Cliff JudyNew testimony in the Oscar Pistorius trial as the former Olympian and double amputee —charged with murdering model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp — breaks down in the courtroom.
"Pistorius seen in court today his head in his hands as a neighbor described what he encountered at the athlete's home."
DR. JOHAN STIPP: "He prayed to God to please let her live. She must not die." (Via Fox News)
The neighbor's testimony was the first description in the trial of the immediate aftermath of Steenkamp's shooting. A radiologist, the neighbor testified Pistorius was crying, praying and holding two fingers in Steenkamp's mouth to assist breathing. (Via New York Daily News)
And once again, prosecution witness testimony is circumstantial and up for interpretation. While prosecutors say the South African Olympian shot Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year during a fight, defense attorneys said the neighbor's testimony supported their theory.
Pistorius has admitted to firing four shots through a bathroom door hitting Steenkamp three times. He says he thought she was a burglar, and he felt vulnerable because he didn't have his prosthetic legs on. (Via WNBC)
The neighbor also maintained what two previous witnesses said — that he heard a woman's screams before and around the time he heard gunshots. That's key to prosecutors' theory Pistorius and Steenkamp were in a fight.
Pistorius' ex-girlfriend took the stand Friday morning saying he carried a gun on him at all times, and he once fired a shot through a car's sunroof after getting angry over a policeman pulling his friend over for speeding. (Via KNXV)
Samantha Taylor told the court, “After he fired the shot, he laughed about it.” (Via Businessweek)
While Taylor says she and Pistorius broke up because he cheated on her with Steenkamp, defense attorneys say they have emails to prove Taylor cheated on him, too. The defense also tried to insist screams people heard at the time of the shooting were from Pistorius' own high-pitched voice.
REPORTER: "And testified that when they were together, he would scream at her and his screams could not have been mistaken for a woman."
ATTORNEY: "If he screams and he's really anxious, he sounds like a woman."
SAMANTHA TAYLOR: "That is not true. He sounds like a man." (Via CNN)
Nicknamed "Blade Runner," Pistorius was the first double amputee to ever compete in the Olympics in 2012. Steenkamp's career was beginning to take off when she died. Prosecutors say they could call more than 100 witnesses to present their case.
