South Africa Gets Its Own "OJ" Trial

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Feb. 20, 2013
All Rights Reserved.                                         

          Pleading to a Pretoria Judge Desmond Nair to release him on bail, the 26-year old double-amputee-turned-Olympic athlete, knows as the “Blade Runner,” Oscar Pistorius asked to be released from jail pending his premeditated murder trial for killing his 29-year-old supermodel girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.  Claiming that Steenkamp “died in my arms,” Oscar asked the judge to release him on his own recognizance.  Shot three times in the early morning of Valentine’s Day while sitting on the toilet, Pistorius claims he thought his home was intruded when he opened fire with his 9mm semiautomatic handgun through the bathroom door.  “I didn’t kill Reeva,” read Oscar’s statement to the court.  “I deny that I committed murder in the strongest point.  I tried to save Reeva but she died in my arms.  I can’t stand how much hurt I’ve caused,” showing a bizarre kind of remorse.

             Unlike the sensational 1995 O.J. Simpson Trial where OJ denied slashing his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, Pistorius admits that he pulled the trigger but didn’t mean to kill his 29-year-old girlfriend who just happened to be sitting on the toilet behind the bathroom door.  When Pistorius says, “I didn’t kill Reeva,” he really means he didn’t “intend” to kill her, the pivotal issue in whether or not he’ll sit behind bars for life.  Pretoria prosecutors pressed premeditated charges against Oscar, claiming Steenkamp was “unarmed, innocent and sitting in a toilet.”  “I fail to understand how I could be charged with murder, let alone premeditated.  I had no intention to kill my girlfriend,” read Pistrorius’ statement.  Saying he had “no intention to kill my girlfriend,” Oscar admits that he pulled the trigger. It’s difficult admitting to pulling the trigger and denying that he killed Reeva.

              If Oscar argues that he thought an intruder crawled through his bathroom window, he shouldn’t go into so much detail about trying to save Reeva’s life.  Without a jury, his Defense Lawyer Barry Roux will have to convince Judge Nair that Oscar panicked because of his disability and starting shooting recklessly.  South Africa’s City Press Newspaper cited police sources that indicated a bloody cricket bat was found at the scene.  Pistorius police account indicated that he broke down the bathroom door with the cricket bat only to find Steenkamp bleeding to death in the bathroom.  City Press’s awarding winning editor/author Adriaan Basson said police sources said Reeva was found in her nightgown with her iPad on the bedroom floor.  While it doesn’t invalidate Oscar’s defense, it stretches credulity to believe that he didn’t know that Reeva might be in the bathroom.

             Since 1969, the South African judicial system banned jury trials because of extreme prejudice against black people.  Unlike the OJ Trial where a jury of Simpson’s peers decided his fate, Pistorius faces a more skeptical judge also influenced in the court of public opinion.  With the case dominating the headlines, there’s no way to keep the judge from piecing together facts from the media, including knowing a bloody cricket bat was found at the crime scene.  Unlike the OJ Trial, Pistorius faces similar problems as record producer Phil Spector who was accused of murdering Lana Clarkson Feb. 3, 2003 of a single gunshot wound inside her mouth.  Spector contended Clarkson committed suicide, leading a hung jury Sept. 25, 2007 and mistrial.  When prosecutors retried Spector in 2009, they succeeded in convicting Spector of Second Degree murder April 13, 2009.  Spector, 73, is serving out a 19-year sentence.

             Pistorius promises to create the same media zoo as the OJ Trial.  Clamoring to get access to Judge Nair’s courtroom, the media fought over the limited number of courtroom seats.  Despite Pistorius’ iconic status as the first para-Olympian to compete successfully in the 2012 London Summer Games, public opinion seems to run against him.  “All I am saying is let him speak, let his side be heard without jumping to conclusions,” said Pistorius’ ex-girlfriend Jenna Edkins.  “I would just like to say, I have dated Oscar on off for 5 YEARS, NOT ONCE has he EVER lifted a finger to me, made me fear for my life,” read Edkins’ statement, giving Oscar a good character witness.  While not coming out publicly during the bail hearing, accounts of Oscar’s neighbors at his gated housing complex indicate that he and Steenkamp had engaged in loud argument only hours before her death.

             Attesting to Pistorius’ attempts at damage control, London’s well-known public relations guru Stuart Higgins arrived in Pretoria only 48-hours after the Feb. 14 incident.  Employing Higgins’ PR services suggests that Pistorius has an uphill battle proving his innocence to the judge.  Higgins hopes that Oscar’s public displays of grief will turn public opinion back on his side.  Emphasizing how he administered CPR before paramedics arrived on the scene hopes to show Oscar’s attempt to save Reeva’s life.  What’s not being asked is why Pistorius fired four shots through the bathroom door without checking to see his girlfriend’s whereabouts.  Claiming he broke down the door with his cricket bat suggests Reeva locked herself in bathroom, consistent with someone fearing for her life.  Whatever happens, Pistorious’ murder trials promises to be the world’s next media feeding frenzy.

 John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.