The prosecution revealed what they call inconsistencies in Oscar Pistorius' defense, further complicating a hearing that has been full of discrepancies. But the prosecution is now facing a surprising hurdle after discovering the chief police investigator is facing charges of attempted murder, damaging his credibility and raising questions about South Africa's police force. NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports.
By Jon Herskovitz, Reuters
PRETORIA, South Africa -- A judge is likely to decide on Friday whether to grant bail to Oscar Pistorius, with prosecutors arguing he is a cold-blooded killer and his own lawyers that he is far too famous to have any chance of fleeing prosecution.
Defense lawyers for Pistorius say the athlete shot dead his girlfriend only by terrible mistake, and deserves bail to prepare for a case that has garnered global attention and has been marred by a bungled police investigation.
The so-called "Blade Runner", whose lower legs were amputated in infancy, has become an even more globally recognized figure since he killed model Reeva Steenkamp, 29, early on Valentine's Day at his home.
Prosecutors have told the court it was a premeditated murder, with Pistorius firing four shots through a locked toilet door at a cowering Steenkamp on the other side. She was hit in the head, arm and hip.
Witnesses said they heard a gunshots and screams from the home in a gated community surrounded by 3-yard high stone walls and topped with an electric fence.
Pistorius contends he was acting in self-defense, mistaking Steenkamp for an intruder and feeling vulnerable because he was unable to attach his prosthetic limbs in time to confront the threat, he said in an affidavit read in court.
The 26-year-old said he grabbed a 9-mm pistol from under his bed and went into the bathroom.
Pistorius described how he fired into the locked toilet door in a blind panic in the mistaken belief that the intruder was lurking inside.
Bail hearings in South Africa allow for prosecutors and defense lawyers to lay out their basic arguments, based on preliminary evidence.
The arrest of Pistorius stunned millions who watched in awe last year as the Olympic and Paralympic sprinter reached the semi-final of the 400 meters at the London 2012 Olympics.
In South Africa, Pistorius was seen as a rare hero who commanded respect from both blacks and whites, transcending the racial divides that persist 19 years after the end of apartheid.
Police investigating Pistorius pulled their lead detective off the athlete's case on Thursday after it emerged he himself faces attempted murder charges for shooting at a minibus.
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