Dec. 31, 2025

12 Crimes of Christmas - "THE BLADE RUNNER'S VALENTINE: OSCAR PISTORIUS AND THE MURDER OF REEVA STEENKAMP"

Show Notes
Transcript

Reid Carter covers the Valentine's Day murder that shocked the world. February 14, 2013: Olympic hero Oscar Pistorius fired four hollow-point bullets through his bathroom door, killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. She was 29, a model and law graduate who advocated against domestic violence. He claimed intruder. She was found with her phone in the bathroom - why would an intruder bring a phone? Neighbors heard screaming before the shots. Text messages revealed fear: "I'm scared of u sometimes." Found guilty of murder after appeals. Served 8.5 years. Released January 2024. Now 38, dating again while Reeva's mother serves a life sentence of grief.

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WEBVTT

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Callaroga Shark Media. Good morning, I'm Reed Carter. Wednesday, December

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thirty first, twenty twenty five, New Year's Eve, last day

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of the year, last episode of our twelve Crimes of

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Christmas series, before we wrap things up this weekend and today.

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The Valentine's Day murder that shattered an Olympic hero's image

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and took a young woman's life. February fourteenth, twenty thirteen, Pretoria,

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South Africa, three am, the pre dawn hours of Valentine's Day.

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Oscar Pistorius, twenty six years old, South Africa's Golden Boy

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Olympic sprinter global icon, fired four hollow point bullets through

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his locked bathroom door. On the other side, Reva Steinkamp,

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twenty nine years old, model, law school graduate, domestic violence advocate,

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his girlfriend of three months. Three bullets struck her hip,

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arm head. She died almost instantly. Pistorius's story he thought

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she was an intruder, heard a noise, grabbed his gun,

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fired in fear, a tragic mistake. The prosecution story, they'd

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had a fight, she locked herself in the bathroom, He

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shot her in a rage. The trial captivated the world.

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The Blade Runner, the Double amputee who'd run in the

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Olympics on carbon fiber legs and inspired millions, accused of

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murdering the woman he claimed to love. The verdict took years,

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the sentence kept changing, and in January twenty twenty four,

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Oscar Pistorius walked out of prison. A freeman served eight

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and a half years for killing Revestine Camp. Her mother, June,

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said it best. There can never be justice if your

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loved one is never coming back. We who remain behind

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are the ones serving a life sentence. I'm read Carter.

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This is celebrity trials today. Oscar Pistorius, Reva Steinkamp and

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the Valentine's Day murder that proved heroes can become monsters.

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Someone has to say her name. Before February fourteenth, twenty thirteen,

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Oscar Pistorius was one of the most inspiring athletes in

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the world. Born November twenty second, nineteen eighty six, in Johannesburg,

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South Africa. Born with fibular hemimilia, a congenital condition where

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both legs were missing the fibula bone. Before he turned

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one year old, both his legs were amputated below the knee.

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His mother refused to treat him as disabled, encouraged him

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to compete in sports, play rugby, water polo, wrestling. Oscar

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never saw himself as limited, neither did anyone who watched him.

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At seventeen, he discovered running. A rugby injury led to

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track rehabilitation, and suddenly coaches realized this kid with prosthetic

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legs was fast, really fast. He started running on carbon

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fiber blades, curved prosthetics that mimicked the spring of e

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cheetah's hind legs. The technology was revolutionary, so was Oscar.

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Two thousand and four Athens Paralympics gold in the two

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hundred meters, bronze in the one hundred two thousand and

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eight Beijing Paralympics, three gold medals, world records. He was unstoppable,

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but Oscar didn't want to be a Paralympic champion. He

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wanted to run against able bodied athletes. Proved that his

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blades weren't a disadvantage, they were just different. Twenty twelve

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London Olympics, Oscar Pistorius became the first double amputee to

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compete in the Olympic Games. He didn't medal, finished eighth

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in the four hundred meters but it didn't matter. He'd

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made history, proved that disability didn't mean inability. The world

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loved him, Blade Runner, the fastest man on no legs.

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Nike sign him. Endorsement deals poured in. He was earning

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over a million dollars a year in sponsorships, prize money,

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appearance fees. In South Africa, a country still healing from apartheid,

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Oscar Pistorius represented possibility, a man born with every disadvantage

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who conquered the world through pure determination. Heat magazine named

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him South Africa's favorite celebrity in twenty eleven. His face

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was on billboards, magazine covers, television commercials. He dated models,

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drove fast cars, lived in a luxury home and a

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gated community in Pretoria. He also owned guns, lots of them.

