_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

This bothers me that they can make a statement that his browsing history shows ". . . a direct contrast to that of a loving couple spending time together." Who are they to determine what constitutes behaviours of loving couples.

Oscar Pistorius trial to begin amid blaze of publicity

The 27 year-old South African superstar, whose strength overcoming disability inspired millions, will appear in the dock at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to answer one charge of murder and three firearms charges.

Agence-France Presse | Last updated on Wednesday, 26 February 2014 14:42



Johannesburg: Star Olympian Oscar Pistorius faces a possible life sentence when he goes on trial Monday accused of murdering his girlfriend in a Valentine's Day shooting that shocked the world.

Facing the glare of a globally televised trial, Pistorius is expected to argue he shot his 29-year-old lover Reeva Steenkamp through a locked toilet door at his home believing she was an intruder. (Read: Judge rules most of Pistorius trial can be televised)

The 27 year-old South African superstar, whose strength overcoming disability inspired millions, will appear in the dock at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to answer one charge of murder and three firearms charges. (Read: Pistorius surfed porn before girlfriend was shot: report)

The trial is slated to last three weeks, but will likely last longer as teams of lawyers weigh Pistorius's account of events, as the only surviving witness, against forensic and other evidence which the state says shows murderous intent.

Reeva's mother June will be among those looking on, according to uncle Michael Steenkamp. "What we have decided as a family is that my sister June will attend the trial," he told AFP.

If found guilty of premeditated murder Pistorius faces 25 years in South Africa's notoriously brutal jails, as well as instant international infamy and an abrupt end to his glittering sporting career.

The trial -- which has already drawn comparisons to that of disgraced American football star OJ Simpson -- caps a remarkable reversal of fortune for the sprinter, whose own testimony will not be televised.

...more at link
http://sports.ndtv.com/othersports/athl ... -publicity

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

so can people in the USA view the trial too?

From TalkLeft.......

Court Allows Live TV and Audio For Oscar Pistorius Trial
By Jeralyn, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Wed Feb 26, 2014 at 11:42:57 AM EST

[......]
Last week the state filed a list of 13 points it says it will rely on to prove guilt. The document got leaked to the media (the state claims it did not leak the document.) The points are:

• Evidence from a neighbour who stated she heard what she thought was arguing in the early hours of 14 February 2013.
  
• Testimony from two witnesses who heard a woman scream before shots were fired.
  
• Testimony from another two witnesses who heard shots followed by a woman's screams, and then further shots.
  
• An analysis of Pistorius's website browsing during the evening, which the State believes is in contrast to that of a loving couple spending time together.
  
• Analysis of the shots fired through the bathroom door, which indicate intention to kill the person behind the door.
  
• Evidence relating to the position and condition of the gun in the bathroom.
  
• Pistorius's own statement that he shot through the door without ascertaining who was behind the door.
  
• The fact that Steenkamp was clothed when she was shot.
  
• The fact that Steenkamp was standing up and facing the door when she was shot.
  
• Post-mortem result indicating Steenkamp had something to eat hours before being killed.
  
• The presence of cellphones in the bathroom is apparently in contrast to her innocently going to the toilet in the middle of the night.

...more at link
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2014/2/26 ... rius-Trial

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Yes... no different from me watching US trials from NZ.
There are restrictions on what can be shown (see articles above). Some of the hearings were just audio.
Not all US trials are available to watch or listen.

Find a streaming link online.... I'll post some here when it starts

BEWARE the Time Zone.
Looks like Add 7 hours to US EST to calculate time in JOHANNESBURG, SA

So if trial starts 9AM local, that will be 2AM US EST

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Ugh! 2am! Thank goodness for Random Topics!

Don't be a wuss... I get here at about 2AM NZ time for all US trials.

South Africa will be no trouble for me to be here at the start say around 8:00PM... but unless it's exciting I might not stay all night? I might... see how it goes.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

I know that for me personally, the time the trials are broadcast are not a concern to me, I adjust my day or night around it, but of course that's because I can do so, perhaps if people have to go to work they won't be able to do it.

It will be a very interesting trial, and my goodness, what a huge breakthrough in the South African Judiciary, nothing short of amazing which shows how seriously this case is being taken, high profile athlete or not.

We have always been led to believe this was a couple so very much in love - the trial may show that or something completely different. These days when a couple are only within a few months of their relationship, not engaged, not living together and not married, one would think if all or any of the romance was gone by one party or another, they could simply walk away, and not resort to murder. i'm still not of the opinion that it was murder, but as the trial progresses that opinion may change.

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Since we are destined to live out our lives in the prison of our minds, our one duty is to furnish it well~Peter Ustinov

I don't believe that SA Prosecutors will be able to prove that the shooting was premeditated. Want to know the trajectory! I thought that Reeva was crouched by the toilet or on the toilet when she was shot. Upright/standing makes a huge difference to me. Must go to TL and see the comments! Haven't gone over there much either.

All of the information I've come across, and heard on the documentaries in recent months have indicated what you said too, that she was crouched down and not standing behind the door - if the latter is true, then she had a reason for standing behind the door - that's not what we usually do if we visit the bathroom during the wee small hours, unless perhaps she was staying out of the way, whilst at the same time perhaps listening for him or someone - all of this is conjecture by me at the moment of course.

It will be interesting to see and hear how this aspect alone is covered at the trial.

_________________
Since we are destined to live out our lives in the prison of our minds, our one duty is to furnish it well~Peter Ustinov

Oscar Pistorius: Lawyers Prepare For Showdown
The trial will be one of South Africa's biggest ever court cases, with lawyers for both sides presenting very different stories.
3:56pm UK, Friday 28 February 2014

Two very different versions of what happened in the moments before Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp died have already been heard in court.

