Oscar Pistorius’s next court appearance will be on Tuesday, and that’s when we’ll see if the judge will allow him to be released on bail. Until then, media outlets are playing catch-up and trying out various theories and explanations to try to work out how Oscar’s beautiful girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp ended up being shot multiple times in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in Oscar’s home. Vulture has some new details and a recap of where we are now:
Olympian Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius is currently on suicide watch in a jail cell in Johannesburg, South Africa, having been charged with premeditated murder for shooting his 30-year-old girlfriend, aspiring model Reeva Steenkamp, four times in the head, chest, and hand. Steenkamp was killed in the bathroom of Pistorius’s home on Thursday, when the athlete claims that he mistook her for an intruder.
While that explanation has been largely dismissed by law enforcement so far, a source has told Afrikaans-language newspaper Beeld that paramedics arrived on the scene to find Pistorius attempting to revive Steenkamp with mouth-to-mouth.
Since Pistorius’s possible second thoughts don’t change what happened, prosecutors and police have yet to comment on the resuscitation update and are instead focusing their attentions on neighbors’ reports of a disturbance at the home several hours before the shooting. More bad news for Pistorius, who faces a life sentence in one of the world’s most ruthless prison systems: One of his ex-girlfriends, Samantha Taylor, has been approached by police to testify against him and says she is “prepared to reveal what Pistorius made me go through.”
Australia’s Daily Telegraph reports that Steenkamp, whose Twitter feed reveals her to be an outspoken critic of South Africa’s pervasive rape culture, was scheduled to give a motivational speech to a group of high school students the day after she was killed.
“It was about empowerment and inspiration and what inspires you and how to follow your dreams,” said her publicist, who’d seen Steenkamp’s notes, which drew heavily on an abusive relationship she’d had before she started dating Pistorius back in November.
Meanwhile, a South African television channel says it still plans to go ahead with Tropika Island of Treasure, a reality show set in Jamaica where Steenkamp and several other celebrities compete for a prize worth over $100,000. One of Steenkamp’s cousins says that, while the network has yet to get in touch with the family, they’re actually all planning to watch the series premiere tonight.
“Her last words to us personally was that she wants us to watch it,” she said. “Reeva would’ve liked us to watch it,” her uncle told People magazine. Tonight’s show will be dedicated to Steenkamp’s memory and will include a tribute to her.
The part about Oscar’s ex-girlfriend coming forward to tell her story is interesting, isn’t it? I will be very interested to see where that goes. As for the part of the story where Oscar allegedly tried to revive Reeva after shooting her (through the bathroom door?), I guess that might work as an explanation for why Oscar didn’t call the police or paramedics immediately – he was trying to take care of her himself? He was in shock? Perhaps. But here’s another interesting wrinkle – Oscar’s friend Justin Divaris has told media outlets that Oscar contacted him shortly after shooting Reeva:
Oscar Pistorius was shedding tears long before his trip to the courtroom on Friday, Feb. 15 — calling best friend Justin Divaris and sobbing in the moments immediately after his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was shot, the UK’s Sunday People reports.
According to the British newspaper, the 26-year-old Olympian reached out to Divaris, a chief executive of luxury car sales firm Daytona Group, in the early hours of Thursday, Feb. 14, saying that “Reeva had been shot.”
“I said to him, ‘What are you talking about? I don’t understand you,'” Divaris told the paper. “He then repeated himself — ‘There has been a terrible accident, I shot Reeva.'”
The businessman then detailed how he spoke with his distraught friend’s neighbor and immediately rushed to Pistorius’ gated estate with his girlfriend Sam in tow, only to find the home blocked off.
“It was very traumatic,” he said. “By the time we got there it was already a crime scene and we weren’t allowed in the house. But we could see Reeva through the door lying there covered in blankets and towels at the bottom of the stairs.”
“[Oscar] was totally incoherent and just kept saying, ‘My baba, I’ve killed my baba. God take me away,'” Divaris continued. “It is so sad. I introduced Reeva to Oscar. She was a really good friend of mine too and actually had been a friend longer. … I don’t understand exactly what happened but the truth will come out.”
Pistorius broke down in tears in a South African courtroom the following day, on Friday, Feb. 15, after being charged with premeditated murder. Mike Steenkamp, the 30-year-old model’s uncle, told Us Weekly that the entire family “is still in a state of disbelief” over the situation.
“There are so many questions, so many things we need to know before we can start making sense [of the situation],” Steenkamp told Us. “We have each other and everyone is sticking together and supporting each other. We try and find comfort in the fact she is in a better place now … that’s all you can do.”
A private funeral for the South African beauty is set for Tuesday, Feb. 19, back in her hometown of Port Elizabeth.
Her father Barry Steenkamp spoke out to the UK’s Mail for the first time on Sunday, Feb. 17, and expressed his grief over his daughter’s tragic death, but said that the family has “no hatred” in their hearts toward Pistorius.
“He must be going through things that we don’t know about,” he told the paper. “There is no hatred in our hearts.”
I’m starting to get uncomfortable with the way so many people are bending over backwards to give Oscar the benefit of the doubt. I mean, innocent until proven guilty, let’s wait until all of the facts are in, etc, etc. But all of us pre-judge and all of us following this story have already formed opinions about what went down. What strikes me is how there seems to be a real movement to find something sympathetic about Oscar, to offer positive-spin theories about what might have happened… often in the face of contradictory evidence or what the police are saying thus far about the investigation. Is it a racial thing? Would the media treat Oscar differently if he was a black athlete who had murdered his girlfriend? Or is it not even a racial thing? Would the media be treating him differently if his story – before this horrible incident – hadn’t been so inspirational, if he hadn’t been such a hero and a beloved celebrity?
Oh, and police found a bloody cricket bat at the scene of the murder too. Because it was “an accident”.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
he killed her.
sry people, no doubt.
shooting someone through a closed door four times? he didn’t hear her scream after the first shot? ridiculous. he killed her,
I agree with you.
You don’t ‘accidentally’ have a massive row with someone over the fact that they are close friends with a hunky rugby player, *allegedly* beat the crap out of them with a cricket bat, shoot them once and, when they take refuge in the bathroom, you “try to open the door thinking that they are an intruder” by shooting them in the head, chest and hip from across the door. Also, you don’t call your best friend after the incident – you call the police and an ambulance, instead of waiting for the neighbours to do so.
His story before this incident is one of perseverance and fortitude in the face of adversity – he had everything against him to succeed in athletics and yet, he has been very successful. OK. That doesn’t obscure in any way the domestic abuse allegations.
Also, I agree with Kaiser. If he had not been a white, handsome upper class man, but non-Caucasian or from an ethnic minority, people would be tearing him to pieces in the media. What an ugly, nasty, racist double standard.
I don’t know if it’s completely about race. I also keep seeing how everyone identifies him as someone with a handicap and I think people are looking at the situation like it would be impossible for a “handicapped” person to do such a thing. I’m sure there are lots of factors–race, fame, etc.
The more I hear about it, the more sick I feel.
A perfect summary. Perfect.
I’m no apologist for him, but if you’re a gun owner and believe you’re shooting an intruder in your home, you shoot to kill. A warning shot, or shooting to maim are not recommended. That’s why the decision to own and use a gun on an intruder, or believed intruder, is so serious. That’s why the penalty for burglary is higher than that for breaking and entering, i.e., due to the likelihood of persons in the habitation.
Two double-taps of a semi automatic pistol is nothing. I can’t recall what type of gun was involved in this, but IIRC, it was a semi automatic.
Whether he did it on purpose is still up in the air, but if I’m correct, the 4 shots shouldn’t really be a factor in determining guilt.
Responsible gun owner, but not an NRA member.
Responsible gun owners don’t shoot through closed doors; nor do they shoot a without the target in sight, especially in a home where others (security, maids, etc) are apt to be present.
My explanation only involved the issue of the 4 shots versus one. Can we try not to knee-jerk?
My thoughts were the same as Layale’s. When the story first broke that it might have been that he thought it was intruder, my first thought was, but shouldn’t he have checked where his girlfriend was first?
I get what you’re saying about the shoot to kill mentality but if you have an intruder trapped in the bathroom, can you not call the police whilst keeping the gun on the closed door and using only if the door opens? Not to soapbox it but this is one of the problems of having a gun in the house, guns + uncontrolled/heightened emotion/stress = trouble. Irreversible trouble.
Hold on a second, you just kill without thought? According to your logic, ifs person is trying to flee then its okay to kill them. Sorry, but that is not justifiable. If you lived in Australia your argument would not be accepted and you’d be charged with manslaughter, irrespective of having a gun license. In this scenario Pistorius was in no danger,no one came at him,but the contrary.
No, if an intruder is fleeing or otherwise not a threat you don’t shoot to kill. Perhaps I should have included if a reasonable person has an intruder in their home and reasonably believes there is imminent harm necessitating gun use, you shouldn’t fire a warning shot or shoot incapacitate.
That’s not even addressing what is actually legal to do. Please don’t make me go into the ‘castle doctrine’ states.
I’m desperately trying not to turn this into a gun debate-just explaining the 4 shots. Many people have never shot a gun or taken a gun course so I can see how the 4 shots could be construed to argue it wasn’t an accident. Without any other facts, assuming it was a semi automatic, 4 shots aren’t really indicative of anything. That’s it.
It seems to me that you still are being an apologist by entertianing the ‘intruder’ ruse as a possible explanation.
The woman arrived at his house at 6 in the evening and never left. Police had been called out to the house because there had been an enormous fight two hours before she was shot. A bullet casing was found in the bedroom. Blood covered a cricket bat. Her skull was fractured. He has a history of a nasty temper and a gun obsession and (in my opinion) paranoia. He moved her downstairs instead of leaving her where she was an calling for help/trying to help himself. She was in her nightgown.
The ‘intruder’ nonsense was started by a moron in the police department talking to a local paper. It was later acknowledged that she spoke out of turn and that was never the working theory.
Only a complete and total paranoid lunatic would hear a noise in the bathroom, see that his girlfriend wasn’t in bed with him and think ‘oh boy, trouble. I better start shooting!’
Katie, I should have added that I am a proud NRA Member (yes, I know this won’t make be popular, but it’s true), and I own two guns, which I keep in my own home. I am not anti-gun; nor am I trying to turn this into a gun debate or have a “knee-jerk reaction”. Personally, I think the “knee-jerk reaction” is firing at something unknown and unseen.
If there was an intruder locked in my bathroom, despite being a gun owner, and despite being trained to use the guns I own, I would leave the premises, go to a neighbors, and call the police. I would only ever shoot if I (or a family member) were in immediate danger, and I saw the target. I wouldn’t randomly shoot through a closed door.
This guy has security he could have called. He had neighbors. There wasn’t a need for him to shoot through a closed door. Not one shot and definitely not four!
This is where I’ll end my soapbox.
@Katie – I agree with you that if an intruder is in your home you shoot to kill. My problem with this guy is he seemed blood thirsty. Didn’t he tweet a few months ago about how he came home and thought an intruder was in the house and how he got his gun out all ready to kill someone? In retrospect (since I didn’t follow his tweets) he seemed(s) excited about the prosect of killing someone. Like he was playing a game of cops and robbers or something. I think that responsible gun ownership means that you have the gun for protection but you hope you never have to use it. I just get the feeling that he isn’t the kind of person who should carry a gun since he seems like he wants to kill someone. Also, you don’t ever tell anyone you have a gun or at least don’t go broadcasting it to the world.
I don’t know what to believe about whether he is guilty or not. I have read so many different stories that I don’t know the truth. Some are putting it out that he wasn’t home at the time of her arrival and that she was in the bathroom to surpise him on Valentine’s Day and if that is the case, he may very well have thought an intruder was in his hom. I just want to get the real story so we can decide for ourselves. This info leak is very much like the Treyvan Martin case with misinformation be leaked by the media that you don’t know the facts anymore.
People are so ready to cling desperately to their guns even under the most heinous of circumstances. This being one of them. Yes we know (those of us who are aware of world news) that SA has high violent crimes: rape, domestic violence and home invasion however the security of a gated community lessens those chances. At least his status did not prevent him from being arrested and held.
The intruder story does not hold up. Let’s see how creative his attorney’s will be. Shooting through the door 4 times? If the would be assailant, burglar or robber in hold up in the bathroom why not call authorities? A ridiculously sad Valentine’s day story. I do not observe the day it all consumerism. But back to the point, how much benefit of the doubt should we give Oscar when all the evidence points to him intending on killing her? She ran to bathroom for shelter and we can rightfully assume he knew she was not a robber.
I understand not rushing to judgment but some things are cut and dry. I feel sorry for her family.
Mich, et al., maybe I’m not being clear or I’m simply mistaken in putting my argumentative and hypothetical lawyerly argument here. Offering an explanation for the 4 shots was being a devil’s advocate. Here’s what I said in a nutshell:
Assuming OP was a reasonably prudent gun owner in fear of imminent danger and reasonably believed his girlfriend was an intruder, then 4 shots are not by themselves evidence that he murdered her. Any reports of the door being shut and locked, casings in the bedroom etc. were excluded in several caveats for the sake of the explanation. Additionally, I said if this were the US, those unofficial anonymous reports would almost be certainly accurate, but SA has different standards.
I agree with OutstandingWorldCitizen. The girl was found in her nightgown. She was staying the night and her iPad and overnight bag were in the bedroom. The first shell casing was found in the bedroom. Did he wake up and not know who the blonde in his bed was? That intruder story was just local press speculation to make it so their hero isn’t a monster.
Outstanding, we likely just use the word ‘evidence’ differently. Again, I was a prosecutor, not a defense attorney, but even on a gossip site , I’m not calling anything evidence until officially released by the police.
You also miss the point that if this were mere conjecture, which is perfectly acceptable, I agree that if the information reported-on is accurate, he likely did murder her.
.
But I don’t see the words ‘gun’ and assume every thing reported is true, and decry guns claiming the reports are true. But, if you’re from SA and have better knowledge of the police/press relationship, please tell us.
TG, I agree with you, but if he was such a paranoid guy then he’s not in the category of ‘reasonable’ since I’m using it as an objective standard.
Mich, didn’t see your latest reply. If that is how it works down there then I get it. But, although originally poorly phrased, it’s clear through subsequent explanations that the 4 v. 1 shot explanation was posted in a vacuum not including the bathroom door/cricket bat stuff.
