Olympian Pistorius due to learn his fate at epic murder trial

The long-awaited verdict in the Oscar Pistorius trial, a blend of international soap opera and tragic TV reality show, is expected to be announced this week.

Pistorius, the South African sprinter known as the "Blade Runner", is accused of deliberately killing his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine's Day 2013.

The judge is set to begin delivering her verdict on Thursday, six months after Pistorius first wept and vomited when the court heard that Steenkamp's head had "exploded" like a watermelon under the impact of a hollow-point bullet.

At its heart, the trial is simple. Pistorius killed the blonde law graduate when he fired four shots through a locked toilet door in his upmarket Pretoria home after screaming "Get the ... out of my house!"

The double-amputee doesn't deny the shooting. The only question is why he did it.

He says he thought he was shooting at an intruder and that Steenkamp was safely in bed. The prosecution says he killed her in a fit of rage after an argument.

The personality of the Paralympian gold medallist, who won worldwide fame when he competed on his prosthetic blades against able-bodied runners at the London Olympics, was a focus of the trial.

Prosecutors described him as an egotistical liar obsessed with guns, fast cars and beautiful women and who was not prepared to take responsibility for his actions.

Defense lawyers said there are "two Oscars" - a world-class athlete and a highly vulnerable individual with a serious disability who acted out of fear, not anger, when he fired the fatal shots.

After testimony from almost 40 witnesses, including neighbors who said they heard screams and shots, and defense experts who said this was impossible, the cast will reassemble this week with Judge Thokozile Masipa taking a central role.

While Pistorius stars in a show he would rather not be in, prosecutor Gerrie Nel and defense lawyer Barry Roux have become prominent with their own followings.

Behind Pistorius in the public gallery, as always, will be his supportive sister, as well as the implacable mother of the 29-year-old woman he killed.

As in the live television trial of OJ Simpson, who was accused of murdering his wife 20 years ago, most viewers seem to have already decided on Pistorius' guilt or innocence.

On Thursday Judge Masipa will announce the opinion that counts - her own.

Unlike the Simpson trial, in which the defendant was controversially acquitted by a jury, Masipa is assisted only by two assessors. If she decides Pistorius deliberately killed Steenkamp, he could face a life sentence, which in South Africa means 25 years in jail.

But even if that is her verdict, it is not the end of the case. There will be arguments before a sentence is handed down and, most likely, an appeal to a higher court.

Even if Pistorius is acquitted of murder, he can still be convicted on an alternative charge of culpable homicide, which could also carry a prison sentence.

Whatever happens, his glittering sporting career is in ruins. Once a poster boy for disabled athletes, Pistorius has been stripped of lucrative endorsement deals by global brands and has withdrawn from all competition.

(China Daily 09/10/2014 page10)