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  • Reeva Steenkamp: Justice to Finally Be Served

    Reeva Steenkamp: Justice to Finally Be Served

    Reeva Steenkamp–or her family–is finally getting some justice. Sadly, that won’t bring back the beautiful, vivacious model whose life was snuffed out at the age of 29.

    Just this week an earlier conviction was overturned, with Oscar Pistorius being found guilty of ending Reeva Steenkamp’s life back on Valentine’s Day 2013.

    Reeva Steenkamp and Oscar Pistorius–also known as the Bladerunner for the prosthetic blades that helped him become a champion Paralympic runner–were a power couple, debuting on the South African social scene in 2012.

    She referred to him as “my boo,” and professed her love for him via social media.

    Oscar Pistorius shot Reeva Steenkamp through a bathroom door in his home, saying he mistook her for an intruder. Judge Eric Leach ruled Thursday that the “Paralympic gold medalist should have foreseen that his firing of a gun would have killed whoever was behind the door in his bathroom, regardless of whether he thought it was Steenkamp or an intruder.”

    Oscar Pistorius has yet to be sentenced for the death of Reeva Steenkamp, but could serve as many as 15 years for the crime.

    Do you think Reeva Steenkamp’s family feels like some justice has finally been served now that Oscar Pistorius’ initial conviction has been overturned?

  • Reeva Steenkamp ‘Not Coming Back’ Says Family, ‘Not Surprised’ by Oscar Pistorius’ Release

    Reeva Steenkamp ‘Not Coming Back’ Says Family, ‘Not Surprised’ by Oscar Pistorius’ Release

    The family of Reeva Steenkamp is not surprised by the early release of the man who shot their daughter, and will continue to focus on charity work.

    Oscar Pistorius, the paralympian who was convicted of culpable homicide last year for shooting Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day, 2013, was just released from a South African prison on Monday.

    South African law allows for those serving prison sentences to be released to house arrest once one-sixth of their term has been served.

    Pistorius was sentenced to five years last October.

    But according to the family of Reeva Steenkamp, this doesn’t really change anything.

    “Nothing has changed for June and Barry, nothing will bring Reeva back,” said family spokesperson Tania Koen. “They are not surprised at all by this announcement. They expected this.”

    According to the family, “they are focusing all their energy on the the Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation to continue with the good work she would have done had seen been still alive.”

    Reeva’s mother June Steenkamp established the Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation in March, with the focus of assisting abused women and children.

    “My daughter died, horrendously,” she said at the time.”I don’t want to forget Reeva and what she stood for.

    Reeva Steenkamp was a model. She also studied law at the University of Port Elizabeth. She was working on becoming bar-certified when she was killed.

    Pistorius claimed that her shooting was an accident – that he thought she was an intruder. He was found not guilty of homicide, but was found to be negligent in her death.

    As part of his early release to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest, Pistorius will be required to meet with Steenkamp’s parents “if and when they agree to meet him.”

  • Reeva Steenkamp’s Family Remembers Her Birthday, Oscar Pistorius Denied Early Release From Prison

    Reeva Steenkamp’s family held a solemn tribute for her birthday, August 19. Her family paid tribute to her by visiting her favorite childhood place and sending off flowers into the ocean. She would have turned 32 this month.

    Her relatives gathered to join her parents in the simple commemoration they held for her. Steenkamp’s ashes were scattered on Summerstrand beach.

    The South African model and TV personality died after her boyfriend, Oscar Pistorius, shot her dead on Valentine’s Day in 2013. Pistorius said he thought he fired at a burglar who was hiding in his toilet cubicle.

    He was expected to be freed on parole on Friday but his scheduled release has been denied by the South African government. Had things gone as expected, the double amputee sprint runner would have been released from prison under “house arrest.”

    Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide after admitting he killed girlfriend, Reeva Stenkamp. According to Justice Minister Michael Masutha, the parole board’s decision to release Pistorius before the athlete completed his sentence has no “legal basis.”

    “It is therefore clear that there is no legal basis upon which such a decision was made … one sixth of a five years sentence is 10 months and at the time the decision was made Mr Pistorius had served only over six months of his sentence,” Masutha explained.

    Masutha said he received a petition from the Progressive Women’s Movement of South Africa, stating their opposition to the athlete’s early release on parole.

    The Women’s Rights Organization believes that the decision to release Pistorius earlier than what the Law commands was “not sound in law.”

    It is still not clear as to when Pistorius will be released, but the Correctional Supervision and Parole Review Board is studying the case to come up with the best decision for the parties involved.

  • Oscar Pistorius Will Not Be Released From Prison Just Yet

    Oscar Pistorius will not be released from prison on Friday as previously presumed, South Africa’s Department of Justice said.

    Pistorius’ case has been put on hold until it can be reviewed again by a parole board, reports CBS News.

    Mthunzi Mhaga, spokesman for the Justice Department, said a review of Pistorius’ case must be reviewed because the man accused of killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013 was approved to be moved to house arrest too early.

    “It is apparent… that the decision to release him on 21 August 2015 was made prematurely on 5 June 2015 when the offender was not eligible to be considered at all,” Mhaga said in a statement.

    “The consequence of this decision is that the earlier decision of the Parole Board to place the offender under correctional supervision is suspended until the Parole Review Board has decided on the matter,” Mhaga said.

    Mhaga said Pistorius, the double-amputee Olympic runner, should have served 10 months of his sentence before being considered for release. In June, he was approved for release just eight months into his sentence.

    Pistorius was sentenced to five years after being convicted of manslaughter in the death of Steenkamp.

    The case is currently with the South African Supreme Court, where a panel of judges will review Pistorius’ trial and determine if Judge Thokozile Masipa made an error in acquitting him of murder in September of last year. If the panel finds Pistorius guilty on appeal, he faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in jail.

    Steenkamp’s family said in June when Oscar Pistorius’ impending release was announced that “incarceration of 10 months for taking a life is simply not enough.”

  • Reeva Steenkamp: Parents Say Sentence For Oscar Pistorius Is “Not Enough”

    Reeva Steenkamp, the girlfriend of Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, was shot and killed on Valentine’s Day of 2013. Pistorius admitted to shooting her through a closed bathroom door, but has maintained that it was a case of wrongful identity: he thought he was shooting an intruder. After being convicted, he was sentenced to five years in prison, but now–after ten months served–he has been granted parole set for August 21. Steenkamp’s parents say that’s just not good enough.

    “We have forgiven Mr. Pistorius. … However, a person found guilty of a crime must be accountable for their actions. Incarceration of 10 months for taking a life is simply not enough,” read a statement written by her family.

    Pistorius–who is a double-amputee–told police that he woke in the early morning hours on Valentine’s Day to strange noises coming from the bathroom. The room was dark, he said, and he didn’t check to make sure Reeva was still in bed. Pistorius, an avid gun collector, grabbed a weapon and fired shots through the closed bathroom door, killing Reeva.

    But witnesses–neighbors near the home–told a different story during the trial, with Charl Johnson saying he heard shouting and screaming that night and the “intensity and fear in (the woman’s) voice escalated and it was clear that her life was in danger.”

    “That’s when the first shots were fired. I remember hearing a succession of shots,” Johnson said. “I heard the lady scream again and the last scream faded moments after the last shot was fired.”

    Pistorius will reportedly be placed on house arrest after he’s granted release, but prosecutors have already been granted permission to appeal the judge’s decision to acquit him last September.

  • Reeva Steenkamp’s Mother: ‘She Never Slept With Pistorius’

    June Steenkamp has had a long time to think about his. It’s been over a year and a half since Oscar Pistorius shot and killed her daughter on Valentines Day. Recently Pistorius was sentenced to five years, but will be eligible for house arrest in 10 months. His attorneys have already said they are considering an appeal of the sentence. They have two weeks to do so.

    June Steenkamp has released a new book, talking about the whole mess from her perspective. It is called Reeva: A Mother’s Story and is available on Kindle and in paperback.

    The book description promises a real look at Reeva Steenkamp through the eyes of her mother, a woman who “has kept a dignified silence throughout the long months since she received the phone call every mother dreads.”

    Some of what June writes reveals interesting facts that were not brought out during the much-ballyhooed trial. For example, June says that Reeva had not slept with Pistorius, and she believes that Reeva was actually about to leave him.

    “She had confided to me that she hadn’t slept with him” June said. “They’d shared a bed, but she was scared to take the relationship to that level. She wouldn’t want to sleep with Oscar if she wasn’t sure. I believe their relationship was coming to an end. In her heart of hearts, she didn’t think it was making either of them happy.

    “Her clothes were packed. There is no doubt in our minds: she had decided to leave Oscar that night.”

    June Steenkamp, who is 68 years old, believes that the whole terrifying incident at Pistorius’ home was no accident.

    “There is no doubt in our minds that something went horribly wrong, something upset her so terribly that she hid behind a locked door with two mobile phones,” she wrote.

    And she doesn’t buy Pistorius’ televised apology for one minute.

    “Why decide to say sorry to me in a televised trial in front of the whole world? I was unmoved by his apology.

    “I felt if I appeared to be sorry for him at this stage of his trial on the charge of premeditated murder, it would in the eyes of others lessen the awfulness of what he had done. He was in the box trying to save his own skin.”

    June writes that the pain of losing her daughter pervades her life.

    “It’s always there,” she said. “The minute your eyes open in the morning, or if you wake up in the middle of the night, there it is.”

  • Reeva Steenkamp’s Parents “Unmoved” By Apology

    Reeva Steenkamp’s Parents “Unmoved” By Apology

    Reeva Steenkamp, the model who was shot and killed by Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius on Valentine’s Day of last year, was unsure about her relationship with Pistorius according to her parents.

    Pistorius recently received a five-year sentence for the murder as well as a three-year suspended sentence on a weapons charge. The double-amputee, who competed in the Paralympics as well and was nicknamed “Blade Runner” for his high-tech prosthetics, admitted that he shot Steenkamp four times through the bathroom door of his home thinking she was an intruder. However, neighbors said during the trial that they’d heard shouting coming from the home that night, leading to accusations in court that he intentionally killed his girlfriend. Pistorius owned several guns and had for years, according to those who knew him, because of his fears regarding his safety while at home in South Africa. But Steenkamp’s parents say the athlete was “trigger-happy” and “volatile” and that Reeva was unsure about where their relationship was headed.

    “She had confided to me that she hadn’t slept with him. They’d shared a bed, but she was scared to take the relationship to that level … She wouldn’t want to sleep with Oscar if she wasn’t sure,” June Steenkamp said. “I believe their relationship was coming to an end. In her heart of hearts, she didn’t think it was making either of them happy.”

    June Steenkamp has written a book about the murder and trial called Reeva: A Mother’s Story in which she talks about Pistorius’ apology to her and husband Barry and says she felt it was staged.

    “It was an extraordinary moment. You could cut the atmosphere in the courtroom with a knife: silence, but for the sound of journalists tapping on their screens. It put me in an awkward position….Why decide to say sorry to me in a televised trial in front of the whole world? I was unmoved by his apology. I felt if I appeared to be sorry for him at this stage of his trial on the charge of premeditated murder, it would in the eyes of others lessen the awfulness of what he had done. He was in the box trying to save his own skin after he had killed my daughter and I was sitting in that courtroom wanting to hear the factual truth,” she wrote.

    Pistorius claims he heard a noise in the middle of the night and, because it was dark in his bedroom, he didn’t realize Reeva wasn’t in bed. He grabbed a gun and fired through the closed bathroom door four times, but didn’t know until it was too late that his girlfriend was inside.

  • Lolo Jones Says We Should Pray for Oscar Pistorius

    Olympian sprinter Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to five years in prison this week after being convicted of culpable homicide, which roughly corresponds to a charge of manslaughter in the United States courts.

    The judge who sentenced Pistorius spoke about why he is sending him to prison, rather than straight to house arrest.

    “I am of the view that a non-custodial sentence would send the wrong message to the community,” Judge Thokozile Masipasaid, “but a long sentence would not be appropriate because it would lack the elements of mercy,”

    Pistorius will be eligible to apply for house arrest in ten months.

    Pistorius’ fellow Olympian Lolo Jones was hustling through an airport on her way to catch a flight when TMZ caught up to her and asked her opinion about Pistorius’ sentencing.

    “I didn’t really stay up with much of the trial… It’s hard for me because I actually have a dad who was in prison for murder. He served a life sentence but got out early on good parole [sic], so I’m one of the most non-judgmental people on people who are struggling.

    “I know on one end you have the [Steenkamp] family who’s suffering and then on the other you have Oscar, as well… It’s in God’s hands. For me as a Christian God’s my ultimate judge…I don’t know all the details, that’s why I can’t make a proper statement on it. You just have to keep the family in your prayers for sure because they lost their daughter, and you have to keep Oscar in your prayers to make sure that in prison he rehabs and has great counseling.”

  • Oscar Pistorius Sentenced To 5 Years, Though Defense Claims He’ll Only Do A Year. Justice Served?

    Oscar Pistorius’s fate was at last determined by Judge Thokozile Masipa on Tuesday.

    The Paralympian received a suspended three-year sentence for a firearms charge and he was sentenced to five years in prison for the culpable homicide charge.

    “A noncustodial sentence [for Oscar Pistorius] would send the wrong message to the community,” said Masipa. “A long sentence would also not be appropriate because it would lack mercy.”

    She also roundly rejected efforts by the defense to paint Pistorius as far too vulnerable for prison due to his disability.

    Said Masipa, “Yes, the accused is vulnerable, but he also has excellent coping skills. He really saw himself as disabled, [but he] worked hard, and became respected worldwide.”

    Victim Reeva Steenkamp’s parents told the press that they were happy with the sentence and simply relieved that the case was over at long last.

    Arnold Pistorius, Oscar’s uncle said, “We accept the judgment. Oscar will embrace the opportunity to pay back to society.”

    The uncle also pleaded with the press and public “accept the ruling of the court” and to grant himself and the rest of Pistorius’s family “some degree of dignity and privacy”.

    Oscar Pistorius reportedly showed little to no reaction as he learned his fate, except for wiping his eyes.

    The 27-year-old was led away as he will begin serving jail time immediately.

    Despite receiving what some would consider a lenient sentence, his defense is convinced that Oscar Pistorius will not do a full five years.

    They expect the athlete to serve as much as a year in prison before being released, with the expectation he’ll serve the rest of his sentence at home.

    The attorney for Reeva Steenkamp’s family echoed this sentiment, saying he expects Oscar to serve no more than two years for fatally shooting his girlfriend.

    Do you think that Oscar Pistorius’s sentence was fair or far too lenient?

  • Oscar Pistorius Will Learn His Fate On Tuesday. Could A Threat To His Life Allow Him To Go Free?

    Will Oscar Pistorius evade prison time or will he be locked away for years?

    Judge Thokozile Masipa will finally provide the long awaited answer to this question on Tuesday.

    It will signal a dramatic end to a situation that has held the attention of South Africa and much of the world since the day 27-year-old Pistorius fatally shot then girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

    The athlete did not deny that he was responsible for the 29-year-old’s death. However, what has been a matter of debate was whether or not the victim’s death was intentional.

    The prosecution argued that Oscar Pistorius shot her to death on Valentine’s Day 2013 following an early morning argument.

    Instead, the former Paralympian claimed that he only fired through the bathroom door because he mistook his girlfriend for an intruder.

    After an intense trial, Masipa ruled that Pistorius was guilty of culpable homicide. This charge meant he would likely avoid life in prison, but it did not rule out the possibility of jail time.

    Prosecutor Gerrie Nel is reportedly pushing for a ten year prison sentence.

    Pistorius’s defense attorneys argue that the athlete’s disability would make him vulnerable in jail.

    Nel countered that the use of Pistorius’s disability to avoid prison is disingenuous.

    “He’s not a victim,” said Nel. “He cannot be a victim. He caused [Steenkamp’s death]. We have victims in this case.”

    Allegedly Pistorius’s life was threatened by a notorious prison gang, a fact that defense attorney Barry Roux brought up in court.

    According to Roux, the 26s gang operates out of the Kgosi Mampuru Prison where Pistorius would be sent. The group is led by a man nicknamed “The General”, who has allegedly stabbed Clive Derby-Lewis and Janusz Walus. These men were jailed for the assassination of Chris Hani.

    Roux claimed that if Pistorius were placed in the same prison as this man and his gang, his life would very likely be at risk.

  • Reeva Steenkamp Cousin’s Tearful Plea: Oscar Pistorius Must Pay For Girlfriend’s Death

    As the sentencing phase of the Oscar Pistorius case continues, Reeva Steenkamp relatives are taking the stand in an effort to argue that the athlete serve jail time for killing her.

    Kim Martin, cousin of the late Steenkamp, tearfully pleaded for Judge Masipa Thokozile to send Pistorius to prison.

    Said Martin, “Everybody has suffered here, and I really think we need to send a message to society that you can’t do this and get away with it.”

    While Oscar Pistorius and his emotional response to the case has been frequently discussed in the media, there has been concern expressed that Reeva Steenkamp, the deceased victim, has been forgotten.

    Also, fear that the man who shot her will be able to walk away with virtually no punishment due to his celebrity status.

    “My family are not people who are seeking revenge,” said Martin. “We just feel that to take someone’s life, to shoot somebody behind a door, that is unarmed, that is harmless, needs sufficient punishment.”

    She also shared that in addition to wanting justice for her deceased cousin that she is “very fearful” of Pistorius. His apology for Steenkamp’s death is one that Martin does not feel is remotely genuine.

    Reeva Steenkamp was killed by Oscar Pistorius in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in 2013. According to the 27-year-old, he accidentally killed his 29-year-old girlfriend after mistaking her for an intruder.

    Steenkamp died after he fired four shots through the bathroom door, hitting her multiple times.

    Led by Gerrie Nel, the prosecution fought to get Pistorius convicted of purposely killing Steenkamp.

    Masipa opted to convict Oscar of culpable homicide. This is the South African equivalent of a manslaughter charge.

    She felt that Reeva’s death was the result of negligence on the part of the former Olympic athlete.

    Proceedings are expected to wrap up within a couple of days with Masipa deciding Pistorius’s fate on Tuesday.