PS: Thanks for the linked article!
With Layale on this, too. At least a second defense test to call out, “Who’s there?” especially if alleged robber was behind a closed bathroom door. This isn’t responsible at all–you do shoot if you need to but you also take as much time as the situation allows for, and it seems this one allowed for some time to consider, to check the situation out as fully as possible.
Also, what did he do? Three stories I’ve read today make conflicting statements–that he didn’t have his prosthetics on and so panicked and shot first before questioning due to being handicapped without his prosthetics. Then that he performed CPR. Did he puts his prosthetics on first before did? Then, that he called a close friend who had introduced them claiming that he killed his “baba”–again, before or after putting prosthetics on and performing CPR?
Allowing for imperfect reporting due to various sources having facts confused, these issues might be sorted out in time–but if the woman was behind a closed door, he had time to check if it was an intruder or not. No doubt about that.
There is also the view, based on media quotes that she was first shot in the bedroom and ran to hide in the bathroom, to be shot 3 times. My question: what kind of idiot openly shoots without a warning? But even in that scenario there are flaws. He didn’t call the police first, but his father, and used the old Twitter excuse, which doesn’t really explain the bloody cricket bat either.
A responsible gun owner shouldn’t be willing to kill so casually. It goes against the concept of responsibility, so you’ve contradicted yourself.
At this point, the bathroom door theory has not been confirmed on the record, but an official did ‘confirm’ it several hours ago in an anonymous fashion per CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/18/world/africa/south-africa-pistorius-case/
Is it true? Probably, but that’s only based on my experience as a prosecutor in the US and the police anonymously leaking info. Don’t know about SA police and their methods. So when this is officially confirmed on the record, then yes, shooting an intruder 4 times through a bathroom door would not be acceptable gun use in 99% of cases. The lawyer in me leaves that 1% open until all the facts are in as there’s likely a set of facts one could postulate where use of the gun through the bathroom door could be defended.
TLDR version: Despite likely true, the ‘through bathroom door’ story not accounted for WRT my 4 shot explanation.
Read the City Press article. Apparently one cartridge was found in their bedroom and then she ran to the bathroom, locked the door and was shot three times.
Truly trying to be patient. Here’s the article: http://www.citypress.co.za/news/exclusive-full-the-case-against-oscar/
It’s not officially confirmed by the police. But, again, if this were the States, I’d have almost no doubt that all of this will be officially confirmed at a later date given familiarity with US police investigation and US defamation laws. So, without taking the bathroom door (and now cricket bat) issue(s) into account, I was only addressing the 4 shots.
I’m not defending him nor am I advocating shooting people in your house.
ETA: sorry for edits, on phone.
@ Katie Too
I can see you getting frustrated but remember that we are on a gossip site, not in a court of law.
Here in South Africa, it isn’t unusual for facts about a case to be in the public domain before the trial. We don’t have a jury system so there isn’t the same concern about prejudicing the case like in America.
You can read a very interesting oped about thinking on this here: http://constitutionallyspeaking.co.za/do-we-need-a-jury-system/
steroid use + heavy alcohol use + obsession with firearms = MURDER! there is no other way regarding this tragedy. not to mention he had a past history of a violent and abusive temper. He threw his entire life away in those moments and silenced another life for eternity. He should get the severist possible punishment under the law. I feel so so sorry for Reeva. beautiful, intelligent, so much going for her and barely knew him 3 months. Unfortunately her destiny was written and this is what it is.
+ misogyny.
It is interesting to me how everyone jumps on the gun angle, or substance abuse but fails to mention the gender angle. Yes those two things can both fuel and exacerbate violence. But his history is of being abusive to WOMEN. Current statistics show that between 1 in 3 and 1 in 4 women will face violence from an intimate parter in their lifetime, and while Steenkamp’s advocacy work against domestic violence/rape has been mentioned, it has only really been discussed so far as its “ironic” value. I wish more people and media outlets would step up to the plate and talk about intimate partner abuse as a global epidemic, and discuss this crime in that context.
What I dont Understand Is The fact that No one Seems To Have Challenged His version of where She was shot, DID HE REALLY FIND HER SLUMPED FORWARD ON THE TOILET OR WAS SHE PERHAPS HIDING IN THE SMALL SPACE BETWEEN TOILET AND BASIN! He Says In affidavit he Struggled to Get Het Out of Toilet as it is a Small Space ,surely From toilet to door Should not be Such A struggle- somehow His version little strange.
He won’t drive his new 500,000 dollar super car, not out of grief, but his image, but he will be riding around with a friend of his who has one…
misogynist, so widespread, oscar
expressed so little grief for Reeva, so much for himself in court hearings, it doesn’t seem he can have true feelings of love and compassion, only of desire and control
and for all you nightie fans, she was found in shorts and a t-shirt, dressed, why the negligee angle
Yeah a lot of info is coming out now and it is not looking good for him.
squinty’s goin’ down.
I really want this to be an accident, he is such a hero to so many athletes and people around the world.
It’s just such a sad story.
But….it’s just not looking good for him is it?
No, it doesn’t. They are trying to protect him and his image and the guy should be in prison.
It is a very odd story, thats for sure. I think everyone really can only suspend their opinions or half baked theories until the facts come to light. Speculating doesnt help anyone.
It is so awful for that poor woman. I cant imagine how sad her family must be.
I agree… he obviously killed her, but all the theories and “facts” that are out right now are even contradicting each other, hour by hour:
Security cameras show him arriving home only 8 minutes before the shooting.
Was he or wasn’t he home at 1am when the cops were called?
The police will neither confirm nor deny that he called emergency services.
He shot her once as she ran to the bathroom vs. no all 4 shots were through the bathroom door.
Her bag was in the bedroom vs. her bag was with her in the bathroom…
So, so many possibilities. The guy is guilty, but I’m waiting for all the confirmed evidence/allegations to come out to see just how bizarre this story becomes.
I was reading about this over the weekend, not following it very closely but it is striking the number of people making excuses for him in the comment section of stories. Lots of “if he killed her” and “our thoughts are with him, it must be so difficult for him right now”, what the heck is going on? His pr team must be epic.
I was thinking the same thing. Like, what do they mean “if he killed her” ? He killed her, there’s no doubt about it…his PR team can spin things until the sun explodes but at the end of the day, he shot his girlfriend.
He absolutely killed her, there is no “if”. The only question is the whole accident claim. I’m not buying it in the least so far, and if that blood on the cricket bat is hers? Game over. With all of its problems, if South Africa can manage a fair and transparent hearing with justice for the victim when a celebrity is involved, they will be one up on a lot of countries!
I don’t think it’s his PR team doing this, personally.
If you go onto Channel 4 OD (it’s an online catch-up website, for those outside the UK who aren’t aware) and watch the most recent episode of “The Last Leg”, I think Adam Hills sums it up quite succinctly.
I’ll try and find a transcript if I can, Channel 4 blocks a lot of it’s programmes on copyright grounds.
Pistorius and his story meant a great deal to a lot of people, more than a lot of people realise. I think that’s something we’re just beginning to see since the news has broken. It’s not so much a case of bending over backwards or defending him, but rather complete disbelief that a man who was a hero to so many people, a man who had glowing character references from the vast majority of people who met him has done such a thing.
