Trial Discussion Thread #21 - 14.04.09, Day 19

[MeeBee]

Oscar Pistorius Trial: Tuesday 8 April 2014, Session 3 - YouTube

Start at 1:11:00............first he says he closed the curtains and it was REAL DARK......then LOOOONG pause because he knows it was not that dark with blue light on.....so then he says HE CAME BACK IN (giving Reeva time to leave bed and not hearing her).....like he was on the deck.....and says he saw her jeans on floor....and then is ambiguous about covering light (either it was so dark he could not see Reeva, or it wasn't) and then QUICKLY comments on hearing something in bathroom....changing subject quickly as story makes no sense. IMO

So did he actually cover the light or not? I thought he said he was going to and picked up the jeans but don't remember him saying he did.

I can't imagine why he'd feel he'd need to account for the blue light. They can be pretty annoying but they're hardly enough to illuminate an entire room.

 

[TorisMom003]

Thanks Shane.

So, I wonder how long it takes to put on his prosthetics. I still can't get over that he didn't put them on first before he went towards the area where he thought the intruder was. Unless it takes some time to put them on.

Takes him no time at all to put them on. There are no straps on them, unlike the blades. He simply slips them on and off he goes.

 

[Trooper]

There were marks on the bat that indicated where the bat broke through the door. There was speculation about prying. But if you believe Vermuelen on that, it's fine ...I don't think it matters, either way. He hit the door with the cricket bat 3 times and at least one of those strikes broke through the door or broke a piece off the door.

no marks on the door that indicated the bat broke thru the door.. there are marks on the door that correspond to marks on the bat where the bat dented the door, and took veneer off the door, and willow off the bat..

2 marks.. on the door.

2 marks.. on the bat..


that's it.

 

[Viper]

His blades are only for running. He wears proper prosthetics everywhere else. The prosthetics have feet. He was wearing his regular prosthetics for the demo because that's what's he was wearing that night.

He neither demonstrated putting them on or taking them off for the judge. He was asked to remove the prosthetics so the judge could see how tall he was on his stumps. He did this behind closed doors. When they came back he had his prosthetics on again, also done behind closed doors.

BIB That had nothing to do with his testimony that followed. He was asked by Roux to take them off so that the Judges could see his physical deformity and potentially have sympathy for him during sentencing.

 

[MeeBee]

I see a different picture, as you have described, he says he hit the door 3 times...not 4, as was heard by the witnesses, 4 definite gun shots.

Only one witness is certain about the number of bangs she heard: Mrs. Burger. And that is very suspect.

Mrs. Stipp described hearing three bangs and then three bangs. The proper amount heard is inconsistent.

 

[minor4th]

BIB Please post a link.

http://www.wildabouttrial.com/one_off/oscar-pistorius-trial-archive/

 

[MeeBee]

BIB That had nothing to do with his testimony that followed. He was asked by Roux to take them off so that the Judges could see his physical deformity and potentially have sympathy for him during sentencing.

No, it was so she could see how tall he was without them so a.) she could make a comparison between his height and the bat marks on the door and b.) see if Stipp could have seen him running around the bathroom without his prosthetics on. If Stipp did see him he must have had his prosthetics on at that point.

 

[wb180]

Thanks Shane.

So, I wonder how long it takes to put on his prosthetics. I still can't get over that he didn't put them on first before he went towards the area where he thought the intruder was. Unless it takes some time to put them on.

Supposedly, it takes him a few seconds. But even if it took 1 minute for each leg, he should have put them on because he said himself he felt really fearful without his legs and he is unstable on his stumps.

So if he wants to go head first into a potentially dangerous situation, he should be prepared. I mean he took time to grab his gun and before running into battle like Leeroy Jenkins.

(If it took 1 hour each leg, he wouldn't want to run into battle - should have just stayed where he is.)

 

[asanque]

Can someone review the analysis below and let me know if I have missed something.

This appears a good example for Nels to use to show that OP has committed perjury (and demonstrates a pattern of lying and blaming others for his mistakes).

This relates to the 'accidental discharge' of a gun in a restaurant.

Witness statements from Fresco, a boxer present, and the manager of Tasha's and his wife state that OP did not take the blame for this incident.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-05/pistorius-trial-day-three/5301752

However, OP's version during Roux's initial examination contradicts the above, as OP claims he took blame telling the restaurant manager "it's my fault" and offered to pay to repair the damage. "I was just relieved at that point no-one had got hurt," he said.

Perhaps OP has forgotten about his Whatsapp message to Reeva as below:
He wrote: "Angel, please don't say a thing to any one, Darren told everyone it was his fault. I can't afford for that to come out. The guys promised not to say a thing."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...cared-girlfriend-reeva-steenkamp-9212563.html

 

[TorisMom003]

Only one witness is certain about the number of bangs she heard: Mrs. Burger. And that is very suspect.

Mrs. Stipp described hearing three bangs and then three bangs. The proper amount heard is inconsistent.