  • Oscar Pistorius Is NOT A Victim: Prosecutor Gerrie Nel Balks At Sympathetic Image

    The tear-streaked face of Oscar Pistorius has been a staple in the media since he first fatally shot his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day 2013.

    The man has weeped, wailed, and even vomited in court.

    However prosecutor Gerrie Nel has largely remained unmoved by Pistorius’s “antics” throughout the murder trial.

    When Oscar Pistorius was placed on the stand, he grilled the 27-year-old mercilessly about his behavior and the truth behind Steenkamp’s death.

    Though Oscar has been relentless in his insistence that shooting his then girlfriend was an accident, the prosecution believes that the 29-year-old was killed following an argument.

    Witnesses testified to hearing gunshots and a woman’s screams. Pistorius claimed that it was his own desperate screams that his neighbors heard in the early morning hours.

    Judge Thokozile Masipa listened carefully to both sides and in September decided that Oscar Pistorius was not guilty of murder. Instead, she ruled he was guilty of culpable homicide or manslaughter.

    Some felt that the man known as “Blade Runner” had successfully passed off a remorseful image that made himself out to be the victim of the events that left his girlfriend dead.

    And it is this sympathetic image of the athlete that has apparently greatly angered prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

    In response to claims that convicted athlete has suffered enough and shouldn’t go to prison, Nel said that Pistorius was “still alive” while Steenkamp wasn’t. This is a fact that the prosecutor felt should not be forgotten.

    On the second day of the sentencing trial phase, Nel attacked the defense’s choice to use of Pistorius’s charity work to show him as a caring and compassionate human being.

    According to the prosecution, these efforts were about his career and nothing more.

    There has also been a great deal of criticism of the suggestion that Pistorius be sentenced to house arrest and community service.

    To shoot a woman four times, even if unintentionally, and only receive a slap on the wrist is a concept that is beyond baffling to Nel.

    Instead, the prosecution is aiming to get Oscar Pistorius sentenced to the maximum under a culpable homicide conviction—15 years in prison.

    The defense has argued that jail would be a terrible choice for Oscar, and that his psychological state would greatly deteriorate. They also described him as a “broken man”.

    Do you think Oscar Pistorius should be sent to jail or given probation while undergoing psychological treatment?

  • Reeva Steenkamp: Mom To Publish Book About Trial

    Reeva Steenkamp: Mom To Publish Book About Trial

    Reeva Steenkamp’s mother, June, is set to publish a book about the trial in which athlete Oscar Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide for the Valentine’s Day killing of the model. She is also speaking out about her feelings on the charges, for which he will be sentenced in October.

    June Steenkamp says she doesn’t feel the charge of culpable homicide–rather than first degree, which couldn’t be proven due to conflicting witness accounts–is the right one for the man who killed her daughter.

    “In my opinion it means that Oscar’s not going to pay properly for killing our lovely daughter. At the end of it all, I don’t feel that justice has been done. I understand that the judge could only deal with the facts that were placed before her, but my view is that the verdict is not the right one, it doesn’t sit well with me at all,” Steenkamp told Hello! Magazine.

    The book–Reeva: A Mother’s Story–will be released in Britain in November.

    “In this painfully honest and unflinching account of Reeva’s life, she will talk about what really went on in her mind as she sat in the packed Pretoria court room day after day and how she is coping in the aftermath of the verdict,” said Sphere, the publisher of the book, in a statement.

    Pistorius admitted to shooting his girlfriend in the early hours of Valentine’s Day last year, but claimed he was awoken in the middle of the night by a noise in the bathroom. Thinking it was an intruder–and not noticing in the darkened room that Steenkamp wasn’t in bed–he retrieved his weapon and shot through the closed door. Steenkamp was hit four times.

    Pistorius–a double amputee who has competed in the Olympic and the Paralympic Games–was reportedly fearful for his safety and the safety of his home in South Africa, which was the reason he kept weapons in his home.

    “I spoke to him at his house and when we went upstairs to his bedroom so that our photographer could take photos of his running blades, that was when I saw the weapons,” said writer Jonathan McEvoy, who once interviewed Pistorius. “There was the pistol by the bed, the machine gun up against the wall, the baseball bat under the window, a cricket bat too. He was concerned by safety and security to a high level, there was no doubt about that.”

  • Oscar Pistorius Could Still Get A Life Sentence

    The Oscar Pistorius case is nearing its dramatic conclusion. The latest developments have left a number of onlookers stunned.

    Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013. He has since claimed that it was an accidental killing.

    According to the 27-year-old athlete he and Steenkamp had not been arguing at the time of her death as the prosecution claimed. Pistorius said that he fired four shots through his bathroom door at what he thought was an intruder.

