Hello,
I just wanted to compare parts of the later March 2014 Plea Explanation next to February 2013 Bail Affidavit, investigate the differences. There are some fascinating changes in tone and wording between the two statements. I’m not going into linguistics in this post but it is great to read. Thanks to the other poster (forgot who) who put up an interesting link to a Pistorius Bail Statement Analysis earlier in the weekend.
Here is link to another example of linguistic Bail Statement Analysis, generally most analysis concludes that there appear to be deceptive areas in the statement.
http://www.linguisticstatementanalysis.com/SOTM/Pistorius.pdf
I'm going to add, to be very clear, these are more than minor changes between plea statement and bail affidavit and it was relevant to wonder what the defense team and prosecution will do with these shifts.
Comparison of the 2104 Plea Explanation and the relevant parts of the 2013 Bail Affidavit noting the differences.
1.
PE: During the early morning hours of the morning I brought two fans in.
BA: During the early morning hours of 14 February 2013, I woke up, went onto the balcony to bring the fan in and closed the sliding doors, the blinds and the curtains.
Changed to two fans now, instead of one.
2.
PE: I had shortly before spoken to Reeva who was in bed beside me.
BA: ----
No mention on speaking to Reeva in bail affidavit, this is an addition and definitely changes circumstances.
3.
PE: Unbeknownst to me, Reeva had gone to the toilet in the bathroom at the time of the when I had brought in the fans, closed the sliding doors and drew the blinds and the curtains.
BA: ---
No mention in bail statement that the exact time period Pistorius is bringing the one or two fans and drawing the blinds, was when Reeva got up from the bed to go to the toilet. Important to note: Pistorius is now saying she’s awake when he is because he’s just added into his statement that he had just talked to her in bed. She is also, at his ‘fan delivery time, making the room pitch dark time,’ going to use the toilet/going to the bathroom.
4.
PE: I heard the bathroom window sliding open.
BA: I heard a noise in the bathroom and realised that someone was in the bathroom.
Pistorius has now added in that there was a bathroom window sliding-open noise, made by Reeva.
This is odd. He has just said in the newer plea explanation that she was in the toilet and yet she’s now not yet at the toilet but sliding open the window after he’s finished his activities.
He has now changed his story to Reeva been spoken to, Reeva sliding the bathroom window open, Reeva going to the toilet to presumably urinate etc. at the time when he was on the balcony/blind excursion.
(Note: I’ll talk further about how the timing of that whole sequence doesn’t seem plausible. Reeva’s on the way to the toilet but she’s not seen by Pistorius, even though he’s moving around with doing many things and he knows think she’s awake because he’s just talked with her. Yet Reeva is not yet even in the toilet but in the pitch dark, perfectly opening a window at the exactly the right time to make him extraordinarily scared and get his gun.)
5.
PE: I believed intruder or intruders had entered the bathroom through the bathroom window, which were not fitted with burglar bars.
I approached the bathroom, armed with my firearm, so as to defend Reeva and I. At the time I believed Reeva was still in bed.
BA: I felt a sense of terror rushing over me. There are no burglar bars across the bathroom window and I knew that contractors who worked at my house had left the ladders outside. Although I did not have my prosthetic legs on I have mobility on my stumps.
I believed that someone had entered my house. I was too scared to switch a light on.
I grabbed my 9mm pistol from underneath my bed. On my way to the bathroom I screamed words to the effect for him/them to get out of my house and for Reeva to phone the police. It was pitch dark in the bedroom and I thought Reeva was in bed.
In the bail affidavit he talks about “screaming words” at the intruder/s “to get out of my house” and for Reeva to phone the police. No mention of this in the shorter plea explanation.
6.
PE: I believed that an intruder or intruders had entered the bathroom through the bathroom window, which was not fitted with burglar bars.
I approached the bathroom, armed with my firearm, so as to defend Reeva and I. At that time I believed Reeva was still in the bed.
BA: I noticed that the bathroom window was open. I realised that the intruder/s was/were in the toilet because the toilet door was closed and I did not see anyone in the bathroom.
In bail affidavit he came to investigate a noise and ‘noticed’ that bathroom window was open. In the later plea explanation it’s quite a different mindset shift in that the very reason he went to the bathroom is now to investigate the sliding window noise made by Reeva. It mean’s saying ‘noticed’ is an incorrect term, he is now ‘confirming’ the window is open.
(According to Pistorius, this is the time Reeva knew there was someone else in the house as in the bail affidavit he said had screamed at them and at her to phone the police. Obviously at no time did she say to him I’m in the toilet/I have no phone/I’m not calling the police/press the panic button)
7.
PE: The discharging of my firearm was precipitated by a noise in the toilet, which I, in my fearful state, knowing that I was on my stumps, unable to run away or properly defend myself physically, believed to be the intruder/s coming out of the toilet to attack Reeva and me.
BA: I heard movement inside the toilet. The toilet is inside the bathroom and has a separate door.
It filled me with horror and fear of an intruder or intruders being inside the toilet. I thought he or they must have entered through the unprotected window. As I did not have my prosthetic legs on and felt extremely vulnerable, I knew I had to protect Reeva and myself. I believed that when the intruder/s came out of the toilet we would be in grave danger. I felt trapped as my bedroom door was locked and I have limited mobility on my stumps.
I fired shots at the toilet door and shouted to Reeva to phone the police.
No mention in the plea about the bedroom door being locked and that as the reason why he more fearful and in greater danger.
Pistorius affidavit said he was fearful that when the "intruder/s" "came out" from the toilet he would be attacked, but in the PE he says he panics when he thinks the intruders are "coming" out of the toilet. This could be significant because he has changed a fear for the future into a present one. If he thinks he/they are already emerging from the toilet instead of that they will do so soon, the ruse of language shift adds immediacy to his actions and makes it seem as if the "noise" of an imaginary intruder is more urgent.
8.
BA: She did not respond and I moved backwards out of the bathroom, keeping my eyes on the bathroom entrance. Everything was pitch dark in the bedroom and I was still too scared to switch on a light. Reeva was not responding...(the bail affidavit continues about other actions on the night, the plea explanation does not.)
arty:
