Olympic "blade runner" shoots girlfriend

[Skyrad 0]

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What am I seeing with this? They were fighting. They had a major row. It escalated. She went into the bathroom and LOCKED the door. She wouldn’t come out. He pumps rounds through the door.

The locked door (if true) is what puts the pieces together for me. She wasn’t in the loo to take a late night dump. She was in there and locked him out to escape the abuse.

I object!

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[Skyrad 0]

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Some reports (on NPR this AM) seem to indicate that the investigator did a piss poor job on the scene: shoes not covered, spent shell casings left behind... If true, it could ruin the prosecution's case.

Standard for SAP

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[Fearjoburg 0]

Latest is the investigating officer is facing criminal charges himself. 7 charges of attempted murder.

clicky here for story

Also the on the news while driving to work the same cop admitted in court that he had contaminated the crime scene

Edited to add this clicky
crime scene contamination

[davjohns 1]

Interesting dichotomy here. I am seeing computer simulations, models and all kinds of evidence already jumping up on TV. I am wondering how that will influence things. It looks like the prosecution is almost set, but you say the prosecution is habitually poor. I wonder how the international influence will play out.

There's little doubt in my mind that he intended to kill her if the facts are what they are being portrayed as.

I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet..

But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course.

[mr2mk1g 10]

Whose facts though?

Prosecution say there was shouting coming from the address. Turns out their witness was 600m away.

Prosecution say he put his prosthetics on and then shot her and that angle of bullets demonstrates this. This is what they hang the premeditation on. Defence denies putting on legs before shooting but forensics may cast doubt if the prosecution can get it right. Given the errors so far, that may be an issue.

Prosecution say they found testosterone and needles. They later concede they haven't actually tested it and defence says it's not testosterone but a herbal supplement he's allowed to take.

Prosecution say they found .38 cal rounds in his safe for which he didn't have a licence. So fucking what says the defence (though it may be relevant to the bail hearing which is all this is at the moment).

Prosecution confirm GF has an empty bladder which tallies with the defence assertion she'd gone to the loo. So what if she locked the door - I still take the mick out of my GF for doing so in our place that we share alone. She does it out of force of habit.

Prosecution confirm no defensive wounds and that bat used only to break down door - though there's nothing to say there wasn't a shouting match only.

Pistorius has given a version of events which, while a bit of a long shot, is at least possible. He explains why he thought GF was in bed and not the loo. He explains why his misses the fact she's not in bed. He explains why he held fears over intruders and that toilet window was unsecure. His version involves him shouting - possibly tallying with the prosecution's somewhat undermined evidence of the same. It's borderline plausible at best, sure, but there are no gaping holes in it so far.

If believed (and it's up to the prosecution to prove he's lying) he shot in self defence. I don't know what SA law is on self defence but over here (UK) it's an absolute defence - ie it doesn't reduce murder to manslaughter but results in an acquittal. From what I know of SA culture and violence issues, I very much doubt SA law has more stringent rules on self defence.

My biggest concern out of everything I've heard so far is that the police only found out yesterday that their investigating officer is having the 2-year old suspended charges re-opened. That smacks of someone in power pulling strings... though it could be selective police briefing to make it look just like that.

[Skyrad 0]

Quote

Latest is the investigating officer is facing criminal charges himself. 7 charges of attempted murder.

clicky here for story

Also the on the news while driving to work the same cop admitted in court that he had contaminated the crime scene

Edited to add this clicky
crime scene contamination

Why am I not surprised.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[davjohns 1]

He fired through a door at an unseen attacker and hit her with three or four rounds.

It's an uphill battle for the defense after that. At least with me. I have no idea how the court case will lay out.

I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet..

But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course.

[Skyrad 0]

He must have had a solid gold toothbrush or something.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[metalslug 36]

The charges of attempted murder against the investigating officer relate to shooting at a vehicle that jumped a roadblock and that vehicle had (at least) 7 occupants at the time.
The prosecution were probably already aware of this and regarded it as a non-issue (as do I). The defence seemed determined to make a meal of it and so that investigator has now since been replaced by another so as to remove that factor from the case.

As for contaminating the crime scene because he was not wearing booties;
I'm not convinced yet that this is a deal breaker in the case. Unlike OJ, the defence is not claiming that someone else did the killing. Could tainted microscopic evidence on the floor make the difference between premeditation and a lesser charge? I don't quite know myself.

The accused has testified that he believed that his girlfriend was in his own bed and that the pistol he used was retrieved from under his own pillow. So, he did not notice that she was not in the bed while retrieving the weapon. Mm'kay...

This couple is alleged to have had a known history of domestic disputes, the time is the early hours of Valentine's day, potentially a lot of emotional energy...

The accused was shooting at an unseen target behind a locked door, the target posed no immediate threat to other lives. In SA that won't fly as self-defence. They might plead it down to a lesser charge but there will be some accountability.

[airtwardo 7]

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He must have had a solid gold toothbrush or something.

Kevin Bacon will play him in the movie...gonna call it Foot Loose ~ the final chapter

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[Skyrad 0]

Or in other words... He's a doos who murdered his chick.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[christelsabine 1]

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Or in other words... He's a doos who murdered his chick.

What's a doos?

dudeist skydiver # 3105

[BillyVance 34]

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Quote

Or in other words... He's a doos who murdered his chick.

What's a doos?

Afrikaan for douche

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Skyrad 0]

Close enough

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[BillyVance 34]

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Close enough

I googled it. I had no idea.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[oldwomanc6 56]

This Didn't Take Long

eta: I just read it, and not a single one of the jokes were as funny as the ones in this thread.

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[Shotgun 1]

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PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA—Over a week after Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius’ arrest for the alleged murder of his girlfriend, the burglar hiding inside the sprinter’s shower decided that now was probably his best chance to make his getaway from the residence. “Well, I guess the coast is finally clear,” said the 35-year-old robber, who broke into Pistorius’ home on Valentine’s Day, hid behind the shower curtain as the double-amputee shot his girlfriend, and evaded apprehension during the extensive investigation of the crime scene by quietly standing inside the bathroom tub for seven straight days. “Looks like they’re finally done poking around. I thought for sure Pistorius would think to look back here after his girlfriend died, or at least one of those detectives, but nope.” While slinking away from the residence, the burglar admitted he was especially lucky that the one detective who saw him hiding in the shower was too drunk to do anything about it.

Source

[normiss 806]

He walks!

for now anyway....sounds like the prosecution does have some issues with their case.

[GeorgiaDon 362]

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He walks!

for now anyway....sounds like the prosecution does have some issues with their case.

Interesting process they have there. I wonder how many American prosecutors would be prepared for what was essentially a mini-trial just a couple of days after the crime? Over here it takes substantially longer than that to even get to a grand jury, where the prosecution doesn't have to contend with defense lawyers.

Given that Pistorius could hardly go anywhere without being recognized, he's probably not much of a flight risk. Bail doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

I find the defense argument that this whole incident is just an unfortunate accident quite disturbing. Does anybody really think that it's OK to shoot someone through a locked door? How can anyone reasonably claim they felt in immediate danger for their life based on noises on the other side of a locked door?

Here's another case from South Africa where someone opened fire on a suspected thief. In this case the guy heard a car start in the driveway early in the morning (5 AM), assumed the car was being stolen, opened his bedroom window, and opened fire at the car as it drove away, killing the driver. The driver was his 19-year-old daughter, on her way to surprise her boyfriend with a present on his birthday.

Using a firearm on someone should be a last resort, when you are sure your life is in immediate danger and no alternative action is available, not the first choice as it seems to have been for Pistorius and for the guy who killed his daughter.

Don

_____________________________________
Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996)
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)

[normiss 806]

While I tend to agree with most of your perspective, South Africa is another environment I'm not familiar with.
From what I hear from friends and/or see in the news...I think I'd feel safer in Chicago.

[Skyrad 0]

At the very least he has to get done for manslaughter. Personally I'd charge him with terminal stupidity.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[Skyrad 0]

Afrika's not for Sissys.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[Andy9o8 2]

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I wonder how many American prosecutors would be prepared for what was essentially a mini-trial just a couple of days after the crime? Over here it takes substantially longer than that to even get to a grand jury, where the prosecution doesn't have to contend with defense lawyers.

Actually.... .... In the US, in federal criminal cases, as well as in state court in many states, criminal cases, especially felonies, begin with a preliminary hearing at which a judge determines whether there is or is not sufficient probable cause to proceed to a full trial at some later date. (Not all 50 states do this.) Long story made very short, they're much like mini-trials, and they usually occur within a couple weeks, sometimes just a few days, of the arrest. Yeah, you can prep for them in very little time; it's just an acquired skill.

[masterblaster72 0]

Gravitymaster

He's hopping he gets aquitted. His lawyers says he's making great strides in that direction.

The trial kicked off today...

Be humble, ask questions, listen, learn, follow the golden rule, talk when necessary, and know when to shut the fuck up.