There have been so many conflicting stories recently, that I’m genuinely at a loss about what to believe.
Found the transcript. If nobody minds, I’ll post it below, otherwise feel free to skip over it 🙂
I just think it sums up why a lot of people are at a loss/unwillingly to believe that Pistorius did such a thing, and I think it’s worth mentioning.
For context, Adam Hills is an Aussie comedian, who was born without one of his feet. He hosted a show during the Paralympics called The Last Leg with Alex Brooker, a journalist/funny bloke who was born without hands and a lower leg and comedian Josh Widdecombe. By popular demand it was brought back as a weekly comedy show where they round up all the news story that happened during the week.
“..Here’s the thing about Oscar Pistorius; before all of this happened, he was our hero. Alex met him, Alex hugged him, I looked up to him. He showed me that a guy with no legs can do absolutely anything and be a hero. And even though we didn’t really know him – it kinda felt a bit like we did. Now from what’s being reported this week, one of two things may have happened;
Either Oscar was involved in a tragic accident, in which case, we’re devastated. Or he has committed a terrible crime, in which case he’s let us all down, and we’re devastated.
Regardless of what happened, it’s desperately sad for everyone involved. It was someone that we looked up to, it was someone that we felt close to and because of that, if it’s OK, we won’t be making jokes about it tonight.
But, we will address this question from Henning who sent us in a tweet and asked ‘#isitok to ask about the consequences of the Pistorius story for Paralympic sport in general? He was the face of disability sport worldwide.’
That’s a really interesting thing, because there was a huge Paralympic story this week, that didn’t get any coverage …”
If anyone’s interested, that huge Paralympic story was about the London Legacy Games this summer. Hills and co went on to mention that we should continue to embrace the Paralympic movement and how we were presented with so many more sporting stars during the Games (Jonnie Peacock, Sarah Storey, etc.)
But regardless of what Pistorius did or did not mean to people, he killed Reeva.
RIP, poor girl.
Yes, that is very messed up. The only thing his own legal team is denying is the premeditation. So his own legal team at his direction has already said “yes he shot her, but it was a planned murder.” There should be no if’s
He killed her,no matter what anyone says.But please,don’t bring race into this.It seems as if anytime anything happens in South Africa,the race issue is used as a possible reason for everything.
@ Ani
I don’t think this just has to do with SA though, I too am critical like Kaiser on this issue, and I am equally critical of representation of crimes and perpetrators in the US, Canada and the UK. All of these countries have a long history of institutionalised racism and it doesn’t help when people won’t take a critical look at the media they are consuming and the way it frames race when reporting on crimes. Race and class always play into how the media outlets frame their narratives.
I don’t think it’s a SA thing, it’s more just how the world seems to work. Creepy looking white guy does something bad he must be mentally ill or something. Good looking white guy does something bad, people just can’t believe it, because he was so sweet, charming, seemed like a great guy and people will look for reasons why he couldn’t have done it or what did the other person do to make him do it.
I don’t think it’s a racial thing, it seems more like a hero-complex thing. It took years for the majority of people to see through Lance Armstrong’s niceguy charade (and hard evidence and a confession). But maybe I’m naive 🙁 this whole thing is so confusing
+1
I just posted this to the comment above, before seeing your post :).
Totally agree – it’s a hero/athlete thing.
+10000
I’m a South African and it’s very interesting to view it from a local perspective.
The morning we all heard about it, a group of colleagues had gathered around in solidarity… mourning the unfortunate end to Oscar’s wonderful career and the unfortunate way in which his girlfriend died by accident… it was all everyone could talk about.
Suddenly, fact emerged that painted a more ominous picture. It looked like our golden boy had actually deliberately killed her, after all. There was a lot of silence… people who had been engrossed in all the developments all of a sudden didn’t want to talk about. White South Africans, yes.
I do think it’s a racial thing. Recently, South Africa’s been painted as this violent crime hub perpetuated by, mostly, black males. This shoots (sorry about the pun) an uncomfortable hole in that narrative. Gorgeous, educated, wealthy white males kill too? It’s shameful for a lot of white South Africans who have been frothing at the mouth about the crime and violence perpetuated by black people.
So, yes. Everyone’s bending over backwards to give him the benefit of the doubt. This is hard to swallow for a lot of South Africans and for those of us who aren’t white, it’s been an interesting look into the state of our racial affairs.
By the way… he killed her. I don’t believe anything else. RIP Beautiful Reeva.
Thanks for your post. It’s nice to hear a perspective from a local!
+1, it’s interesting to know what the consensus was/is in South Africa.
I still think SA has some incredible athletes and poster boys/girls in the form of Natalie du Toit and Chad le Clos. 🙂
Cricket is not exactly an Olympic sport but I have a soft spot for Dale Steyn 😀
And a very good soft spot it is indeed 🙂
I thought cricket was making a comeback in 2016? Oh wait, actually, I might be thinking of rugby …
😀
I think they’re considering Twenty20 for the 2020 Olympics.
Thanks for your insights – it’s nice to see that someone who is closer to the situation than most of us, both culturally and geographically, can give an informed opinion instead of random guessing and trying to make up excuses for him.
I just find it tragic that everyone is willing to forgive a good-looking, rich and successful white man just because well, he is handsome, wealthy and successful and because a situation defies their preconceptions and prejudices regarding race, crime and status.
Also, people should not forget that he is, potentially, a MURDERER. We’re not talking about a nasty break up with a mud-slinging match before the media, but a blood-curling MURDER. Honestly, what on earth is wrong with people?
You can’t see me but I’m nodding my head in agreement to everything you’ve said so far. Inspirational figure or not, I’m a little sick to my stomach that the focus and sympathy is mainly on Oscar rather than the woman he killed.
honestly what on earth is wrong with people?
Such a good question. You got a couple of days?
Stefni, thanks for your post. As I said in another post, it’s amazing how this site attracts people from all over the world, and how many are from South Africa.
Anyway, Oscar killed her. He said so. Therefore, the only question is why.
Yes, thank-you. I don’t know why people are so loathe to recognize that there’s likely a racial element to the sympathy bath he’s been receiving. Obviously, there’s far more going on that just that, but I think it’s there, too. What’s to be gained by denying it?
I am a South African of color. My personal opion isn’t that is a racial case. All South Africans looked up to him and respected him. That is why people are making excuses for him. We need heroes in SA and a lot of our South African heroes has fallen. Maybe we easily forget they are humans. But I do believe he is very very very guilty of murder. No doubt about it. I am not making any excuses for him. I hope he does the honorable thing and admit his guilt, tell the truth about happened that night and goes to jail. That’s all that is left for him to do.
I think it has less to do with color and more to do with the fact that people don’t want to believe that they found a killer inspirational. he was a great Olympic story, someone to cheer for and to find out he’s an abusive murderer taints the memories and your judgement.
I don’t get how people are still trying to work the accident angle. The more details that get revealed, the more it becomes clear that this was cold blooded murder.
White male privilege at its worst. If he had been a minority, all we would be hearing about is how violence is part of the culture. If he had been a woman, all we would hear about is how she was a crazy bitch.
Yes, yes and YES.
