Oscar Pistorius

It is very sad j08 but if he is guilty of murder then it is exactly what he deserves!

at least he is still alive - unlike his girlfriend.

Just can't imagine what happened to bring this on. It is sad - all round.

There seems to be a bit of a trial by media going on at the minute exposing him as "not the nice guy we all think he is".

Exactly Granny23

According to the police officer they had been called to his house before for domestics so maybe he is not such a nice guy? Fame can go to the head.

South Africans en masse are absolutely devastated about this double tragedy. The gun culture there is pervasive.

What has happened is extremely upsetting, he was a national hero, and an international trailblazer for disabled people everywhere. And a beautiful young life is lost, and another is ruined. Not to mention the effect on his dad and his brother (his mother died when he was 15). I am almost too for words.

I don't see it as a double tragedy, though. I see it as one tragedy - the murder of a young woman. It makes no difference that he was a 'national hero'. He's being allowed to stay in the relative comfort of a police cell, rather than having to go prison to await his next court appearance next week....and this appears to be because of his 'celebrity' status.

I didn't know that about him being given special treatment Marelli.

A murderer is also someone's son, brother, wife, mother, sister or daughter.
And that in my view, is what makes something like this a double tragedy.

poor girl and sympathy to her friends and family. Also feel sad for OPs father. Tough to think your child may have done something as awful as possible murder.

Nothing yet proven, circumstantial only.. let the courts judge him not the media.

Clearly a strong, single minded person to have the success he has had but otherwise an unknown quantity.

Of course, you're quite right, Grannyknot. It's impossible to comprehend what his family must be going through. As I was typing my post, it came through on the news about him not having to go to prison while awaiting the court appearance.

Apparently he has strenuously denied murder and his London company has put out a statement about the "alleged murder". It's difficult to understand what they have in mind – are they going to suggest that she shot herself four times through a door or will they be going for manslaughter and the burglar story? Clearly a burglar with a weak bladder.

It has highlighted for me the terrible gun homicide rate in SA. 5x higher than the states, according to figures I saw earlier. There will inevitably be a "trial by media" as he is such a huge hero in SA. Very difficult to not have a contaminated jury. Brings back memories of other sporting heroes that have fallen from grace OJ, Tyson, Woods.

Maybe he did think it was an intruder in the house as he maintains.

You have to admit he is already a hero to have overcome his disability, even before you take his Olympics achievements into the equation.

Of course that can't excuse him if he is guilty. What a waste.

The police have said that the intruder story did not come from them - which seems to suggest it came from the media. Very sad - for all concerned.

I was horrified to read that John Cleese made a joke about it (on Twitter) which was in extremely poor taste.

She did not look a lot like a burglar poor thing. Just because people are very focussed and very good at something does not mean they have a full set of good qualities. People would like to idealise their "heroes" - and of course the heroes want us to idealise them, because they make a lot of money out of their "good guy" image. Like Ryan Giggs trying to keep his extra marital affairs a secret.

She was in the bathroom with the door closed. He shot through the door.

Very odd all round.

j08 Nothing odd about that at all. I wouldn't mind betting that virtually every woman who has ever been assaulted by her boyfriend, partner or husband has, at one time or another, made a dash for the bathroom as it is the one room in the house which will certainly have a lock. That locks can be undone from outside or doors broken open or someone can fire four shots through the door isn't included in the panic stricken search for sanctuary.

Yes absent. Suppose so. Looks bad.

absent if is this is what happened and Police have said there have been incidents at the house before, I think its very poignant that she should be murdered on the day when One billion were rising

Who knows what may come out when it finally comes to the trial, but it certainly doesn't look good at the moment.

I think he's showing all the signs of having serious problems with anabolic steroids which many athletes take to enhance performance. Uncontrolled aggression and violent behaviour are some of the signs. Add that to a taste for firearms and it's a disaster waiting to happen.
Whatever the circumstances, Reeva has died. What a waste of a young woman's life.

No doubt he will be able to afford the best defence counsel available. He was rather grumpy and un-sportsmanlike when he was beaten into the silver medal position in one of his races - he accused the winner of having longer blades.