Premeditation is really murky. I've read it can be formed in an instant but also have read in SA premed is held to a higher standard than in the US. Interestingly, the amount of wounds, lying, and cover up can all be argued towards premeditation.
In this case, it's all about those screams. Think about how impossible the defence timeline is - wouldn't it make sense that they'd concede the gunshots were the bangs heard at 3:17? Only they can't because if they did, it would require them to explain why Reeva was screaming for so long before she was killed (this is where premeditation is shown). So it became, out of necessity, Oscar screaming like a woman while also yelling like a man after shooting his girlfriend dead through a closed door, running out to the balcony and all through the house to cry like a high-pitched man, breaking the door down, stopping screaming, calling netcare (at least) 8 minutes after shooting her, and Reeva leaving arterial spray, despite her injuries and time of infliction, below the stairs. It's a very messy, inconceivable timeline. Which makes me wonder why a legal team with decades of experience would put it forth? The only reasonable conclusion is that they're simply trying to mitigate damage. Disproving premeditation seems to be most important, even at the cost of a logical, cohesive version of events.
But I hasten to add that even if the State cannot prove premeditation or that he intentionally murdered Reeva, it does not mean Oscar cannot still be convicted for murder. Even if Oscar, in a rage, deliberately went after who he believed was an intruder - it is still very much murder. The only thing that can absolve the intent required for murder is the court believing Oscar's claim for putative private defence. And I would argue that being in a rage very much contradicts the fear required to make such a claim plausible. Assuming that defence is valid, of course, considering Oscar's testimony that he never intended to shoot anyone.
Please pardon errors as posted via Tapatalk with a less than stellar user.