The Oscar Pistorius trial will resume April 7, after several days of adjournment. The judge announced the delay on Friday, the same day the defense for “double-amputee track star” and Olympic runner was scheduled to begin, The New York Times reported. The judge postponed testimony owing to two sick judicial assessors. “There are no jury trials in South Africa; instead, judges decide cases, often with the assistance of assessors who help make findings of fact,” The New York Times explains.
Many are anxious to see what the defense will say, especially after several weeks of scathing “prosecution testimony depicting him as spoiled, irascible, jealous and trigger-happy,” according to The New York Times. Pistorius, 27, is accused of killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day 2013. The runner admitted to shooting Steenkamp at least once, after mistaking her for an intruder. He allegedly fired the shot through his bathroom door.
Prior to the accusation, people all over the world viewed Pistorius, born “without fibulas” and amputated shortly after birth, as “an emblem of human triumph over adversity,” The New York Times continues. Pistorius ran in London’s 2012 Olympic Games — among other prestigious competitions — wearing prosthetic legs with a scythe-like appearance. Pistorius’ success and prostheses earned him the apt nickname Blade Runner.
Recent evidence used as testimony during the murder trial includes exchanges on two iPhones, two BlackBerry phones, a Mac, and two iPads. The exchanges, the prosecution says, suggest that Pistorius had a track record of being violent. “I’m scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me and how you act at me,” one of Steenkamp’s text read. Another text — “I can’t be attacked by outsiders for dating u [sic] AND be attacked by you, the one person I deserve protection from” — seemingly confirms Pistorius’ aggressive nature. Francois Moller, police captain, added that 90% of the couples’ conversations were ordinary and “loving,” Fox News adds.
“Electronic data is captured and stored in so many places these days — cell phones, flash drives, video devices, even smart TVs — that the key pieces of evidence that can help convict or acquit could be anywhere,” explains Bradley Jenkins, CEO and President of CloudNine Discovery. “The Pistorius case is indicative of that, and illustrates that this is a worldwide trend.”