First in this post-Oscars day, let us introduce the cast of characters; then we will describe the plots:
Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius born in 1986, is a South Africansprint runner. He was born with fibular hemimelia (congenital absence of the fibula) in both legs. When he was 11 months old, his legs were amputated below the knee. He credits his late mother, who died at the age of 43 when Pistorius was 15 years old, as a major influence in his life.He is a White South African with Italian ancestry from his mother's grandfather, an Italian emigrant to Kenya. Since the age of 11, he participated in every sport imaginable on land or in water. He never saw himself as handicapped and to prove it, he was always quite eager to compete with full-bodied athletes even in the Olympics. His brother Carl Pistorius is currently facing charges himself for a vehicular manslaughter in 2009.
Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp born in 1983 was a South African model. On 14 February 2013, she was found shot dead at the home of Paralympic and Olympic athlete Oscar Pistoriuswhom she had been dating since November 2012.She had previously dated Springbokrugby player Francois Hougaard.Steenkamp began modeling at the age of 14. She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 2005, Steenkamp was a keen horse rider until she broke her back in a fall in her early twenties and had to learn to walk again. On the South African celebrity circuit, she became a regular A-listguest at red carpet events and a noted socialiteon the Johannesburgparty scene.
Travis Victor Alexander(born in 1977 in Riverside, California) was known to his friends as "T-Dog". Alexander had three brothers and four sisters. His parents, Gary David Alexander (1948–1997), and his third wife Pamela Elizabeth Morgan (1953–2005), were drug addicts. Alexander and his siblings were taken in by their paternal grandmother, Norma Jean Preston Alexander Sarvey (1932–2012), who eventually introduced them to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “T-Dog” became quite involved with the Church until the day he died. He was a salesman for the network marketing company Prepaid Legal Services (PLS); and also worked as a motivational speaker.
Jodi Ann Arias was born on July 9, 1980, in Salinas, California. She is of Mexican descent from her father and German and English from her mother. Arias has an older half-sister, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. Both of her parents began physically abusing her after the age of 7 with a wooden spoon and belt.She did not graduate Yreka Union High School. Arias and Alexander met in September 2006 at a PLS conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. On November 26, 2006, Arias was baptized into the Latter-day Saint faith by Alexander. As of February 2, 2007, Alexander and Arias were a couple. She then relocated to Mesa, Arizona. Arias states that the two broke up on June 29, 2007 due to trust issues, but that they continued to maintain a physical relationship (showing her infatuation) after she moved back to Yreka, California in April 2008. Arias is a photographer.
Now the plots:Oscar Pistorius was recently indicted in Johannesbourg for fatally shooting the beautiful model Steekamp at his home on Valentine's night, after allegedly mistaking her for a burglar. He did shoot three shots through the bathroom. If he was intending to kill her, all he needed was one targeted shot but was he enraged and more importantly did he have his blades on or not? (height of the shooter v. trajectory of the bullets). The story is quite fuzzy at best but Oscar may have incredible luck: the chief investigator of his case, Detective Hilton Botha was facing reinstated accusations of attempted murder for allegedly shooting dead passengers in a minibus taxi in 2009. This turn of events certainly helped Oscar get his release on a meager $100,000 bail. Pistorious is asking authorities when he can go back to training!
Simultaneously, in Arizona, Jodi Arias is accused of the heinous killing of ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander in June 2008, months after they broke up. Alexander was found stabbed 27 times, with his throat slit and with a bullet in his head at his home in Mesa, Arizona days after the savage attack. She has pleaded self-defense but admitted to having lied to the police during her interviews.
Both cases have been dominating the news despite them being continents apart. They are mesmerizing because of the similarities and parallels: Neither is about whodunit, like the OJ Simpson, Casey Anthony or Amanda Knox cases. Both Oscar and Jodi admitted to the killing...but with caveats. They both said it was self-defense, Oscar against a burglar and Jodi against her ex-lover. On this fatidic February 24 date, the aftermath of Hollywood's biggest event, I believe they both deserve an Oscar for superb leading man and leading woman acting. They are trying to feed us a truck load of bull and they just might get away with it. Of course their performance would be even more historic than OJ, Casey and Amanda, because the latter three left us stuck at the whodunit phase.
Both Oscar and Jodi were in love with successful popular star figures inside and out, while they were both diminished Oscar physically (and mentally maybe) and Jodi (mentally for sure, judging by the violence level of her crime - how many women out there do cut throats like that? They may cut penis first Bobbit-style). She may have been obsessed in photographing her lover down to the last minute in the shower. She was at his place when it happened, months after the relationship ended. Both Oscar and Jodi appear to be very intense and possessive, intolerant of any lover's indiscretion.
The two victims have similarities too: Reeva is an avid socialite and partier. After she broke her back, she got a new lease on life and understandably wanted to take advantage of it. T-Dog Alexander's profile sounds similar to Reeva's, and he does not appear to be a woman beater. After all he did baptize Jodi; he was a motivational speaker, and was brought up by grandma. Both of them lost their partners trust, probably by fooling around (which also would fit the profile) and both their respective relationships did not last ore than a few months. They were not the committing type, certainly not to the degree Oscar and Jodi demanded it.Reminiscing on OJ's trial, the prosecution had him try on the bloody glove found at the murder scene to see if it would fit him. OJ's defense team had argued the glove wasn't his size. It was a stupid move by the prosecution. OJ was told by his defense team not to take his arthritis medication so his joints would swell. Also, because the glove was covered in blood, OJ had to put the glove on over a latex glove, hence it got even tighter. Bottom line: OJ could not get the glove on, leading Johnny Cochran to say famously during closing statements, "If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit."
Loving becomes all about gloving at the end...to erase all evidence intrinsic or otherwise.
The media is literally eating it up, every moment of both crimes and every sordid detail, like it did for OJ, Casey and Amanda. Thus Oscar and Jodi will become folk heroes too and the jurors will be swayed. After all, Oscar is a South African double-amputee athletic legend; and Jodi is a latino-american woman in Arizona/USA. Need I say more?
Upon release Oscar and Jodi should find each other, probably in a psychiatrist's waiting room, sign their respective book deals, and:
Live Happily Ever After!