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Was obsessed with firearms. Friends described him as paranoid about crime,

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understandable in South Africa, which has one of the highest

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murder rates in the world, but Oscar's relationship with weapons

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went beyond security. A twenty thirteen New York Times profile

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described Oscar taking a reporter to a gun range in

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in the middle of the night. Asked how often he

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went shooting, Oscar said just sometimes. When I can't sleep.

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He couldn't sleep, so he shot guns. By late twenty twelve,

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Oscar Pistorius was at the height of his fame, had everything, money, adoration,

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a new girlfriend who seemed perfect for him. Riva Steamcamp,

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the woman Oscar Pistorius would kill three months after they

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started dating. Riva Rebecca Stemcamp was born August nineteenth, nineteen

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eighty three, in Cape Town, South Africa, daughter of Barry,

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a horse trainer, and June, who was born in England.

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She grew up in Port Elizabeth, attended Saint Dominic's Priory School.

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Started modeling at fourteen, but Riva was never just a

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pretty face. She went to law school, graduated from the

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University of Port Elizabeth with a law degree in two

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thousand and five. Worked as a paralegal while building her

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modeling career. Applied to the bar in twenty eleven with

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plans to become a legal advocate by age thirty. Her

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passion helping victims of domestic violence. The irony is devastating.

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Reva Steenkamp spent her life advocating against violence toward women,

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and she was killed by her boyfriend. By twenty twelve,

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Reva's career was taking off. She modeled for FHM magazine twice,

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named one of the one hundred Sexiest Women in the World,

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became the first South African face of Avon Cosmetics, appeared

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in television commercials for Toyota Clover Industries. Worked as a

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live presenter for Fashion TV. She was cast in season

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five of the reality show Tropeka Island of Treasure. Filmed

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episodes in Jamaica. The show premiered two days after her death.

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When Riva met Oscar Pistorius in November twenty twelve, she

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was twenty nine years old, he was twenty six. Both

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were successful, attractive, moving in the same celebrity circles in Johannesburg.

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Friends said they clicked immediately. Oscar's friend stated Oscar told

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Meriva could be the girl he would one day marry.

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Riva told a friend, if Oscar asked her to marry him,

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she would probably say yes. They went public as a couple,

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quickly attended red carpet events together, posted photos on social media.

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Looked like the Golden couple, South Africa's Olympic hero and

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his stunning girlfriend, but text messages told a different story.

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Three weeks before her death, Riva texted Oscar, I was

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not flirting with anyone today. I'm scared of you sometimes

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and how you snap at me. Scared of you, how

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you snap at me? Another message, I can't be attacked

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by you for doing a simple thing and being supportive.

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And another every five seconds I hear about how you

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let me know how unhappy you are with me. The

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relationship was three months old, and Reva was already documenting

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fear anger volatility. The warning signs were there. On February thirteenth,

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twenty thirteen, Riva wrapped a Valentine's gift for Oscar, went

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to bed at his house, excited to celebrate the day

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of love with her boyfriend. She never woke Upriva Steenkamp

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was twenty nine years old, law school graduate, model, advocate

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for domestic violence victims. The speech she was scheduled to

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give the morning of February fourteenth included these words, be brave,

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see the positive, make your voice heard. Her voice was

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silenced by four bullets through a bathroom door. Here's what

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Oscar Pistoria says happened. Around ten pm on February thirteenth,

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Oscar and Reva went to bed. Oscar arranged fans in

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the doorway to the balcony because the air conditioning wasn't working.

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His gun, a nine millimeter pistol, was under the left

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side of the bed. His prosthetic legs were on the

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right side. Around three am, Oscar says he woke up,

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got out of bed on his stumps without his prosthetic legs,

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walked to the balcony to bring the fans inside. That's

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when he heard a noise coming from the bathroom the window.

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Someone was opening the window. Oscar says he was terrified

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an intruder in his home, and he was vulnerable, a

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man without legs, unable to run or fight effectively. He

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grabbed his gun from under the bed, moved down the

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hallway toward the bathroom, leaning against the wall for stability

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on his stumps. He screamed for the intruder to get out,

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screamed for Reva to call the police. He heard a

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noise from the toilet cubicle, a small enclosed room within

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the bathroom, the sound of wood moving. He thought the

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door was opening. Someone was about to come out and

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attack him, so he fired four shots through the locked

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door in rapid succession. Then Oscar says he retreated back

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to the bedroom, felt for Riva in the bed. She

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wasn't there. Checked the floor, the curtains, not there. That's

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when he realized the person in the bathroom might have

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been Riva. He ran back, tried the door, locked, put

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on his prosthetic legs, tried to kick the door down,

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couldn't got a cricket bat smashed through the door panel,

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reached inside, opened it, found Riva slumped over the toilet, bleeding, dying.

