Double-amputee Olympian Oscar Pistorius vomited and wept in a South African courtroom Monday as a pathologist described the injuries sustained by Pistorius’ girlfriend the night she was fatally shot in his home.
Pistorius became ill as pathologist Gert Saayman, who conducted the autopsy on Reeva Steenkamp, testified in Pretoria that one bullet entered her head, ran under her skull and into her brain before exiting, South Africa’sTimes Live reported.
Defense lawyer Barry Roux rejected Judge Thokozile Masipa’s repeated offer to delay the testimony if Pistorius was too ill. The trial has been televised, but Masipa did ban broadcast of Saayman’s testimony to protect the dignity of Steenkamp and her family.
Pistorius, 27, is accused of premeditated murder in the death of Steenkamp, 29, on Valentine’s Day 2013. Pistorius has said he was awakened in the night by a noise in the bathroom he thought was an intruder. He fired four shots through the bathroom door.
Also Monday, Roux produced cellphone records and told security guard shift leader Pieter Baba that, contrary to his testimony, Pistorius called security before building security called him.
“Pistorius called you first at 3.21am, and he will tell the court that he could not speak and very shortly after that at 3.22am you called him back to find out if he is all right,” Roux said.
Baba testified that he called Pistorius, who told him that “everything was fine.” When pressed about the records, Baba was firm. “This is not true that he called me first, I called him first. I am the one who made that first call to him.”
The sequence is important for the defense because, if it can prove that Pistorius called security first, it could support the contention that he was seeking help as quickly as possible.
USA TODAY