    Pistorius was then arrested and charged with the 29-year-old woman’s murder.

    On Thursday Judge Thokozile Masipa ruled that Pistorius was not guilty of the crime of murder.

    When Friday came, Masipa instead declared the former Olympian guilty of culpable homicide. In the United States, this would be equivalent to a manslaughter conviction.

    Pistorius’s family was thankful to see him evade a murder conviction.

    “We never had any doubt in Oscar’s version of this tragic incident,” said Arnold Pistorius, the athlete’s uncle. “It won’t bring Reeva back, but our hearts go out to her family and friends.”

    Steenkamp’s family and friends find themselves reeling from the possibility that the man they believe murdered their loved one could get away with it.

    Despite differing emotions on both sides, it’s still too soon to say for certain what the final outcome will be.

    Pistorius will return to court on October 13th for sentencing. Masipa has a long history of coming down hard on men who are violent with women.

    His “negligent” actions, as she called them, may convince her to award him the maximum punishment available: 15 years in prison.

    It’s also possible that Oscar Pistorius could be heavily fined and sent home.

    The lighter the punishment for this serious offense, the greater the likelihood that lead prosecutor Gerrie Nel may go a route not available to legal authorities in the United States.

    Nel has the option of re-trying Pistorius for murder. In order to make this happen however, he must prove that Masipa was incorrect in her interpretation of the law.

    If Masipa fails to hand down the maximum punishment, should the prosecution retry Pistorius for murder? Share your opinion below!

  • Reeva Steenkamp’s Family Expresses Disbelief over Oscar Pistorius Verdict

    The family of model Reeva Steenkamp is outraged that a South African judge did not find Oscar Pistorius guilty of murdering their daughter.

    “Justice was not served,” the family told NBC News on Friday.

    Pistorius was released on bail Friday after he was convicted of culpable homicide rather than murder. The double-amputee track star is scheduled to be sentenced next month.

    The 27-year-old has never denied shooting through the bathroom door of their house in South Africa on that fateful Valentine’s Day last year, killing his 29-year-old girlfriend, Steenkamp. He has always maintained that he believed there was an intruder in the house.

    “This verdict is not justice for Reeva,” June Steenkamp told NBC News. “”I just don’t feel like this is the right sentence … they believe his story, and I don’t believe that story … I just want the truth.”

    Reeva’s mother believes her daughter died a “horrible, painful, terrible” death and deserves far more than the verdict he received.

    “He shot through the door and I can’t believe that they believe it was an accident,” she said.

    The charge of culpable homicide, which is similar to negligent homicide in the United States, carries a minimum prison sentence of five years. However, Pistorius could be sentenced to house arrest and receive no jail time.

    The Steenkamps told NBC News that, at this point, they don’t care what happens to Pistorius during the sentencing phase of the trial.

    “I really don’t care what happens to Oscar,” June Steenkamp said. “It’s not going to change anything because my daughter is never coming back. He’s still living and breathing and she’s gone, you know, forever.”

    Pistorius’ uncle also spoke out after the verdict, saying the family was relieved that he was convicted of a lesser charge, but that there were “no victors.”

    “It won’t bring Reeva back, but our hearts still go out for her family and friends,” he said.

  • Oscar Pistorius To Appear In Front Of Harsh Judge

    Oscar Pistorius is about to get his day in court and it looks like it won’t be an easy one. Pistorius is accused of killing his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Reeva was shot to death in 2013 on Valentines Day.

    She had only been dating Pistorius for three months, but it is rumored that the relationship had turned abusive fairly quickly.

    Reeva was found dead in Pistorius’s home on February 14, 2013 and although Pistorius admitted to shooting her, he claimed that he did it because he thought she was an intruder.

    He will go back to trial on September 11, and the judge in charge of delivering the verdict is rumored to be a harsh one. Thokozile Matilda Masipa has been the judge in many domestic violence cases and has never had much sympathy for the alleged abusers.

    “She’s very clever, very professional. She comes from a human rights background, so that’s the point – you must allow people to feel like they’ve had their day in court, to feel as if they’ve been heard,” Susan Abro, a senior attorney who served with Masipa on the electoral court for six years, told ABC News.

    She once sentenced a house robber who raped three women to 252 years in prison, and handed a life sentence to a police officer who killed his wife during an argument about their divorce settlement.

    If Pistorius is convicted of premeditated murder, she could sentence him to at least 25 years in prison.

    As serious as Masipa is about domestic violence, she also has a background in human rights and insists that everyone be given a fair trial.

