Oscar Pistorius 'numb with shock, grief'
2013-02-16 16:45
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Pretoria - Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is "numb
with shock, as well as grief" after the shooting death of his model
girlfriend at his home, his uncle said on Saturday, as his family
"strongly refutes" that he planned to kill her.
Arnold Pistorius spoke with The Associated Press and two
other South African journalists from his Pretoria home about his nephew's
arrest for the killing of Reeva Steenkamp , who was shot four times on the
morning of Valentine's Day.
The statement, the first on camera and directly made in
person by Pistorius's family, also came out strongly against prosecutors
seeking to upgrade the charge against Pistorius to one of premeditated murder,
which carries a sentence of life in prison, and indicates that Pistorius may
plead not guilty.
"After consulting with legal representatives, we deeply
regret the allegation of premeditated murder," Arnold Pistorius said.
"We have no doubt there is no substance to the
allegation and that the State's own case, including its own forensic evidence,
strongly refutes any possibility of a premeditated murder."
Grieving
The track star's arrest in the killing of Steenkamp shocked
South Africa, where Pistorius was a national hero dubbed the Blade Runner for
his high-tech prosthetics and revered for overcoming his disability to compete
in the London Games.
Steenkamp was discovered in a pool of blood before dawn on Thursday
by police called to Pistorius's upscale home in a gated community in Pretoria.
Authorities said she had been shot four times, and a 9mm pistol was recovered
at the home.
Pistorius remains held at a police station pending a bail
hearing on Tuesday.
Arnold Pistorius did not discuss the circumstances of the
shooting, but said that his nephew and Steenkamp had become very close since
they started dating in November.
"They had plans together and Oscar was happier in his
private life than he had been for a long time," the uncle said.
"We are all grieving for Reeva, her family and her
friends," AFP quoted him as saying.
"As a family we are trying to be strong and supportive
to Oscar as any close family would be in these dreadful circumstances."
Visit News24's Oscar Pistorius Special Report.
- AP
