Oscar Pistorius trial: Cross-examination ends after 5 days
"Pitbull" prosecutor Gerrie Nel finished cross-examining Oscar Pistorius after five days of questioning the former Olympic athlete about the night he fatally shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
The double-amputee is charged with premeditated murder in the shooting death of his 29-year-old Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year. He shot Steenkamp through a locked toilet door in a bathroom in his home.
He maintains he shot the model accidentally, mistaking her for an intruder in his home.
The prosecution — led by Nel, who has been nicknamed "pitbull" by local media — has argued he shot her intentionally, following an argument.
Early during Tuesday's questioning, Nel asked Pistorius to re-enact hitting the toilet door with a cricket bat and questioned Pistorius on Steenkamp's position when he discovered her in the cubicle.
"Her legs were over here," Pistorius explained, using a photo from the crime scene for reference.
Nel referenced a second photo from the crime scene to further question Pistorius. Both photos showed blood on the bathroom floor.
"I sat over her ... and I checked to see if she was breathing or she had a pulse," he said, explaining he did not feel a pulse. "So I pulled her onto me."
Pistorius said he did not scream when he first saw Steenkamp in the toilet cubicle, saying he did not understand the point of screaming in that moment because he "was overcome with sadness."
"When I saw Reeva there, I was broken," he said.
In the first four days of cross-examination, Nel questioned Pistorius about his ego and accused him of "tailoring" his evidence during testimony.
On Monday, the former Olympic athlete broke down several times during his testimony.
Judge ThokozileMasipa adjourned proceedings briefly after Pistorius started to wail while recounting the moments before the shooting.
Nel has accused Pistorius of becoming emotional out of frustration that his "version is improbable."
"Why are you getting emotional now?” Nel asked the athlete on Monday.
Masipa is presiding over the trial. She alone will determine Pistorius's fate as South Africa does not have trial by jury.
If convicted of premeditated murder, Pistorius faces 25 years to life in prison.
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