What will be the outcome of the Oscar Pistorius Trial?

[zoran]

murder here. What is the likely sentence with good behavior? 15 years?
if so he will only be 41, plenty of time to enjoy the earnings from his book and movie deal

 

[LyndyLoo]

Ive watched much of this trial...BUT ater listening to such a snivellling liar on the stand by Def. team..i am now SURE OP was acting the vctim...BUT in reality his halting interrupted testimony (OVERACTED) proved he was and is HIDING the TRTH...He's inentionally tried to replace the term "RAGE" with panic..Given his history with gunplay and short period time of relationaship (3 months) He Knew she was going to leave him..reea was scared of him..was huiliated by him in public (parties/get togethers) she was not some illeiterate nobody..Reeva was a well educted women...Oscar was a egosticical, self entitled blowheart..who could never take rejections....Reeva was trying to leave..he threated (after loud verbal agument)neighbours hear 15 minutes of loud arguments from that house....The screaming part was Reeva (Not oscar)...He only claimed ALL screams were hhis..I Say BS to that....

I am actually comforted that the Jude (Milady) will rule that verdict///Unless and of course politics and money have bought her off...THAT would be nightmare!!!!!


Just a thought/wondering..Did Oscar ever get a psych Exam???? Deminished Capacity would be better than what defense he put up for sure

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

If OP gets off or is given a "slap on the wrist" (aka a light sentence), it will set a bad social president. It will send a resounding message to all of SA that killing your girlfriend will get you very little time, especially if you're a "somebody". If you're a "somebody", you'll get special treatment. And perhaps the message will be that women are disposable.

Common sense dictates that no strange intruder was dying (figuratively and literally) to go to the bathroom in OP's house. It is absurd.

And if OP gets off or is given a "slap on the wrist" sentence, you think SA is violent now? Wait.....just wait.....

I quit on this trial because the whole system makes me weary. I am not sure what I think. I feel like there is enough that people are always going to be divided but to me it looks like a rampage gone awry.

I don't know that they are worried about precedent. I think that they will look at this as just one case.

 

[SapphireSteel]

One question I have - why does it matter WHO he shot?

Surely bailing an unarmed person up in a locked toilet then shooting them intentionally, several times, is MURDER, no matter if the victim is your girlfriend or a burglar?

 

[Suthrnqt]

One question I have - why does it matter WHO he shot?

Surely bailing an unarmed person up in a locked toilet then shooting them intentionally, several times, is MURDER, no matter if the victim is your girlfriend or a burglar?

^^^^^This.......Exactly.

 

[katydid23]

One question I have - why does it matter WHO he shot?

Surely bailing an unarmed person up in a locked toilet then shooting them intentionally, several times, is MURDER, no matter if the victim is your girlfriend or a burglar?

I think that depends. If there was an armed burglar, with a record of home invasions, dead behind that door, Oscar would be hailed a hero. It would truly be a self defense case because an armed intruder would be a valid threat. I would be patting him on the back.

But if it were an unarmed teenager, looking for a quick score, who stumbled into the wrong place, it would be problematic. jmo

 

[SapphireSteel]

I think that depends. If there was an armed burglar, with a record of home invasions, dead behind that door, Oscar would be hailed a hero. It would truly be a self defense case because an armed intruder would be a valid threat. I would be patting him on the back.

But if it were an unarmed teenager, looking for a quick score, who stumbled into the wrong place, it would be problematic. jmo

Not where I live.

Where I live his actions would be considered manslaughter at the very least, murder one most likely. He knew what he was doing, he was no unprepared and frightened victim.

Whoever was in there was locked in there, thus was NO THREAT.

The Self Defence argument just doesn't wash.

What sort of "burglar" locks themselves in a bathroom for Goodness sake?

 

[Estelle]

As of today, 776 WS members have voted on this Poll.

68.69% think he is guilty of murder or premeditated murder.

14.18% think he is guilty of culpable homicide.

Therefore, 82.87% think he should get jail time and will be disappointed if he does not get it.

I wonder if this represents the wider international community who are not members here?

What do you think?

 

[Estelle]

I just noticed that the public are welcome to participate in the Poll so the votes are not just from WS members.

 

[Estelle]

The anxiety made me do it

http://mg.co.za/article/2014-05-22-the-anxiety-made-me-do-it

"Mental illness does not necessarily abolish the capacity to form meaningful and competent intentions" say scholars. How accountable can one be?

