14 DAY TRIAL // New evidence in the Reeva Steenkamp case points to her death being a homicide, instead of an accident.
South-African publication The City Press notes that a bloody bat has been found at the residence. Although there is a report about Steenkamp’s skull being smashed in, there is no confirmation of the blood on the bat being hers at this point.
As reported previously, the model was shot by her boyfriend, South-African Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, in his Pretoria house. He then called his best friend to let him know he had accidentally killed her, before alerting the police.
"I said to him, 'What are you talking about? I don’t understand you?' He then repeated himself, 'There has been a terrible accident, I shot Reeva,'" Justin Divaris recalls, according to a report by the Mirror.
The model may have used the bat in self-defense during the attack. Tests are underway to determine who the blood belongs to.
A timeline of the Valentine’s Day events reveals that Pistorius might have chased down the model, with the intent of taking her life. It appears that she was first shot in the bedroom with a 9mm pistol, which is where police recovered a casing.
She then ran and locked herself in the bathroom, where she was shot through the door. She has been shot a total of four times.
"The suspicion is that the first shot, in the bedroom, hit her in the hip. She then ran and locked herself in the toilet.
"She was doubled over because of the pain. He fired three more shots. She probably covered her head, which is why the bullet also went through her hand," a source describes.
26-year-old Pistorius is facing premeditated murder charges, which could land him a life sentence. He would only be able to apply for parole in 25 years.
"He could possibly get a 20-year sentence instead of life if he pleads guilty," a criminal attorney explains.