Pistorius pleads not guilty to murder
AP
By Gerald Imray AP March 3, 2014, 9:02 pm
A TV channel dedicated to the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius has gone on air in South Africa. AP
Oscar Pistorius has pleaded not guilty to murdering his girlfriend on Valentine's Day last year, marking the start of the Olympian's murder trial.
The trial started 90 minutes late after an Afrikaans interpreter was delayed and two women entered the courtroom trying to see the proceedings.
One woman claimed she knew Pistorius' late mother, Sheila, and had knowledge of Pistorius' character, while another said she was the ex-wife of the doctor who had amputated his legs.
Pistorius plead not guilty to all four charges against him: murder, two charges relating to discharge of firearm in a public place and one charge of illegal possession of ammunition. Before the trial started he walked past the victim's mother who says she came to court so she can "really look him in the eyes."
The double-amputee athlete is charged with murder with premeditation in the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the pre-dawn hours of February 14, 2013.
Pistorius says he shot Steenkamp by accident, thinking she was an intruder inside his bathroom.
Steenkamp's mother, June, earlier entered the court dressed in black. She was quoted in the Pretoria News, which published an interview she gave to a British newspaper, saying that she wants to see Pistorius.
"I want to look at Oscar, really look him in the eyes, and see for myself the truth about what he did to Reeva," said June Steenkamp, 67. "Whatever the court decides at the end of his trial, I will be ready to forgive him ... But first I want to force him to look at me, Reeva's mother, and see the pain and anguish he has inflicted on me. I feel I need that."
Pistorius arrived at the high court in Pretoria wearing a dark gray suit and black tie. June Steenkamp was seated on the same bench as Pistorius' family, and behind Pistorius so there is a possibility that their eyes will lock during the trial.
Prosecutors charged Pistorius, 27, with murder and say it was with premeditation. They say they will seek a life sentence if Pistorius is convicted.
The state says Pistorius intentionally killed Steenkamp by shooting her through a toilet door after an argument. Pistorius denies murder and says he killed his girlfriend by mistake when he fired four times through the door thinking there was a dangerous intruder on the other side.