He is the minority in South Africa.
That doesn’t change the fact that it is White Male Privilege.
You can be pedantic about it, but that doesn’t change the way it has been covered. And you knew what I meant.
Yeah. I did know what you meant and I also know that I live in South Africa and that all the world seems to be talking about is the violence of my culture.
In South Africa, this is viewed as a violence against women issue. We have a lot of that going on across all races.
Um, he IS a minority. Whites make up less than 10% of South Africa. Just saying.
You know what I mean. If he wasn’t white this would not be the treatment he would be getting. Is that better since you feel the need to be pedantic.
Besides I’ve only seen US coverage for the most part. And in the US they are constantly expanding who can be considered white.
@Merritt
You’re using American cultural tropes to comment on South African culture. They are not the same. The percentage inversion alone makes a huge difference. As Mich also points out, we, as locals, are not seeing it the way the rest of the world is, or the way they assume we do.
Having said that, I must admit you make a valid point about global perceptions – by example.
@Erandyn
Did you read my original post? Because I never made any assumption about SA culture. I am pretty clearly talking about the continued failure of the media. Which of course, my exposure media is US based.
I don’t doubt that people see it as a violence against women issues. As they should because it clearly is.
And I still stand by what I said. If he was not white and not male, the way this murder is being framed by the media would be very different. There wouldn’t be all this grasping for something to blame other than the person who fired the gun.
@Merritt
Oh, you meant the *media*. The way you phrased it (“White male privilege at its worst.”), it sounded like your personal opinion. Huh, I guess we might even be in agreement. 🙂
I don’t know. I keep thinking about OJ Simpson and I think people wanted to give him the benefit doubt at first too. He was a rich, good looking football star, came on TV shows (didn’t he cameo on Love Boat? I remember seeing him on a bunch of shows in the 70s).
He was handsome, seemed funny and nice. And he (stating the obvious) was black, not an entitled white man.
People were in disbelief until the facts came out. It think it’s more the hero worship of athlets/actors. We think they have charmed perfect lives and seem infallible.
The caring boyfriend tried to save the girlfriend he shot and killed, how lovely.
Give the guy a medal.
I know. Please stop this ridiculous angle. He shot her SIX times in the head, chest and hand. That’s not an accident. Maybe he regretted afterwards but it was no accident. Save the sympathy for the Reeva.
It always blows my mind when a murder victims family forgives the murderer…I don’t think I would be a big enough person to do it…maybe years and years after the tragedy…but not a week later…
Yeah, I read that he also bashed in her skull with a cricket bat so it’s going to be pretty hard to prove the intruder theory.
Do you think they’ll take his legs away in prison because he could use them as weapons?
I don’t believe for a second that he thoughts she was an intruder. They fought, she shut herself in the bathroom, he went and got his gun.
So sad.
@Abra, from what I’ve read, Reeva was already shot once in the hip before she ran to the bathroom for protection. Authorities also think one of her gunshot wounds, on her hand, was from her cowering in the bathroom (as she was already really hurt), & her hands were covering her head for protection. Oscar Pistorius is a monster.
…also, i HAVE been following the coverage, and this is the first i’ve heard of her having an abusive past of her own. i feel that is MOST telling. Poor Reeva’s intincts likely told her to flee sooner, but she allowed him more latitude due to his ‘disability’. I speculate that she wanted out, but wanted to let him down gently.
This is a sad year for the sport: Lance Amstrong doped as hell, now we discover Oscar Pistorious in reality is a rage monster.
Both of them were so inspiring for so many people. before this.
I bet Nike regrets Tiger Woods mistresses.
Oh yeah, this guy is as guilty as they come, no doubt. A bloody cricket bat (reports also say her skull was crushed), several gunshots to Reeva….most all of them through a BATHROOM DOOR?! Oh no hell no…this dude is guilty as sin!
I don’t think it was premeditated. It was a “crime of passion,” meaning it culminated from heated arguing. Nonetheless, this guy needs to be locked up FOREVER!
I don’t care what a “hero” he was/is. A crime is a crime, is a crime.
Not only was there a bloody cricket bat, but the reports are also that her skull was ‘crushed’. He also called his dad and his sister before the police got there.
The police are also saying it was clear that she had been asleep in the bed next to him.
Accident my ass. He’s a murderer.
http://www.citypress.co.za/news/exclusive-the-case-against-oscar-2/
I find it very telling that he called his best friend (Divaris) and family before calling emergency/paramedics — in case he did call for help (from what I’ve read, police was called both times by his neighbours).
Very telling Eve. Instead of calling the paramedics for Reeva, he calls his best friend and his family to cry on their shoulders for sympathy. What a disgusting selfish murderer.
wow … i hadnt heard that either – that they were already in bed together that night. because neighbors have reported hearing earlier disturbances, the suggestion that he might have mistaken her for an intruder is pretty much out the window. SO – if they were asleep at that hour of the night, maybe he was searching thru her cellphone and found evidence of her contact w/ this rugby player who’s been mentioned. He could have awoken her to fight and it escalated from there. clearly. (just a theory, nothing more)
As both an American studying in Pretoria right now and a former fan of Oscar’s, I find the case incredibly interesting. Speaking with my (admittedly small) circle of South African friends, it seems to me that it’s a combination of many issues: racial, social, economic, etc. To say this case is based solely on race is to minimize the other issues at hand.
—-
I’m curious about the premeditated part, though. Of course this is all theory, but if we assume that the cricket bat was before the bullets, did his reaching for the gun then make it premeditated?
—
RIP Reeva
To say this case is based solely on race is to minimize the other issues at hand.
I totally agree. Where is the race issue? This is about murder. To speculate how a black hero would/could have been treated is mere speculation & has no bearing on this case. SMH
I think the equivalent in the US would be if this were someone like Derek Jeter. I think it would take people a while to wrap their heads around the fact that an inspirational athlete who for YEARS has been propped up as everything that is good and right not only about sports but about being a human being, was in fact, incorrect. Think back to how long it took people to come to grips with OJ Simpson and I don’t even think he had 1/10th the level of inspiration that a Jeter or, it appears, Pistorius, has. But if the facts continue to turn against Pistorius, the level of anger that will flip on this guy will be epic.
OJ Simpson had a ton of exposure. He had done movies, was a sports commentator, handsome, etc. etc. etc. He had a very “nice guy” image.
I loved him in the Naked Gun movies.
At the risk of being hurled all sorts of insults: I don’t think this is a race thing, I think this is a physical handicap thing. People have a harder time accepting that someone without their legs (who then went on to do amazing things despite the handicap, such as competing in the Olympics) could do something a horrible as kill their girlfriend.
+10000
And I do believe you have just nailed it.
His legal time and spin doctor will, however, seek to put South Africa on trial and then all anyone will talk about is race.
I think you’re completely right
Ah, ignore this, posted in the wrong place. My bad.
I.want.shoes: I am going to go to hell for this, but reading your name and this post made me LOL.
You can all pile on me now. I deserve it.
Bluhare: haha! …besides shoes, my question is: does he sleep in his prosthetics? I’m only wondering bc what if he really did hear an intruder someday and had to get up and confront someone? I’m guessing it would take precious time to put on his prosthetics?
LOL! I didn’t notice it prior to posting.