Oscar Pistorius, on trial for Reeva Steenkamp’s murder, will be tested by psychiatrists for general anxiety disorder. (Reuters)

Most of us have woken at night to an unfamiliar, scary sound. The grogginess of sleep does little to dampen the surge in adrenaline. In a moment, the heart is pounding at a rate that is frightening in itself. This is the “fight or flight” response: we enter a state of hypervigilance.

This is the result of millions of years of evolution. The better our fight or flight system, the more likely we are to escape from or overcome an adversary. There is a variation in the threshold at which we begin to experience that sense of threat, and certain life events can also make us more sensitive to it.

However, now that Oscar Pistorius has been ordered to undergo psychiatric tests, what will be the outcome?

Was the anxiety he experienced on the night he killed his girlfriend related to an existing problem such as a general anxiety disorder? If it was, then it is possible he could be absolved of any criminal responsibility for her death.

In human history, differences in the way we think, feel and behave were thought of as personality traits. When these were extreme, the person was labelled mad but the fearful person – like the shy, disobedient or easily distracted person – would not have been considered ill.

However, today, many of these types have been redefined as medical conditions. This tendency is controversial, but can be the way by which those whose thoughts or feelings make them distressed, or a danger to themselves or others, get help. What is increasingly clear is that it has seismic implications for the law.

The principle that an altered state of mind can excuse a crime is built into many legal systems. The cause could be drink, a brain tumour that distorts judgment, or an episode of mental illness. But, as the empire of psychiatric diagnoses expands, taking in ever finer variations in personality, this will become much more difficult to navigate.

This argument isn’t new: lawyers have long argued over what constitutes an impairment of reason. What is changing is the ability of scientists to identify tiny differences in the brains and bodies of subjects – and to link those to behaviour.

A Western cultural bias to “hard” data means that the biological carries more weight than the biographical with judges, although the two are inextricably linked. If a brain tumour can be used as a defence, then why not poor functioning in the prefrontal cortex, or reduced blood flow in the angular gyrus?

Judgment is certainly altered by anxiety. The levels of important neuro-transmitters may change and, over time, the mass of certain structures in the brain too.

We cannot know what an “un-anxious” Pistorius would have done that night. The question is absurd, though, because the real Pistorius is anxious.

Should that person not be held to account for any crime he may have committed?

With our ability to scrutinise the brain improving all the time, it will become more difficult to maintain the fiction that the mind and body operate separately. Yet, as the line between disease and personality blurs, traditional ideas of blame and responsibility could fall apart.

Should we then abandon blame?

Clinicians know mental illness does not necessarily abolish the capacity to form meaningful and competent intentions. But surely moral accountability is essential and we are still clearly capable of making some decisions.

But, until we are ready to give up the idea that a mind that can choose, even in its darkest moments, blame will have to be part of the story.

What do you think?

 

[Estelle]

Symptoms of pure anxiety without depression:

Sufferers of this type feel stirred up, anxious, or nervous. They often feel uncomfortable in their own skin. They report feeling as though they “could climb the walls” or that they are “crawling out of their skin.” They are plagued by feelings of panic, fear and self-doubt, and suffer the physical feelings of anxiety as well, such as muscle tension, nail biting, headaches, abdominal pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and sore muscles. It’s as if they have an overload of tension and emotion. The symptoms may be a consistently disruptive thing or may come in unpredictable waves. Irrational fears or phobias may also be a burden. People with “pure anxiety” tend to avoid anything that makes them anxious or uncomfortable, such as places or people that might trigger panic attacks or interpersonal conflict. People with this type tend to predict the worst and look to the future with fear. They may be excessively shy or startle easily, or they may freeze in emotionally charged situations.

http://www.amenclinics.com/conditions/anxiety-issues/

So it is FREEZE not FIGHT in emotionally charged situations for people suffering from GAD. Roux and Vorster have suggested that OP's response was "fight".

 

[Estelle]

If symptoms of GAD are present, the doctor will begin an evaluation by asking questions about your medical and psychiatric history and perform a physical exam. Although there are no lab tests to specifically diagnose anxiety disorders, the doctor may use various tests to look for physical illness as the cause of symptoms.

