South Africa, Murder Trial | featured news

A judge on Thursday eased the unusually tight bail restrictions on Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee Olympic runner who is accused of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Feb. 14 in one of the most sensational cases in South Africa’s recent judicial history.

Oscar Pistorius was to hold a private memorial service Tuesday for the girlfriend he is charged with murdering. Slain model Reeva Steenkamp was cremated and mourned at a family service last week while Pistorius was in custody during a weeklong hearing on whether he should be released on bail.

There are several key points where testimony at the Oscar Pistorius bail hearing conflicted between the prosecution and the defense....

In a bizarre twist to a closely watched court case, South African media Thursday reported that the lead police detective in charge of the Oscar Pistorius murder investigation is himself facing seven counts of attempted murder.

Nike Inc. has suspended its contract with Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee runner from South Africa charged with premeditated murder in the Valentine's Day slaying of his girlfriend. Pistorius, who became the first double-amputee runner to compete on the track at the Olympics at last year's London Games, is accused of intentionally killing model Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius says he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder and that the shooting was accidental. "We believe Oscar Pistorius should be afforded due process and we will continue to monitor the situation closely," Nike said in a brief statement posted on its website Wednesday.

As his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, cowered behind a locked door in a tiny bathroom, Oscar Pistorius strapped on his prosthetic legs, grabbed his pistol, strode seven yards to the door and fired through it four times, killing her, prosecutors alleged Tuesday as they laid out their case against the double-amputee Olympic runner in Pretoria Magistrate’s Court.