I agree with you for the most part, though I do see how race comes into play here. But I don’t think it’s mostly a racial issue right now. I think most people find it hard to believe this because of his disability.
YES. And even before being charged with murder, there were reports of his anger and drinking issues. Yet people didn’t want to believe it and the media mostly covered it up. As someone somewhere else wrote, being disabled doesn’t prevent you from also being an entitled #^&hole.
This is a really raw issue for South Africans. Oscar didn’t just represent the Paralympian community, he represented South Africa. He persevered tremendous challenges, he didn’t divide along racial lines, he was something South Africans could be proud of. South Africa especially needs heroes, but as with all human beings, made a mistake in placing such faith in an athlete.
I believe he killed her intentionally in some heat of passion, he probably assaulted her and she ran to hide and then he shot her through the door, but I also believe he genuinely regretted it almost immediately once he saw her lying there dead. And that in no way excuses it.
I think he’s mentally unbalanced. I would guess bipolar II given what I know of his history.
I totally agree with you about everything except feeling raw about it. Maybe its different in Jo’burg but amongst the people I know in CT, we are all pretty good with viewing him as a man who murdered his “baba” (his ‘baba’. yassis! what a bastard). No one I know is making any excuses for him.
Then again, I asked my 12 (almost 13!) year old how he felt about Oscar and he definitely saw him as a hero. He can even quote him on a few things about overcoming adversity. He has decided that Natalie Du Toit is FAR more deserving of his admiration.
What I have found interesting is the commentary being made about the Afrikaans community – particularly by Afrikaners who see a problem with the way a certain sub-segment thinks. It hasn’t been overwhelming but it is definitely there.
Things aren’t looking good for Oscar. I don’t know the SA court system so I don’t know how they’ll go with the pre-meditated part but so far it appears clear that this wasn’t an accident.
Not a lot adds up for OP but I would like to know how a woman with a crushed skull manages to make it to the bathroom. The leaked information from the police is a little disturbing. Maybe I’m just used to authorities being more tight lipped about incriminating tid-bits.
Whatever the timeline of events, poor Reeva had a hellish time before she died. Her family are in for a hurtful time on top of losing their beloved one.
I read that the autopsy report said her skull was fractured. That doesn’t mean crushed, although it could have been. A fracture plus fear plus adrenaline could very well have given her enough to get in the bathroom and lock the door.
I get shivers from thinking of how much fear and pain she must have felt in the last moments of her life. RIP Reeva.
@bluhare I was just going off the media reports early this morning that made several mentions of “crushed” as opposed to ‘fractured’. The AM news shows are a little prone to overstating so my bad.
There is one thing I don’t get that is missing from the pro Oscar propaganda. He didn’t announce that he had a gun but fired off 4 shots. In other articles there is also the detail of Reevaluate having a crushed skull as well, which may also be the result of a heavy fall on a surface edge, but the bloody cricket bat is beginning to take on an ominous shade.
Whatever the reason, Oscar shot her, and he will face consequences for it. I’m totally impressed with her family for those last two statements of the article. To publicly say that and not perpetuate a dialog of hate. They will be angry and furious at him, absolutely, and probably already are. But to take the “h” word out of the equation and reserve judgement is a great example of compassion and a lesson we can all stand to learn. May peace be with all of them
+ a million percent. I could not agree more. They appear to be amazingly compassionate people.
The only ‘accidental’ scenario I can imagine is her hiding in the bathroom during a fight and him trying to shoot the door down, not realising that she’s leaning against it/holding it closed. Still amounts to something like manslaughter though, doesn’t it?
Ok, nm… I just read that one cartridge was found in the bedroom. There’s nothing accidental about chasing someone with a gun.
My mother in law was killed after being shot through a locked bathroom door. She wasn’t against it but as far away as possible. Maybe Reeva was too. The power of fired bullets.
Let’s see, the victim was shot four times in parts of the body the police appear to find “suspicious” (a bullet wound to the hand suggests a defensive stance by the victim), a bloody cricket bat at the scene, a crushed skull, steroids in the house AND he called a friend first and NOT the police/ambulance? Yeah, he did it. No ifs or buts. All that glitters is not gold, handicapped or not.
Whether or not her death was premeditated, I do believe Oscar is deeply disturbed, there is something very off about him. I am not sure what I believe at this point, but he seems to be unstable, so anything could have set him off, whether it be the thought of an intruder or being upset at his girlfriend.
Maybe roid rage on top of an existing emotional instability?
And an alcohol problem.
There were reports about him being a problem drinker who couldn’t contain his temper, so that has to be part of it.
This is such a crazy story and I’m really curious to see where the facts lay when the case against him is made.
The police have only confirmed that Reeva is dead and that Oscar is charged with premeditated murder. No other information has been released officially and when they’ve been asked about info leaks, they’ve denied they’re coming from inside the department.
I think they guy is guilty as charged, personally, but there is soooo much going around regarding weapons, the condition of the victim – who knows where the truth lies?
I’m a South African and like the majority of the country, I’ve been watching this tragic story unfold. Let me start by saying that I have never liked Oscar. I could never look at pictures of him in a magazine and would literally turn the TV off if he appeared on it. That is how much of a ‘bad vibe’ he gave me. I instinctively felt that something was ‘off’ about him. So was I surprised to hear the news on Thursday morning ? Not really ! What does make this so sad is that all the nasty stories about him are now starting to come to the fore – people have finally opened up about the ‘real’ Oscar. But it took the murder of a beautiful and smart young woman, who was probably in love with this man, to loose her life for people to speak up.
I can’t imagine what ‘story’ his legal team are going to dream up to explain this away. He’s guilty ! Anyone who hides their face like that, is guilty !
RIP Reeva ! Your spirit has touched so many people even though we’ve never met you !
I agree with you and Erandyn. I suspect that guy has some deep seated insecurities. If he did and was on steroids and drinking, it’s no wonder he was in a murderous rage. Possibly he was paranoid and suspecting her all the time of cheating on him. I wonder if he was paranoid and feeling “less than” because of his handicap. He may have been wondering why a beautiful famous model was with him and was possibly jealous of other men with legs. Drugs and alcohol can make you crazy and feel like a victim when you are not. The thing that interests me is that she had been in an abusive relationship and gotten out and then was attracted to this guy. She was a beautiful woman who could have her pick of men and kept picking badly. Clearly she had mental health issues of her own.
“She was a beautiful woman who could have her pick of men and kept picking badly. Clearly she had mental health issues of her own.”
I wouldn’t be so quick to make assumptions. They had only been dating a few months. Many people can hide their true selves for YEARS. I personally know several people who fit the bill of being different than their facade would suggest.
@Lesley – I think for many of us Americans we only ever heard of Oscar during the London Olympics and he was a handsome hero there and so inspiring so we didn’t get as many opportunities to see him and pick up on the bad vibes he was giving out beforehand. So this is so shocking to many of us. But, as others have said in hindsight that leering half grin is creepy indeed. I guess I am such a sucker for the Olympics and the inspiring stories that come from it that I just didn’t see it.
