Using the actual bullet-riddled bathroom door, a witness in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial reenacted the night the athlete shot and killed Reeva Steenkamp.
“The person hitting the door had to be somewhere around here.” (Via ENCA)
It matters whether Pistorius had his prosthetic legs on that night. The evidence could corroborate his story or prove he was lying. (Via Wikimedia Commons / Chris Eason)
In his initial testimony, Pistorius said he shot through the bathroom door, thinking there was an intruder behind it. Then he says he put his prosthetic legs on to break down the door with a cricket bat — and that's when he discovered his girlfriend's body.
But a forensic analyst in the courtroom Wednesday testified the double-amputee star was probably not wearing his prosthetic legs when he knocked down the door with a cricket bat. He got down on his knees to show the bat marks were consistent with Pistorius' height when he was on his stumps. (Via CBS, ITV)
So, while this does suggest at the very least a discrepancy what Pistorius said happened, the forensic evidence could also work in his favor. Here’s how a reporter for South African TV network SABC explains it.
“It does try to push toward an indication that Oscar Pistorius tried to exhaust at least the options he had at that time to try to break down that door.” (Via SABC)
You see, Pistorius most of the time wears his prosthetic legs. The defense will likely argue the fact that he didn’t have them on the night he shot Steenkamp is an indication he didn’t have time to think and felt vulnerable. (Via ITN)
Pistorius is charged with murder and three gun-related offenses. If convicted on the murder charge, he’d face at least 25 years in prison.
