aavi, Do write a book on this when it's over. Put me down for one.
Glad you are here. (Happy dance).

R. you said the prosecution had a "limp case". Are you being funny?
Limp?

Words paint a mental picture... like sounds make music, Joni

"Limp" was chosen to convey something

Make of it what you will

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

Oscar Pistorius faces his day of reckoning

Legal experts say the case against the athlete will stand or fall on the strength and believability of his evidence

By Aislinn Laing, Johannesburg
6:59PM BST 05 Apr 2014

As Oscar Pistorius stood in the dock, his brother quoted a biblical reference that was particularly pertinent for the Paralympic champion.

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,” wrote Carl Pistorius on Twitter, citing Hebrews 12:1 and adding the hashtag “#runyourrace”.

Tomorrow, the multiple medal-winning runner faces what could be the toughest challenge of his life as he testifies for the first time about the night he shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

It comes after a week’s delay in the trial brought about by the illness of an assessor – an assistant judge – in the Pretoria court.

The unexpected break was hard for Pistorius, relations said, as he was “all geared up” to answer his accusers.

....more at link
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... oning.html

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

I would go along with you.... IF..... these were events reported to the police at the time, investigated and charged at the time... with evidence gathered, witnesses found (apart from those involved) etc.
I am sure the judge knows that tacking these charges on to a murder charge is a ploy (in desperation) by the State and will treat them accordingly.

There was NO police investigation into either event. Neither were reported so how could there be. Nel presented the witnesses, which was his only reason for tacking the charges on. There is no real proof, not much in the way of INDEPENDENT witnesses to events etc. I think the judge will swat the charges away as two annoying flies buzzing around the real case.

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

Oh I'm sure that was the case. But they are now in evidence and I have a feeling they won't be sluffed off lightly regardless of of the triumvirates decision on the kerfuffle premeditated killing charge.


We both know (at least at this point) that the prosecution believed they could bluff a Royal Flush when all they had is a 2-7.

There must be some super brainstorming going on trying to figure out how to fend off what is going to be a blistering coming week for the prostitution prosecution.

Aavi... I'm glad I have a dictionary on my desk!
If I were to guess, which I don't often do, I would guess he will walk because of the many recent break-ins.
And - WELCOME TO OUR GROUP!

Thanks. I sees em like I calls em.

Well, we still have a whole lot of trial to go but he shouldn't be sweating a premeditated murder of Reeva with what we've seen so far.

That evidence so far is a pile of goop.

Well the trial due to get underway "today"... after midnight tonight for most of you guys (3:30AM EST)

I will continue to have a trial thread, but LOCKED so that you can read only. I will update with blogs and tweets.

Of course there are many links to watch for yourself as well as read any updates.

Please feel free to comment in this thread before, during, and after the day's proceedings in court.

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

So it's 12:30 AM west coast time. I'll try to stay up. Do we know exactly when Oscar will take the stand?
Usually lawyers don't like their clients to take the stand in a murder case - because of the CROSS!!! Usually BRUTAL!

Hi Joni

We know rule in SA is defendant supposed to go first... if he testifies at all, but it seems that in this case it is agreed OP will go second. The Defence Pathologist has personal reasons/other commitments later on and so it's agreed he will go first... then OP.

so.... may still be first day we see OP? Depends on how long the Pathologist goes on... and how many tea-breaks they have.

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

OK I see. Thanks!

With OP testifying... so far just life story and background......

The hate and nastiness at True Gossip Forums is evident as always.

I can understand them disagreeing (in advance) with OP's version of events on the night... they have a presumption of guilt, but we have not got to his version of events yet. They show themselves to be nasty, twisted hate-filled people, in their comments just on this testimony about his background.

I wouldn't like to have anything to do with these people in real life.

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

Nel came across as a petty, petulant little man. Sarcastic and argumentative. Unable to make a point by eliciting a response from the witness... he resorted to a snarky last word himself saying what he claimed the witness said.

Nel is certainly no Juan Martnez...

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

Listening to him talk about his disability makes us realize just how truly vulnerable he feels at times and with all those break ins it's not hard to imagine someone in his condition feeling panicked and confused. I remember being home alone one night with a cast on one leg and hearing a strange noise -- scared me so much that the next day I said take the cast off and I'll suffer whatever.

I think there is no question of OP feeling vulnerable at times, particularly in a violent country such as South Africa, however, the only thing I'll say to that is anyone would feel vulnerable who has a disability. I think too it's pretty clear how close he was to his mother, 15 is a young age for a boy to lose his mother, in the circumstances he spoke of, he didn't realize how ill his mother was until she was in a coma - which is such a shame, but perhaps the family surrounding his mother wanted her sons protected.

Nothing much happening except that we are getting his background, history etc. We have already seen how Nel can cross examine with some angst a defense witness, so I think OP will be really up against an artful foe when it comes to cross by Nel (Much to my surprise).

Packy, I know what you mean, I live alone and sometimes I hear a noise which sounds as if it's coming from the ground floor of my house - even though I know all of the doors are locked - these sounds are very real - yet there is no one there, and I feel scared to death some nights, and i'm able bodied and don't live in SA.

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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 hear you, Wroughead. It can be scary.

Sometimes my dogs start up late at night and there doesn't seem to be anyone around -- then no sleep for me the rest of the night. Haha

It's the same for me, my Yorkie has a very loud bark, and often he hears things that we can't hear he's young only 3 years old, so his hearing is very acute still, that scares me, and then I lie awake all night.

_________________
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

Jeralyn Merritt (TalkLeft) has a good summary of what went down last night.....

Oscar Pistorius Takes the Stand
By Jeralyn, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 08:05:00 AM EST

After a week of recess due to the illness of of one of the judge's fact-finders, the Oscar Pistorius trial resumed today, with the defense calling Dr. Botha The topics ranged from the angle of the bullets to when Reeva last ate and emptied her bladder. When he was done, Oscar took the stand.

From the reporters in the courtroom I follow via Twitter:

The defense says it has 17 or 18 witnesses to call. Oscar is likely to be among them. Today, when they showed more gruesome crime scene photos, he threw up and sobbed loudly.

The other witnesses will testify about ballistics, urine, damage to the door, cricket bat damage, sound, prosthetic marking, lighting, vulnerability and disability.

Update: Oscar takes the stand.

....more at link
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2014/4/7/ ... he-Stand#5

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

Jeralyn's conclusions as the court went into recess for lunch....

BBM

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

Oscar Pistorius weeps as he tells Reeva Steenkamp’s mother: 'I’m sorry'

Oscar Pistorius begins his highly-anticipated evidence in the witness box and starts by apologising directly to Reeva Steenkamp’s mother June, telling of nightmares about shooting

By Aislinn Laing, Pretoria, and Andrew Marszal
2:30PM BST 07 Apr 2014

Oscar Pistorius, the Paralympic athlete accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, took to the witness box for the first time in his trial and tearfully apologised to her family and friends on Monday.

Pistorius, 27, looked directly at Steenkamp’s mother June and told her: “There is not a moment and there hasn't been a moment since this tragedy happened that I haven't thought about your family.

“I wake up in the morning and you're the first people I think of, the first people I pray for.”

Speaking in a high, tremulous voice and pausing for breath frequently, Pistorius said he was still traumatised by the events of St Valentine’s Day last year, when he shot 29-year-old Steenkamp four times through a locked lavatory door in his home in Pretoria.

Watched by a large gathering of his family, he confirmed he has been taking antidepressants and sleeping pills, and had lost “a large amount of weight” since the incident.

....more at link
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... sorry.html

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