I understand what you’re saying TG and sadly, we tend to put these people on pedestals and fail to remember that there is another side to them besides their celebrity. Some may have dark sides and others not. I just never found him personable. I can’t explain it. And yes, the London Olympics did SA a lot of good and we were proud – Chad le Clos is front and centre there but he also has a personal life. I think these people have excellent PR teams to clean up behind them and only when they do something that not even they can clean up, that’s when the truth comes out.
And yes, his grin is creepy ! That’s the best way to describe it ! Creepy *shudders*
Lesley, I sometimes get those vibes about people too and, interestingly, the ones that I can’t put my finger on why are the ones that usually are the most accurate.
Soooooo. He shot her four times “by accident”. Yeah, I’m buying that. Not.
I know nothing about South African law, so I don’t know what “premeditated” means to them.
If this were an American case, I would guess that the police have some compelling evidence and/or they are throwing the highest possible charge at him in order to get him to plea to voluntary manslaughter, or something.
Also, comparing this to American cases, it seems like the charges and trial have occurred/will occur very quickly. Like, I feel like in the States it takes weeks or months for this kind of thing, not days.
It takes YEARS in America.
the bloody bat and her dying crouched under the bathroom counter w/her hands covering her head did it for me. She was in her bed clothes, its not like she came over in the middle of the night and scared him, she was in bed with him previously.
this was no accident.
I read that there are several sites where the women are blaming her, so I will only comment on here.
reading those kind of comments would piss me off.
He killed her – no doubt in my mind.
And I have this awful, gut feeling he’s somewhow gonna get away with it.
RIP Reeva.
I’m actually expecting the opposite, or perhaps some kind of mental illness conviction. With this case garnering international attention, I could actually see South Africa using this case to “make an example” to send a message to domestic abusers in their country.
I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, I’m just saying that I could see it happening.
+1
My husband just shakes his head when I talk about this case as if I’m rushing to judgement but I don’t care I’m never gonna be on the jury I don’t have to wait for all the evidence to be admitted in the court of public opinion! I view this case as a run of the mill domestic violence murder-once again a woman dies at the hands of someone who supposedly cared for her. I don’t understand his father saying his shooting her was a ” sportman’s instinct” I grieve for her family and do empathize with his family as for him? He can rot for all I care
Yes, I agree this is probably a classic domestic violence death. I visited http://www.nicolebrown.org, the website in memory of Nicole Brown Simpson, when I heard this story. Denise and the Browns are doing a great service with this organization. Here is what they describe about domestic violence that answers my own question about why Reeva stayed with Oscar:
“Abuse is about power and control. The situation usually “creeps up” on the person and they simply do not see how they are coming under tighter and tighter controls and more and more abuse.”
I know its terrible to speculate about this but heres my theory.
He has deep seated anger issues and in the middle of the night they had a very bad fight. He became enraged, possibly enough to hit her with a bat. She locked herself in the bathroom which pushed him into a blind rage as he beat on the door screaming at her. When she refused to open the door he got his gun and began shooting at the door without considering the consequences.
In my theory, his rage might be a result of prolonged use of steroids. The police seem confident in charging him so I’m afraid a beautiful girl is dead and a handsome young man is going to spend the next 20 years in jail.
Just speculation.
“Handsome young man”? Barf. He’s not the victim in this terrible tale.
Yeah, I had a similar theory until I read that a bullet cartridge was found in the bedroom. Now it sounds like he was chasing her with the gun and shooting at her while she was still in line of sight.
The way your sentence is phrased: I’m afraid a beautiful girl is dead and a handsome young man is going to spend the rest of his life in jail.
Seriously? The way that is phrased comes off as victim blaming. Why should she have opened the bathroom door? So he could have better aim and not need to use as many bullets?
Personally I don’t think 20 years is enough. I don’t know if SA has life imprisonment, but it would be deserved.
How in the hell can anyone read my comment as though I think a man who beats a woman and shoots her while she’s hiding in the bathroom is a victim?
I was simply and objectively listing a sequence of events as I thought they may have occured.
Read about the bloody cricket bat yesterday, along with ‘theories’ about what could have happened. ‘Maybe’ he hit her, ‘maybe she was trying to defend herself’. Then two paragraphs down it describes her injuries as being shot in the arm, hand, hip and head and oh yes, her skull was fractured. Hmmmm I think he beat her over the head with it and I’m no expert. And how can they even try the whole he thought it was an intruder thing? Neighbors heard them arguing hours before they heard gun shots.
I hope they don’t have the same mentality that runs rampant here, thinking that celebs should be above the law.
a classmate was raped and murdered in S Africa. there were witnesses and a confession. it wasnt prosecuted. i got the impression that crimes against women were not considered “all that bad.” this was 10 yrs ago. i know it is just one case and therefore anecdotal. but i hope this case makes it easier for victims to get justice there.
this is terrible…
I believe in due process. Even so: Every once in a while there is a case where there simply is NO reasonable doubt, going in. This is one of those cases. It doesn’t matter what his motives were or what she may have said/done to rile him. Does not matter! He beat her over the head, then shot her multiple times. Who cares if he was enraged? Who gives a damn if he just thought he was scaring or wounding her? If you rob a bank with NO intention of killing and then someone gets killed somehow in the commission of your crime, YOU are GUILTY. Why should this cute sports hero/object of pity and/or admiration be immune from responsibility for his own actions? He killed her thru an intentional act of violence. Guilty. Go to jail. Hang up your legs at the door. They won’t get you anywhere now.
If there is anyone who still believes that he thought he was shooting an intruder, I have a giant bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
Agreed!
OMG I cannot believe that you’ve played the race card! It was the one card the media couldn’t use in this case, yet you found a way to use it – and here I thought escapism can be smart… People are trying to find a sympathetic angle in his case because he was a poster child for ALL South Africans. Just like everyone chose to ignore the inglorious truth about the golden boy Lance Armstrong for countless years in the face of overwhelming evidence. It was because he overcame so many obstacles that people were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt! The same applies here… Please don’t sink to such uninformed conclusions.
Are you kidding? The Daily Mail has been playing the dog whistle race card so loudly and often that I want SA to sue them for defamation.
If Kaiser is referencing the comments on the DM saying that ‘of course he thought it was an intruder because South Africa is a pit of hell where violence lurks around every corner and intruders kill you once, then kill you again and then kill you one more time just for kicks’ then she is spot on to wonder if racism is playing a role. Apartheid only ended 19 years ago and playing on white fears of violence is what kept the Nats in power.
The DM seems intent on courting and exploiting the lowest common denominator for all it is worth.
Rock on, Kaiser!
I almost posted a comment on the first level, but then I saw yours, and mine was pretty much similar, so let me leave it here.
IMO, race has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that so many people try to find a believable version of events with this guy being not guilty. It is all the matter of him being so inspirational once. Of course, the situation is awfully more tragic here, but this story is somewhat similar to how many people didn’t want to believe that Lance Armstrong was cheating all the time, even after overwhelming evidence against him.
I feel so bad for this girl. RIP Reeva.
So a comparision of an athelite who lied about doping to one who beat and shot his girlfriend 4 times resulting in a death. Yeah, what a way to put us Americans in our place on that one.SMH.
I feel terrible that this young women who was killed by domestic violence like thousands of other young women are each year in every country.Perhaps women in abusive relationships will see Reeva’s story and leave their abusive partners before it is too late.My prediction:He will plead guily and get the lightest sentence they can give him,maybe 4 years.I don’t think S.A wants to see their beloved hero in jail,guilty or not.His career is over,he’ll lose millions but he won’t do alot of time.