The athlete stands trial on Monday accused of her murder in a case that will make South African history as the first to be broadcast live for millions around the world to follow.

He denies the charge, claiming he mistook Ms Steenkamp for a burglar when he shot her in the early hours of Valentine's Day, 2013.

The prosecution says Pistorius, 26, fired his gun four times into the door of a bathroom, knowing his girlfriend was inside after an argument.

...more at link
http://news.sky.com/story/1218849/oscar ... r-showdown

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Dressed to Die? Clothes Are Key Evidence in Pistorius Case
By Tracy Connor

As Oscar Pistorius heads to trial for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, South African prosecutors are saying the white shorts and black top the model had on when she was gunned down could determine whether the Olympic sprinter ends up in an orange prison uniform.

The clothing Steenkamp was wearing is among the evidence prosecutors will present in an attempt to rip holes in Pistorius' claim that when he fired four times through his bathroom door on Valentine's Day 2013, he thought the beautiful law-school graduate was asleep in bed and he was squaring off with a dangerous intruder.

They are expected to argue that the world's most famous amputee athlete — known as "Blade Runner" for the prosthetics he wore at the 2012 Summer Games — had a fierce argument with his lover before he opened fire, with the full intention of killing her.

"We believe that Reeva was probably running away and she locked herself in the bathroom," Medupe Simasiku, spokesman for the national prosecution service, told NBC's "Dateline."

....more at link
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/pistor ... ase-n39071

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Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Watching Dateline. Yep, he is guilty. Just my opinion, but too much doesn't add up.

I am going into this trial as I did for Dunn. I have NOT seen the details, and so will view what gets presented at trial.

It is actually a good trick if you can manage it. We get a lot of crap through MSM filters.

I know I have posted a lot of articles.... but I have barely skimmed them at best. I really have no opinion either way.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

I just saw apost... not sure if person serious, or tongue in cheek and this is an OLD joke?

Made me smile anyway....

"Despite being a double amputee, OP still has an Achilles heel. What could it be?"

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Only Pistorius knows what took place – expert
2014-03-01 08:01

Cape Town – The State is likely going to struggle to to prove whether Oscar Pistorius intended to shoot his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, criminal law expert William Booth has said.

The world will be watching on Monday as Pistorius - once South Africa's golden boy - goes on trial for the murder of Steenkamp.

Steenkamp was shot dead in a toilet in Pistorius's Pretoria home on Valentine's Day last year. At his bail hearing, Pistorius's lawyer submitted he thought he was shooting an intruder.

Booth told News24 that the paralympian was the only person who knew exactly what happened.

"Circumstantial evidence"

“Oscar is the only person who can actually say what took place. The State is going to struggle to be able to find planned or pre-meditated murder," said Booth.

...more at link
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Oscar ... t-20140301

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

I am still keeping an open mind going into the trial, but the last few cases in USA have given me a heightened awareness of "The Golden Thread"... presumption of innocence and the burden of proof resting with the Prosecution.

A jury really does need to put aside emotion.. natural sympathy for a "victim".. and perhaps an accused who is perhaps less than instantly likeable.

It pays to remind oneself that the accused does not have to present a case at all. The "State" has to present a case and back it up with evidence and not just a John Guy style emotional soliloquy... a variation on "Ode to the Victim"

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Experts weigh in on Oscar Pistorius testimony: ‘You can’t shoot through a closed door’
John Leicester, Associated Press | February 26, 2013 | Last Updated: Feb 26 5:19 PM ET

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Even if Oscar Pistorius is acquitted of murder, firearms and legal experts in South Africa believe that, by his own account, the star athlete violated basic gun-handling regulations and exposed himself to a homicide charge by shooting into a closed door without knowing who was behind it.

Particularly jarring for firearms instructors and legal experts is that Pistorius testified that he shot at a closed toilet door, fearing but not knowing for certain that a nighttime intruder was on the other side. Instead of an intruder, Pistorius’ girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was in the toilet cubicle. Struck by three of four shots that Pistorius fired from a 9 mm pistol, she died within minutes. Prosecutors charged Pistorius with premeditated murder, saying the shooting followed an argument between the two. Pistorius said it was an accident.

...more at link
http://sports.nationalpost.com/2013/02/ ... osed-door/

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Oscar Pistorius: His Entire Life Story on Trial
JOHANNESBURG March 1, 2014 (AP)
By GERALD IMRAY Associated Press

With his past triumphs now tarnished because he shot to death his girlfriend, Oscar Pistorius on Monday will enter court to be confronted with the jarring possibility that he will be sent to prison for at least 25 years.

For the champion runner without legs, who trained himself to overcome all obstacles, nothing else matters now but beating the murder charge against him. Pistorius' family said Saturday that their focus is only on the trial. If found guilty, Pistorius' entire life story will be recast.

When Pistorius walks on his prosthetics into North Gauteng High Court for the start of his trial, seemingly little remains of the Blade Runner, the double amputee who ran alongside the world's best and inspired many by overcoming the loss of his legs before he was a year old.

Now, the 27-year-old Olympian must fight allegations that, in a rage, he intentionally shot at girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp four times through a toilet door, killing her. Prosecutors allege that Pistorius then lied extensively about the shooting, throwing doubt on everything the world thought it knew about him.

Pistorius' life is up for debate, not just the events in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year.

...more at link
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wir ... l-22729868

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light