    The family of Pistorius said that they feel like Oscar will be treated fairly and has been given a chance to share his side of the story.

    “As a family, we are confident by the thoroughness and detail of this judgment and Judge Masipa’s commitment using every avenue to ensure a fair trial,” Pistorius’ uncle Arnold Pistorius said.

    While Oscar and his family prepared for the trial this week, friends and family members of Reeva Steenkamp took the time to remember her and say that they hope justice is served.

  • Reeva Steenkamp, Oscar Pistorious’ Girlfriend, Remembered by Dear Friend

    Reeva Steenkamp was remembered recently by a dear friend, during an interview with the BBC. Kerry Smith attended college with Reeva. Tomorrow Oscar Pistorious–once called the Blade Runner for being the fastest man on no legs–will learn whether he is found guilty for murdering her, or is acquitted of his crime.

    Kerry Smith called Reeva Steenkamp a ‘small-town girl.’

    “She was self-conscious. You would never think that but she was,” Kerry said of the friend she knew long before she was twice voted among the “100 sexiest women in the world” for FHM magazine.

    Smith also said her friend was determined to use her law degree in years to come.

    “She always said modeling would not last – you need to have something to come back to,” she told the BBC reporter, as they chatted in Port Elizabeth, where both Kerry and Reeva grew up.

    “She was more than just a pretty face, she had a beautiful heart and ambition,” Smith added.

    Reeva Steenkamp died shortly after being shot by Oscar Pistorious on February 14, 2013. He shot her three times through the bathroom door. He denies having murdered her, saying he believed she was an intruder instead.

    Kerry Smith was one of very few people to attend the small, private funeral for Reeva.

    “There’s no closure. We couldn’t even view her body in the coffin,” she said. One of the shots Oscar Pistorious fired at Reeva Steenkamp hit her in the head.

    In a strange twist of fate, Kerry Smith explained how one of Reeva’s passions was helping victims of domestic violence. In fact, the two had planned to open a law firm together to help domestic violence victims.

    “She wanted to save everyone, wanted to protect everyone,” Kerry Smith said during her BBC interview.

    How ironic that the woman who wanted to save everyone died at the hands of what may well have been domestic violence. Despite what the courts decide tomorrow, it seems Kerry Smith has already made up her mind. She seems to believe without any doubt whatsoever that Oscar Pistorious murdered Reeva Steenkamp–her very dear friend.

  • Reeva Steenkamp’s Friend Opens Up About Murder

    Reeva Steenkamp was a model who was shot dead by her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius on Valentine’s Day 2013. Reeva had only been dating Oscar for three months and it is rumored that he was abusive towards her from early on in the relationship. Oscar was arrested for murder but claimed that he had shot Reeva on accident, confusing her for an intruder.

    Oscar denies the charges and while Reeva is best known for her modeling career, her friends and family want the world to know the real Reeva and how special she really was.

    Kerry Smith was one of Reeva’s closest friends and said that she still can’t believe that she is dead. She described Reeva as a caring and considerate person who always put others before herself. The two met in college and had planned to open a law firm to help abused women after graduating.

    She said that although Reeva enjoyed modeling, she knew it wouldn’t last and wanted to use her degree to help others.

    “She always said modeling would not last – you need to have something to come back to,” she said.

    “She was more than just a pretty face, she had a beautiful heart and ambition,” the 35-year-old legal assistant told BBC News.

    Reeva’s funeral was small and intimate and only her close friends and family members were permitted to attend. Smith said that even though she was one of the people who attended the funeral, she never did feel any closure.

    “There’s no closure. We couldn’t even view her body in the coffin,” she said.

    Smith said that Reeva had dated abusive men in the past and that she believes she really loved Oscar and could not see how bad things were. She said that she hopes her friend can be remembered as the amazing and caring person that she was and that her story can help others.

    “She wanted to save everyone, wanted to protect everyone,” Smith said.

  • Oscar Pistorius Trial Nearing Conclusion: What Happens Next?

    The Oscar Pistorius murder trial has been packed with drama and shocking revelations from the very beginning.

    With the final witness called to testify for the defense, it’s expected that the trial is not far away from its highly anticipated conclusion.

    The defense will be calling yet another medical expert to testify, following the testimony on Wednesday by physician Wayne Derman. Derman’s turn on the stand was heavily criticized by chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

    Nel argued that Derman’s relationship and familiarity with Pistorius made it impossible for the man to offer an unbiased testimony. Derman had testified that Pistorius’s life-long disability made him highly anxious by nature.

    The physician said that despite his relationship with Pistorius he could provide information objectively.

    Defense attorney Barry Roux has said he should be able to wrap up defense testimony by Tuesday. It’s expected that a break will follow, after which the prosecution and defense will make their final arguments.

