Episode #11: Oscar Pistorius and the Murder of Reeva Steenkamp

Summary of the Case:

Oscar Pistorius was a famous paraplegic athlete, and Reeva Steenkamp was a model, pre-law student and advocate for victims of domestic abuse. They lived together in South Africa. In the early hours of February 14th, 2013, Oscar awoke to the sound of someone in the house. He got his gun and went to the master bathroom, where he heard the noises. He claims he though Reeva was in bed asleep, and he shot through the bathroom door into the bathroom. Reeva was the person inside the bathroom. She sustained multiple gunshots and died from her injuries. Oscar maintains it was self-defense against who he though was an intruder.

Oscar was arrested for the death of Reeva. During his trial, evidence came out that supported a volatile relationship between Reeva and Oscar

The defense argued that Oscar had severe anxiety that he would be unable to protect himself from intruders due to his bilateral amputation. They argued he did not think Reeva was in the bathroom, and shot into the bathroom to protect them both.

Oscar was found not guilty of premeditated murder, but was found guilty of culpable homicide, equivalent to reckless homicide. He was sentenced to 5 years house arrest. However, the prosecution appealed the ruling, and the new ruling found Oscar guilty of murder. He is now serving a 13 year sentence in prison.

Sources for the Episode:

Wikipedia Article
Vanity Fair Article
BBC trial highlights
The Guardian Trial Coverage
Text message
Oscar Trial Testimony
NYT article
We strive to list a comprehensive list of our sources, however, if you believe a source is missing, please contact us at internetsleuthspodcast@gmail.com or through this website