BBM

Like OP's Bail Application Statement, his Plea Statement and his testimony are inconsistent?

 

[Inspector Gidget]

His character is already in question.We know he lies and covers up the truth.So THERE
WE GO


PRETORIA, South Africa – A month before he fatally shot his girlfriend, Oscar Pistorius cajoled a friend into taking the blame when a gun was accidentally fired under the Johannesburg restaurant table where he and other friends were sitting, according to testimony Wednesday in the double-amputee runner's murder trial.

"Just say it was you. I don't want any tension around me,"' witness Kevin Lerena remembered Pistorius telling a friend. '"There's too much media hype around me."'

The testimony by Lerena, a boxer, raises questions about the character of a man who insists he accidentally killed Reeva Steenkamp in his home in the early hours of Feb. 14 last year. Prosecutors allege he intentionally shot 29-year-old Steenkamp, a model and television personality, after a loud argument.http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/0...ndermine-testimony-couple-that-heard-screams/

 

[Gavel Rash]

Mark of angle of prying top corner of bat.
http://static3.nydailynews.com/polo...erivatives/article_1200/pistorius1n-5-web.jpg

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/...YVLcbmW1OoNujhE5yspKm1hEL5YwhM7UPDbQvDqRuPDWg

 

[minor4th]

I see a different picture, as you have described, he says he hit the door 3 times...not 4, as was heard by the witnesses, 4 definite gun shots.

It is not going to come down to the exact number of times he struck the door or the number of bangs Mrs Burger described at trial - which contradicts her earlier police statement of "2 or 3" bangs.

There is no way to explain the earlier bangs if they weren't gunshots. Period.

 

[supernovaNic]

BIB That had nothing to do with his testimony that followed. He was asked by Roux to take them off so that the Judges could see his physical deformity and potentially have sympathy for him during sentencing.

Isn't that kind of dangerous for the defense because then you see the difference of height in real life/versus phtoos.... and it makes you wonder ... hey why did he go towards the intruder in his legless form......... that would render him more unable to fight, etc.? BUT it explains why he was comfortable enough to do it was because he was chasing/going after Reeva, no perceived threat. I know, I'm all over the place. Just all this thoughts are twirling in me brain.

 

[BabaJ]

That's really an unfair statement. He got wheelchair friendly doors in his house - maybe because he is an advocate for disabled athletes and amputees?? Maybe because he has friends or associates who need expanded access such as double doors?

Do you think he got a wheelchair friendly house built in 2008 in anticipation of being on trial for murder one day and he could use that to make himself look better to the court?

Come on!

I would be willing to accept the "wheelchair friendly" reasoning but scratching my head about a couple of things:

1. How is he going to get the wheelchair upstairs?
and
2. How is he going to get the wheelchair to that small toilet in his ensuite bathroom?
:banghead:

 

[MeeBee]

BBM

Like OP's Bail Application Statement, his Plea Statement and his testimony are inconsistent?

Well, I don't say inconsistent in a negative manner. Inconsistencies in that way are expected. It's very rare that a person can recall the exact number of shots or sounds they heard. I've said this many times.

Inconsistencies are expected. The question is, is there a reasonable explanation for them and are they so vast as to negate the entire story?

 

[minor4th]

I would be willing to accept the "wheelchair friendly" reasoning but scratching my head about a couple of things:

1. How is he going to get the wheelchair upstairs?
and
2. How is he going to get the wheelchair to that small toilet in his ensuite bathroom?
:banghead:

I don't know

 

[MeeBee]

Isn't that kind of dangerous for the defense because then you see the difference of height in real life/versus phtoos.... and it makes you wonder ... hey why did he go towards the intruder in his legless form......... that would render him more unable to fight, etc.? BUT it explains why he was comfortable enough to do it was because he was chasing/going after Reeva, no perceived threat. I know, I'm all over the place. Just all this thoughts are twirling in me brain.

He was chasing after Reeva on his stumps?

 

[TorisMom003]

Well, I don't say inconsistent in a negative manner. Inconsistencies in that way are expected. It's very rare that a person can recall the exact number of shots or sounds they heard. I've said this many times.

Inconsistencies are expected. The question is, is there a reasonable explanation for them and are they so vast as to negate the entire story?

Thank you for that explanation.

 

[shane13]

Thanks Shane.

So, I wonder how long it takes to put on his prosthetics. I still can't get over that he didn't put them on first before he went towards the area where he thought the intruder was. Unless it takes some time to put them on.

There is video of him putting on (and taking off) prosthetics and J-blades. He can do this in seconds.

Also since there are new people here. I repeat what I have posted numerous times for a year now. In his autobio, he relates how his regular prosthetics are made of fiberglass and shatter easily. They are not like his running only J-blades, which are made of (prob. rather "unbreakable") carbon fiber.

As I posted numerous times, IMO, he would never have kicked the door at all because he knew:

1. His prosthetics would likely shatter
2. He would/could then have a serious fall.