pistorius we re an a list item. but just months into their relationship, rumors of oscar s jealousy were causing a stir. then, on valentines day, the romance ended in a blast of gunfire. now, the man who pulled the trigger was headed headed to court with the world watching. here s keith morrison with the rise and fall of oscar pistorius . four shots through a door. no question, oscar pistorius fired them and that he killed reeva steenkamp. but was it murder? police and prosecutors thought it was from the very first night. as the trial began, everyone was wondering how the state was going to prove the killing of reeva was premeditated. that oscar actually meant to kill her. i think the state has put a huge amount of work and a huge amount of money, and a huge amount of effort into making their case. a case that the prosecution argued was just as simple as it looked on day one.
tell the world his version. i heard a window open in the bathroom. i thought that there was a burglar that was gaining entry into my home. the first thing that ran through my mind was that i needed to arm myself. that i needed to protect reeve and i, and that i needed to get my gun. and then i heard a noise from inside the toilet. what i perceived to be somebody coming out of the toilet. before i knew it, i fired four shots at the door. my ears were ringing, i couldn t hear anything. so i shouted. i kept on shouting for reeva to phone the police. i unlocked the door, and i flung the door open and i threw it open. and i sat over reeva, and i cried. she wasn t breathing. south africa does not have a jury system, so oscar s testimony was for an audience of one, the judge will determine oscar s guilt or innocence.
leave us when she was in a standing position between the door in the toilet seat. that shot shatters rivas hip. she fell back onto a magazine stand. but her hands up in a futile attempt to protect herself, as a tech and round pass through our upper right arm. the third shot, missed, but the fourth one struck her in the head. if we look at her defensive position, it s like if you see in this position, what a wound on her left hand, just between the two fingers with that and she was a bit facing down. a comes in here, it was penetrating the head of the deceased oscar response to his destiny, covered his head, flocking his ears and vomiting into a trash can. prosecutors made the case that oscar was a man governed by his emotions, not just grief and
the very same restaurant where reeva met with her ex boyfriend, warren. a day and a half before oscar shot her to death. in addition to murder, prosecutors added those firearm charges, nickel and dime stuff you might say, but the prosecutors had their reasons. what they essentially are is part of a strategy by the prosecution to protect present oscar pistorius as a trigger-happy cowboy who reaches for his firearm in moments of stress. like the time when four months before reeva s, shooting oscar tweeted about going into full combat recon mood when he heard a noise in the laundry room. what s interesting in that account is what oscar did not do. he did not fire for shots through the door. so, what about the time he actually did fire his pistol? during that awful night he took reeva s life? we made a replica of oscar s
bathroom door, a thick, solid wood. on a target range, we fired the same type of nine millimeter round from the same type of pistol oscar used. bullets ripped right through the door as if it was nothing more than gossamer. we also learned there something unique about this 9 mm. it s not only powerful, but exceptionally loud. so much so it s impossible to convey without blowing out your speakers. 160 decibels. louder than a jet engine at takeoff. makes your ears ring. according to prosecution spokesman many of oscar s neighbors heard those gunshots and something possibly more damning. screams. and it s not just, by the way, the screams. it s whether did people actually hear arguments prior to the incident. did you hear a woman shouting, something, irritated and annoyed, angry. and a man, screaming, shouting,