Blog # 5

In Pretoria, South Africa a trial was held on March 3^rd, 2014 dealing with the murder of Reeva Steenkamp. A close by neighbor, Michelle Burger, was the first witness to describe what went on the night of the murder ( February 14, 2013).  Oscar Pistorius was the boyfriend of the victim, Steenkamp, as well as the suspect for the murder. Oscar Pistorius denied all accusations made by officials, and all other firearms offenses.  Although Pistorius continued to deny his act of murder, the witness details said otherwise.

Michelle Burger lived near the couple at the time the shooting took place. She described bloodcurdling screams only moments before she heard gunshots. The witness described the event as very traumatic and how it “left her cold”. Michelle said that there were four gunshots total, one with a slight pause, then three continuously.

In testimony in preliminary hearings Pistorius did fire four shots. All of these shots were fired through a closed bathroom door and at least three of them hit Reeva Steenkamp in the head, arm and hip.  Only the defendant explained his story as an accident.  Mr. Pistorius said that he approached the bathroom to only defend his girlfriend and himself, but as he fired shots, he didn’t realize until after that she was not still in bed. He said that he though she was still in bed and that once he opened the bathroom door, he saw that he had killed her.

Mr. Pistorius and Ms. Steenkamp were a “celebrity couple” in this part of South Africa, which is how the lesson was taught to the entire area.  Because of this terrible case, eyes were opened and lessons were taught. This is an issue all around the world, the cautiousness that people do not have, and how it can easily result in crime.

Crime can fluctuate from murder, to just a speedy driver on the highway, but it is all over the world. Whether we lose a life or we just cause a slight bump up between two cars, this affects society in a negative way, which is why justice is needed.  Not always does justice find a way to “fix” things, but by resulting in arrests or sometimes the death penalty, justice can be found.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/04/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-murder-trial.html