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He carried her downstairs, called a neighbor at three eighteen am,

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called an ambulance at three twenty called security at three

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twenty one. Tried to keep her airway open with his

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fingers in her mouth, applied pressure to her wounds. By

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the time help arrived, Riva Steenkamp was dead. Three hollow

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point bullets had struck her right hip, right arm head.

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The head wound was fatal. That's Oscar's version, a terrible accident,

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a misunderstanding of the dark, the worst mistake of his life.

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Here's what the prosecution argued. Oscar and Reva had a

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fight that night, a loud argument. Neighbors reported hearing screaming

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a woman's voice before the gunshots. Reva fled to the bathroom,

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locked herself inside the toilet cubicle, brought her phone with her.

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It was found in the bathroom. Why would an intruder

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bring a phone? Oscar, in a rage, fired through the door,

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knowing exactly who was on the other side, then broke

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down the door and watched her die. The evidence supported

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the prosecution's theory in key ways. Reva was fully clothed,

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not in pajamas, like she hadn't actually gone to bed

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or had gotten dressed to leave. Her phone was in

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the bathroom. Why would she take her phone if she

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was just using the toilet in the middle of the night.

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Neighbors heard screaming before the shots, a woman's voice terrified,

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then gunfire. The timeline didn't add up. Oscar said he

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screamed for Riva to call police, but he never actually

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checked if she was in bed before firing, never confirmed

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her location, just assumed the noise was an intruder and shot.

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And the bullets hollow point expanding ammunition designed to cause

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maximum damage, not typical home defense rounds. These were bullets

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designed to kill. Four shots through a door at someone

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he claims he loved, without confirming who was on the

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other side. Even if you believe Oscar's version that he

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genuinely thought Riva was an intruder, you still have a

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man who fired four killing shots through a closed door

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at an unknown person. That's not self defense. That's reckless homicide.

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At minimum. The judge would eventually call his account improbable.

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But improbable isn't the same as impossible, And in South

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African law, reasonable doubt matters. We'll be right back with

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the trial that gripped the world and the verdict that

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kept changing. March third, twenty fourteen, the trial of Oscar

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Pistorius began in the High Court of South Africa in Pretoria,

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Judge Thokoziel Masipa presiding no jury. South Africa uses a

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judge system for serious crimes. The trial was broadcast live.

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Every objection, every piece of evidence, every emotional breakdown from

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Oscar Pistorius, who sobbed repeatedly on the stand, vomited when

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autopsy photos were shown, seemed to perform grief for the cameras.

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Prosecutor Jerry Nell was relentless called Oscar's version a lie,

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pointed out every inconsistency, every impossibility. You will blame anybody

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but yourself, health Nell told Oscar during cross examination, you

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are lying. You just refused to take responsibility for anything.

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Oscar testified for days, maintained his story, said he'd never

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intentionally hurt Reva, said he loved her, said this was

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all a terrible mistake. But the text messages came out

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Reva's fear, Oscar's temper, the volatility of their three month relationship,

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and the neighbors testified they heard screaming a woman's voice

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before the shots. September twelfth, twenty fourteen, Judge Massipa delivered

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her verdict, not guilty of murder, guilty of culpable homicide,

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the South African equivalent of manslaughter. The courtroom gasped, the

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world was stunned. Oscar Pistorius had killed Reva Steenkamp and

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was only convicted of manslaughter. Judge Massipa explained the prosecution

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hadn't proven beyond reasonable doubt that Oscar intended to kill Reva, specifically,

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his version that he thought she was an intruder couldn't

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be definitively disproven. The sentence five years in prison, five

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years for killing a woman, for firing four hollow point

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bullets through a door without confirming who was On the

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other side, Riva's mother, June, was devastated, the public was outraged,

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and prosecutors appealed. December third, twenty fifteen, the Supreme Court

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of Appeal overturned the culpable homicide conviction found Oscar Pistorius

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guilty of murder. The legal reasoning, even if Oscar believed

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he was shooting at an intruder, he foresaw that his

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actions would kill someone and proceeded anyway. That's called dolus

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eventualis intent to kill whoever was behind that door, regardless

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of identity. Oscar Pistorius was now a convicted murderer. July sixth,

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twenty sixteen, Judge Massipa sentenced him to six years in prison,

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called him a fallen hero who has lost his career

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and is ruined financially. Six years for murder. Prosecutors appealed

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again the sentence was too lenient. November twenty fourth, twenty seventeen,

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the Supreme Court of Appeal increased the sentence to thirteen

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years and five months, finally a sentence that reflected the

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severity of the crime. Oscar Pistorius would serve real time

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for killing Riva Steamcamp. He'd already served time on the

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culpable homicide conviction, some in prison, some under house arrest.