    The closing remarks may turn out to be the most crucial moment of the trial for both the prosecution and defense. It is the last opportunity for both sides to firmly state their cases to Judge Thokozile Masipa, who is solely responsible for determining the 27-year-old defendant’s fate.

    Pistorius is on trial for fatally shooting former girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013.

    Pistorius fired four shots through a bathroom door, allegedly because he believed an intruder had broken into his home and his life was in danger. Instead he’d killed Steenkamp, who he maintains that he somehow mistook for an intruder.

    The prosecution has presented a case that suggests that Pistorius killed Steenkamp following an argument in the early morning hours. Several witnesses claimed to have heard the screams of a woman between gunshots.

    The defense has countered that it was Pistorius himself that witnesses heard.

    Once both sides make the final arguments regarding their narrative as to what occurred that day, Masipa could find Pistorius not guilty or she may send him to jail.

    The athlete faces a maximum of 25 years in prison.

    Image via YouTube

  • Oscar Pistorius Defense Scraping The Bottom Of The Barrel

    It was a bizarre week for those following the ongoing Oscar Pistorius trial. When the case resumed on Monday, the 30 day evaluation results seemed fairly open and shut at first. It was widely reported that the 27-year-old athlete was likely not suffering from any major mental disorder the night he fatally shot 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp.

    This was admittedly a huge blow to Pistorius’s defense, which was hoping that the existence of a mental disorder of some kind could halt the trial and potentially result in a not guilty verdict for their client.

    However in the days that passed, Pistorius’s lawyers have taken a bold approach in the interpretation of panel findings.

    Instead of an acknowledgement of the fact that the athlete would have been in total control of his actions on the night of the murder, his team is attempting to shift the case to focus on how traumatic the act of killing Steenkamp was for the defendant.

    Defense attorney Barry Roux read excerpts where mental health experts state that Pistorius suffers from post-traumatic-stress-disorder and depression which they believe is linked to murdering Steenkamp.

    While it’s very likely that the event had a negative effect on Pistorius and it’s not unreasonable that he would need mental health treatment, one very important fact is being overlooked: These effects have nothing to do with whether or not Pistorius meant to kill Steenkamp.

    Did Pistorius intend to kill his girlfriend? If so, it was an act of murder, a crime for which Pistorius could be punished with a 25 year jail sentence.

    Does suffering as a result of actions that may have been intentional mean that Pistorius is entitled to avoid jail time?

    That is the rather condescending suggestion that seems to be at the heart of the defense’s current tactic.

    Ultimately it’s not about what Pistorius feels now, unless his actions were genuinely not intentional.

    If Pistorius lacked a mental disorder at the time of the murder and if he was able to distinguish right from wrong, this remains the most important and relevant psychological finding in relation to the case.

    Image via YouTube

  • Oscar Pistorius’s Defense Insists He Screams “Like A Woman”

    Now that Oscar Pistorius’s mental health results are in, it’s clear that whatever happened in the early hours of February 14th, 2014, the 27-year-old had his faculties about him.

    After a 30-day evaluation by a panel of mental health experts, it was determined that Pistorius does not suffer from any mental disorder whatsoever. On the night he fatally shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, he was capable of telling right from wrong.

    Though both the defense and prosecution accepted the panel’s findings, it must have been a serious blow to the hopes of Pistorius’s attorneys.

    Had the panel found Pistorius to possess a mental disorder that could have interfered with his decision-making, the case would likely have ended immediately with Pistorius found not guilty.

    After the beating that Pistorius’s story took during cross-examination by chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel, the defendant’s lawyers have desperately sought a reprieve for their client.

    With a mental health defense out of the question, Pistorius’s team is now attacking the centerpiece of the prosecution’s case: Reeva Steenkamp’s dying screams, which several neighbors testified that they heard around the time she was killed.

    The screams were used by prosecutors to suggest that what witnesses heard were the screams of a woman in fear of her life who was purposely gunned down by her boyfriend.

    The defense is trying to counter by saying that what witnesses heard that day was NOT the defendant’s 29-year-old girlfriend…but Pistorius himself.

    His defense called acoustics Ivan Lin to the stand, where he testified that ambient noises make it difficult to accurately identify sounds over a long distance.

    Nel insisted that the witnesses were certain that it was a woman’s screams they heard and that a woman’s screams have a more “tonal character”.

    Lin answered that he could not say for certain whether Pistorius’s neighbors were “correct or incorrect”.

    As bizarre as an argument it is to make, time is running out for the defense to convincingly prove their case.

    Failure means that Pistorius could be sent to jail for decades.

    Image via YouTube