as prosecutors charge him with premeditated murder. On the same day, Reeva Steenkamp's funeral takes place in her home town of Port Elizabeth.

February 21 - The lead investigator in the case, Hilton Botha, is replaced after he is charged with seven counts of attempted murder.

February 22 - The magistrate grants the athlete bail at 1m rand (£72, 000) and he is ordered to hand over his passport and give up his firearms.

March 3 - Oscar pleads not guilty to murder and three unrelated firearms charges. Pistorius's neighbour Michelle Berger, the first witness on the stand, tells the jury she heard ‘petrified and blood-curdling screams’ before the noise of gunshots at around 3am on the night Reeva was killed.

March 10 - Pistorius vomits repeatedly in court after hearing graphic details describing Reeva’s fatal injuries.

March 11- The athlete's former girlfriend, Samantha Taylor, stands as a witness and tells the court how a ‘furious’ Pistorius fired a gun out of a car sun-roof after being pulled over by police in September 2012.

March 24 - Text messages between Miss Steenkamp and Pistorius are read to the court. The model describes how she was scared of him - "I'm scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me" - and in the weeks before her death his jealousy and short temper escalated.

April 8 - Pistorius howls and retches in court whilst describing how he shot Reeva.

April 14 - Fans stand outside of the court with banners and messages of support. Others held a circle of prayer for the Paralympian. Fans, known as ‘Pistorians’, set up social media pages expressing further support.

April 15 - A South African newspaper reports that Pistorius was seen partying and flirting with women in Johannesburg during his bail period. Pistorius strongly denied that this was the case.

May 12 - It is suggested that the athlete be put under psychiatric observation after an expert says he has an anxiety disorder. The trial is set back once more.

June 30 - After a six-week interruption a panel of psychiatrists and a psychologist conclude he is not suffering from a mental illness.

July 2 - A report is read out in court concluding that Pistorius is severely depressed and will have an increased suicide risk unless he gets mental health care.

August 8 - The trial concludes and a verdict is scheduled for September 11 2014.

September 11 - Judge Thokozile Masipa clears Pistorius of two different murder charges. In comments before lunch recess, Masipa says: "The state has not proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of premeditated murder. There are just not enough facts to support such a finding." At lunch, the proceedings are adjourned until the next day.

September 12 - Within an hour of the start of court proceedings, a guilty verdict is delivered for the offence of 'culpable homicide', the equivalent of manslaughter in English law. The judge adds that there was a reasonable possibility that Pistorius thought he was attacking an intruder rather than intending to kill Steenkamp, though acted with recklessness and negligence.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in