It is important to remember that when someone leaves or tries to leave an abusive relationship, that is the most dangerous time.
This doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t leave. But I feel that it gets oversimplified.
http://www.ncadv.org/protectyourself/SafetyPlan.php
How convenient for him her body was moved. By him! That excessive and immediate play for sympathy, her injuries, the moved body, it all points to him killing her quite deliberately in my book, AND in covering it up.I mean WWHYYYY call his friend first and not emergency personnel? Because that guy knew Reeva too and he needs that guy on his side. He’s a manipulator. But I agree; I think he’ll do very little time, in part because of the culture and in part because the evidence was messed up and there’ll be enough doubt.
smart!
For Oscar’s agent to release a statement saying that Oscar had “overwhelming” support from fans was sickening.
This makes me angry. He admitted he killed Reeva but his enablers are trying to paint him as a victim. No word if those same fans are giving “overwhelming” support to Reeva’s family. This is straight up domestic violence with a tragic end. WTF with people supporting this man at all?
Look for steroid use, sleeping pills, alcohol etc to be thrown into the mix. The ex-girlfriend will be the key to establishing a domestic abuse pattern.
RIP Reeva. They said you were still alive when he brought your broken body with your crushed skull down the stairs. The last thing you saw was the man that you thought loved you but who murdered you.
The issue is hero worship of athletes-stadiums are like church to a lot of people….
and, the mistake is thinking that an athletic talent makes someone a good/moral human being or role model.
It’s just being good at a sport, people…
Just like being a good ‘actor’ doesn’t equate with being a good person.
I think the human psyche has replaced royalty with sports and entertainment.
These people are not gods in human form. Just people who are good at one thing or another and can be admired for that, and only that.
Do we really need role models? personally, I do not need anyone to show me how to be a kind, decent, honest person….though it’s nice to have kindred company from time to time….
And yes, you can even come from a broken home or difficult childhood, and somehow just know what’s right vs. wrong. OR at least see others in the day to day world, behaving differently.
Actually you do need people to show you how to be kind, decent, etc… I’m not saying you should use athletes or celebrities as role models but it’s human nature to learn by modeling what you see. The reason you’re already a good person is because you learned from good people in your childhood.
And the Daily Mail has a video of Oscar’s agent going to visit him to discuss his career. Can I hear a chorus of WTF and how distasteful can you get?????
Maybe the conversation will be like this:
Agent: Oscar, your career is over. I’ll visit you for a while but professionally, obviously, we’re done.
I’m more cynical than that:
Agent: As soon as this blows over, you’ll lay low for a while, say a year or two, and then we’ll sign you up for some charity events, where we’ll prime you as the reformed fallen hero, standing against domestic violence / steroid abuse / untreated mental illness (depending on outcome), followed by a stint on Oprah. Don’t worry, buddy, you’ll come out golden.
*sigh*
Finding it super hard to believe that this wasn’t some kind of bizarre accident but time will tell.
:-O
…yo, Stinkyman, when you come up with a scenario wherein he might have *accidentally* beaten her head until it was reportedly “crushed” and then shot six rounds thru the door of the locked bathroom where she had taken refuge and was cowering in her nightclothes, let me know.
…and then we’ll have to figure out why, as she lay dying from his assaults, instead of calling first responders who might somehow have saved her life, he called three different people…as blood drained from her wounds and life drained ever more from her body.
…and neighbors called the cops, having heard loud fighting coming from Oscar’s house.
…truly, the only scenario I can come up with is that this wasn’t the first time Oscar got rough with her, and prior to this attack she was having “the talk” with him to end their relationship because the tv program she’d just taped about domestic violence, which was to air the very next day, had made her realize she would be crazy and hypocritical to stay with him. As is well known, abusers are at their most crazed and most dangerous when you try to leave them.
The only accident that happened in this case was their getting together in the first place. He knew he had an abusive past; she only knew he was a hero who had overcome enormous adversity. Sadly, the “accident” in this case was all hers.
smart
I don’t believe his story for a second – too much evidence points towards this being a case of domestic violence that ended in murder.
I think he killed her – it wasn’t an accident. I guess talented athletes and handicapped people can be sociopaths too :/
If the question is “Why don’t people want to believe this guy is guilty?” then I have a slightly different answer than those posted above, all of which are really good answers. I think whatever the story of the person who commits a crime, we want so badly to believe in some core goodness in all of humanity that we try to paint a picture- for our own inner peace- in which there was some accident. Evil is scary. As others said above, this need to justify crimes happens across racial lines, and I know I for one think this way even when reading about crimes that do not involve celebs.
As for the media, they are always ridiculous. How could we expect anything but nonsense from any and all media outlets? Truly, I find more reasonable media coverage of this story here on my fave gossip site. And far more reasonable comments.
Yeah, intruder always use the bathroom at the home they’re breaking into.
We do have to remember that we’re getting “information” on this case from a media only interested in selling magazines or web hits. Having said that however, you’re right on as to suggesting that had Oscar been a black athlete or just some Joe Blow, he would be treated much differently, at least by the media.
I would also like to say how sad I find it that all these “aspiring” models or even “super” models all seem to hook up with sports or entertainment celebrities only. It’s like a business almost. You can be guaranteed that Victoria Secrets models or girls like this one who make their living off FHM or Maxim covers are going to be the arm candy of some famous and rich jerk.
They all look the same. They all do the same poses on their facebook pages and in their photo spreads in the men’s magazines that seem to go through them by the droves. They all mostly have blond hair and they all are striving to get on TV or in the movies. It just makes me sad. Is this what our mothers and their mothers before them struggled so hard to get for us?
I wish I could believe that this was some sort of really awful accident, but as more details surface, this case keeps getting more grim. I just hope that justice is served and that Reeva’s family finds a way to heal from this utter tragedy.
Regarding your observation about models and athletes getting together, I think it’s more about the circles these people travel in. Public figures/entertainment personalities seem to gravitate toward one another because their lifestyles and career paths overlap on certain levels, at least to some degree.
I do believe, though, that another reason this case is getting a lot of attention is because Reeva was an attractive woman. It definitely sounds like she was a good person who advocated some excellent causes. But I don’t think I’ve seen one article so far that hasn’t mentioned how beautiful/pretty she was, which I believe reiterates what we, as people, generally associate with and place tremendous value on — Oscar’s aesthetic appeal is one of the reasons some people seem to still be having trouble accepting that he likely has a darker side than was previously known. I’m sure this story would have received a decent amount of coverage if Reeva had been a simple, girl-next-door type. I just wonder whether people would’ve shown the same amount of fervent emotion.
Thank you for putting what I tried to say so well!
Here’s the live Twitter feed of his bail application court appearance:
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/LIVE-TWEETS-Oscar-in-court-20130219-2
It’s so sad really…
“Pistorius family grouped in small circle, weeping, arms around each other. Cameras clicking and filming from every angle.”
I think people want to give him the benefit of the doubt because of his disability. People hate to think that the disabled (or veterans, the elderly, the handicapped, firemen, etc) can be assholes. But they can, and do.