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The new sentence meant he'd remain incarcerated until at least

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twenty twenty three, with the possibility of parole. January fifth,

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twenty twenty four, Oscar Pistorius was released on parole. He'd

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served eight and a half year's total half his sentence,

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the minimum required under South African law. He walked out

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of Aderageville Correctional Center and went to live with his

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uncle in Pretoria's upscale, watercloof suburb. Parole conditions no alcohol,

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anger management therapy, gender based violence counseling, cannot leave the

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Pretoria region without permission, must report regularly to parole officers.

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The conditions will remain in effect until December twenty twenty nine.

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Oscar Pistorius is now thirty eight years old, and as

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of twenty twenty five, he's reportedly in a new relationship

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dating a management consultant named Rita Grayling, described as besotted

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with her, wants to have children. He's moved on building

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a new life while Reva Steencamp remains dead at twenty

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nine June. Steencamp has never believed Oscar's story not for

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a second. I do not believe Oscar's version that he

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thought the person in the toilet was a burglar, she

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said in a statement after his parole. In fact, I

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do not know anybody who does. When Oscar met with

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Riva's father, Barry, in prison in twenty twenty two, as

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part of South Africa's restorative justice process, Barry asked him

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to swear on the Bible that Riva's death was truly

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an accident. Oscar declined. Barry later said that refusal was

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proof of Oscar's guilt. Barry Steencamp died in September twenty

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twenty three at age eighty. His family said he died

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of a broken heart. June Steencamp has continued advocating against

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gender based violence through the Reva Rebecca Steencamp Foundation, trying

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to make her daughter's death mean something trying to protect

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other women. In her victim impact statement before Oscar's parole,

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June expressed doubt that he'd been rehabilitated. Rehabilitation requires someone

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to engage honestly with the full truth of his crime

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and the consequences thereof. Nobody can claim to have remorse

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if they are not able to engage fully with the truth.

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June suffered a life changing stroke in twenty twenty five.

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Friends and family fear she may never fully recover, may

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never remember her daughter Reva clearly again. Oscar Pistoria is

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building a new life with a new girlfriend. June Stemcamp

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is losing her memories of the daughter Oscar killed. Make

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it make sense. South Africa has one of the highest

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rates of gender based violence in the world. Women are

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murdered by intimate partners at epidemic levels. Revasteencamp, who advocated

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for victims of domestic violence, became a statistic herself. Her

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case forced South Africa to confront uncomfortable truths. The way

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male athletes are glorified, the violence that happens behind closed doors.

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A justice system that seemed to treat Oscar Pistorius with

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kid gloves because of who he was. He served eight

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and a half years, less than a year for every

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stab wound he didn't inflict, because bullets do the work faster.

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Revasteamcamp would be forty two years old today, should be

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practicing law, should be helping domestic violence victims, should be

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living the life she'd worked so hard to build. Instead,

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She's been dead for almost thirteen years, killed on Valentine's

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Day by the man who claimed to love her. Rest

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in peace, Reva. Someone has to say your name, that's

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our Oscar Pistorius episode The Blade Runner, The Hero Who

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Became a Killer. February fourteenth, twenty thirteen, Valentine's Day. Four

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hollow point bullets through a bathroom door. Reva Steamcamp dead

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at twenty nine. Oscar claimed it was an accident, said

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he thought she was an intruder, but her phone was

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in the bathroom, she was fully clothed. Neighbors heard screaming.

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The evidence pointed to a fight that turned fatal. First

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conviction culpable homicide, overturned on appeal. Second conviction murder, six

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years appealed, increased to thirteen years and five months served

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eight and a half released January twenty twenty four. Now

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living with family in Pretoria, new girlfriend, dreaming of children.

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Riva's father died of a broken heart. Her mother suffered

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a stroke. The family serves a life sentence of grief,

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while Oscar Pistorius moves on, Be brave, see the positive,

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make your voice heard. Those were Reva's words from the

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speech she never got to give the speech scheduled for

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the morning of February fourteenth, twenty thirteen, hours after Oscar

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silenced her voice. Forever Tomorrow Aaron Hernandez New Year's Day,

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the NFL star who went from super Bowl champion to

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convicted murderer. I'm read Carter, Happy New Year, Stay safe tonight,

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lock your doors, and remember you never really know what's

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happening behind closed doors. This is Celebrity Trials.