Oscar Pistorius checked in Monday for the first day of psychiatric evaluations expected to last a month.
Pistorius has been on trial since March for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. A defense witness testified earlier this month Pistorius has generalized anxiety disorder stemming from a childhood that included the double amputation of his legs and his mother keeping a gun under her pillow. (Via Channel 4, NBC)
That led to the prosecution calling for Pistorius to undergo seven-hour-a-day mental evaluations over the next month, and plenty of cameras showed up for his arrival to the psychiatric hospital in Pretoria. (Via Sky News)
The former South African Olympian doesn't deny killing Steenkamp. Pistorius says he shot her three times through a bathroom door in the middle of the night in February of last year because he thought she was an intruder.
And that's why several media outlets point out this evaluation won't be typical, because Pistorius isn't claiming he didn't know the difference between right and wrong when he opened fire. Here's ENCA.
PROFESSOR STEPHEN TUSON, UNIVERSITY OF WITWATERSRAND: "This is not an all-or-nothing. The inquiry doesn't say he has capacity, he doesn't have capacity. The inquiry can return an opinion that he has capacity, but it is diminished." (Via ENCA)
However, outlets don't seem to agree on which side these evaluations will favor — the prosecution or the defense.
As several point out, Pistorius is getting what some consider favorable treatment by getting immediate access to mental health professionals, which often takes months or even a year in South Africa. He'll also be an out-patient. (Via iAfrica.com)
But the BBC reports Pistorius' defense team "vigorously opposed the move" to put him under evaluation for a month.
Pistorius' trial is not set to return to the courtroom until June 30.
