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As the fifth day of Oscar Pistorius’ murder trial comes to a close, a different side of the Olympic athlete surfaced. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel began to paint a grim picture of the blade runner, revealing a hot-tempered man who defies authority, loves women and recklessly uses guns.
On Friday, Pistorius’ ex-girlfriend Samantha Taylor described the extent of Pistorius’ anger, often yelling at her, her sisters, and several friends on several occasions. She also recounted the incidents of infidelity, in which he cheated on her with victim Reeva Steenkamp before their relationship ended.
After Pistorius shot Steenkamp last year, Taylor told a local newspaper, “Oscar is certainly not what people think he is.”
The petite blonde then explained how the paralympian carried a gun everywhere he went, even when visiting friends. Taylor described an incident–for which Pistorius faces charges – where he fired his gun out of an open sunroof after getting angry with police who stopped their vehicle for speeding.
Another witness that cast an even greater shadow of doubt was Pieter Baba, the security guard on duty at Pistorius’ Silver Woods estate in the early hours of Valentine’s morning last year.
Pieter Baba told the court that when he called Pistorius after he heard shots, the athlete answered, “Security, everything is fine.”
“I realized Mr. Pistorius was crying,” Baba said, “I knew everything was not in order.”
Baba said Pistorius called him back shortly after, but he could only detect sobs on the phone before the line ended. After arriving at the residence, the guard found Johan Stander, the estate administrator, and his daughter, and Pistorius descending the stairs carrying Steenkamp.
Throughout the trials, Pistorius was visibly distraught and emotional, furiously passing notes during Taylor’s testimony and covering his ears during the first graphic descriptions of Steenkamp’s injuries.
After this first week, countless questions surfaced and few were answered. Both sides must create a coherent story surrounding the complex timelines of events. With so many discrepancies and difficulties facing both sides, the only thing that can be determined thus far is that clear evidence and sound logic must prevail.
