The prosecutor in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial in Pretoria, South Africa, insisted on Friday that the world-famous athlete fatally shot his girlfriend through a toilet door as they were talking and that his version of that night's events do not add-up.
Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel claims that Pistorius intentionally killed Reeva Steenkamp and put it during cross-examination of the double-amputee Olympian that "she was standing behind the toilet door talking to you when you shot her."
Pistorius denied Nel's claim, saying "that's not true" in a dramatic exchange that ended the first week of the runner's testimony at his trial. The trial is set to resume on Monday morning.
Pistorius has consistently said he killed Steenkamp by accident after mistaking her for an intruder in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013. He faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder.
But Nel says the "only reasonable explanation" for the shooting last year is that Pistorius killed the model after a fight.
Nel led the Paralympic champion through his own account of what happened in those moments before he shot Steenkamp, arguing at each stage that the account was improbable and questioning why Pistorius did not simply leave the room with her.
Nel pushed Pistorius to admit that he "invented" discussions between himself and Steenkamp in the moments before her death in preparation for his trial. Evidence of this, Nel says, can be found in the fact that Pistorius did not mention these alleged brief conversations in his application for bail.
Nel also focused on the fact that Pistorius has insisted that he yelled loudly at Steenkamp multiple times to call the police, but that she never responded to his screams. Nel said that it is very "improbable" that she would not answer, despite being only metres away.
"There is no way you can convince this court that she stood there, saying nothing. Why would she do that?" Nel asked. "She would have responded."
Pistorius responded that Steenkamp had been through a burglary before, and that she was likely too frightened to answer his calls.
Nel answered: "She wasn't scared of an intruder. She was scared of you. She was scared of you."
"She was standing right in front of the toilet door, talking to you, when you shot her. That's the only reasonable explanation why you shot her in the head," Nel said.
Shortly before the day's proceedings were adjourned, Pistorius said, "Many times I'm haunted by what she must have thought in the last moments that she lived."
Nel also argued that Pistorius was prepared to lie about an incident as far back as five years ago when he claims someone shot at him from another car on a highway to build a backstory that he had a long-held fear of being attacked.
Pistorius said he saw a "muzzle flash" and heard "a banging noise" as a black Mercedes drove past him in the incident, which he said was in 2008 or 2009. Pistorius said he slowed down turned off the highway and eventually went to a restaurant car park and called someone to come and pick him up. Nel asked Pistorius who he called and Pistorius replied he couldn't remember.
"You cannot not remember," Nel said. It was "such a traumatic incident," the prosecutor said. Nel said Pistorius' failing to remember who he called was because "it never happened."
"It's the one night that someone almost shot you, am I right?" Nel said. Pistorius said it was.
"If I could remember who I phoned I would gladly give you their name," Pistorius said.
Worried about an intruder?
The prosecutor also challenged the athlete's statements that he was worried about crime before he fatally shot Steenkamp through a closed toilet door in his home.
Nel examined the details of the alarm system at Pistorius's house, questioning why the athlete would believe an intruder had broken into his home when he had extensive security measures, including interior and exterior sensors. Pistorius said he activated the sensors on the home alarm system before going to sleep on the night he killed Steenkamp, but feared that building contractors doing work on his house may have moved some of the security beacons.
The prosecutor said Pistorius had not mentioned immediately after the shooting that he had fears that building contractors had removed some of the security beacons, specifically near the bathroom window where he allegedly thought an intruder may have gained access on the night he killed Steenkamp.
Querying why Pistorius had not mentioned those fears earlier, Nel said Pistorius was trying to build a story to explain his fears of an intruder and therefore a mistaken shooting.
"This is the biggest example of you tailoring your evidence," Nel said. Pistorius denied he was fabricating a story.
Pistorius also said he was struggling to give clear testimony because he was tired, prompting the judge to ask him if he was too tired to proceed with a tough cross-examination from the chief prosecutor.
Pistorius was responding to a question from Nel, who pointed to a lack of clarity in the double-amputee runner's testimony about whether he turned off the alarm inside his home on the night of Feb. 14, 2013. Pistorius said he "must have" turned off the alarm, which Nel described as a vague response.
The prosecutor then asked Pistorius, who acknowledged making a mistake in his testimony, if he needed time before continuing with his testimony.
"I don't need time," the Olympic athlete said. "I am tired. It's not going to change."
Nel responded: "You're trying to cover up for lies and I'm not convinced."
Judge Thokozile Masipa interjected, asking Pistorius if he was too tired to proceed. She said that it wasn't fair to the court if he was not alert during the proceedings.
Pistorius replied that he was able to go on.
Timeline: Oscar Pistorius
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