The doctor bases his or her diagnosis of GAD on reports of the intensity and duration of symptoms -- including any problems with functioning caused by the symptoms. The doctor then determines if the symptoms and degree of dysfunction indicate a specific anxiety disorder. GAD is diagnosed if symptoms are present for more days than not during a period of at least six months. The symptoms also must interfere with daily living, such as causing you to miss work or school.
http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/g...xiety-disorder

IMO It appears that Pistorius did not miss any of his training days (or dates with RS) due to his Generalised Anxiety Disorder in the six months before Reeva's death! The psychiatrist and psychologist will study this for the last six months before February 14, 2013 which brings us back to August 13, 2014.

Pistorius carried the flag for South Africa at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Paralympics on 29 August. He entered the men's 100 metres, 200 metres and 400 metres races in the T44 classification, and the T42–T46 4 × 100 metres relay.

In the 200 metres competition Pistorius established a new T43 world record of 21.30 seconds in his heat on 1 September, but he was defeated in the final the next day by Alan Oliveira of Brazil. Pistorius took silver, and then created a controversy by complaining about the length of Oliveria's blades. He later apologised for the timing of his remarks, but not the content of his complaint.

The IPC confirmed the length of Oliveira’s blades were proportional to his body, with all the finalists measured before the race. The IPC also confirmed that Pistorius had raised the issue of blade length with it six weeks prior to the race. SASCOC issued a statement welcoming Pistorius's apology for his outburst and declared their full support for him and promised to assist him in discussions with the IPC about the issue of lengthened prosthetics after the conclusion of the Games. The IPC expressed willingness to engage with Pistorius about the issue. Australian runner Jack Swift, USA runner Jerome Singleton, and other athletes also expressed support for Pistorius's position.

Pistorius won a gold medal on 5 September running the anchor leg as part of the South African 4 × 100 metres relay team. The team set a world record time of 41.78 seconds. He was unsuccessful in defending his Beijing Olympics 100 metres title when he came fourth with a season's best time of 11.17 seconds, and the race was won by Great Britain's Jonnie Peacock. On 8 September, the last full day of competition, Pistorius won gold in the T44 400 metres with a time of 46.68 seconds, breaking the Paralympic record.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_P...ummer_Olympics

So I cannot see how a man suffering from Generalised Anxiety Disorder would be able to achieve what he did. His behaviour was IMO not one of an anxious man but that of a poor loser but also a successful athlete.

 

[Linda7NJ]

As of today, 776 WS members have voted on this Poll.

68.69% think he is guilty of murder or premeditated murder.

14.18% think he is guilty of culpable homicide.

Therefore, 82.87% think he should get jail time and will be disappointed if he does not get it.

I wonder if this represents the wider international community who are not members here?

What do you think?

I doubt it. Non-websleuthers tend to be on the SLOW side and swoon over celebrities and bend over backwards to absolve them. IMO


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Suthrnqt]

June 30th is Monday. Do you think there will be an update?

 

[Estelle]

June 30th is Monday. Do you think there will be an update?

The Defence has four more witnesses to call yet but it is unknown whether they will be before the Psychiatric Evaluation Report is given or not. This is also because the Psychiarist for the Defence, Leon Fine, had a heart attack on Thursday and had not signed the report but I believe it was signed on Friday. Apparently, the three Psychiatrists and the Psychologist reached a unanimous decision but we do not know what that was yet. But I am looking forward to finding out next week.

 

[Estelle]

I doubt it. Non-websleuthers tend to be on the SLOW side and swoon over celebrities and bend over backwards to absolve them. IMO


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

By the way, I just noticed that one does not have to be a WS member to vote on this poll. 810 have voted and it is still 69% for murder.

 

[fruity]

The question asked was what people think the outcome will be, not what they believe. I believe the outcome will be different to my personal thoughts and I voted based on the South African legal system. I don't trust their system at all and I have no faith in it. I think he will get away with murder.

 

[Estelle]

For me, OP should be charged with premeditated murder and as I think intent can be proven, it should at least be murder. I do not think the case of the defence is very strong and Nel IMO is winning as of 8/7/2014 so it will now depend on mitigating factors concerning the length of sentence. I am looking forward to hearing their closing statements.

 

[Linda7NJ]

The question asked was what people think the outcome will be, not what they believe. I believe the outcome will be different to my personal thoughts and I voted based on the South African legal system. I don't trust their system at all and I have no faith in it. I think he will get away with murder.

I agree.
IMO it's always a crap shoot. Not even willing to guess at the outcome.

He's as guilty as the day is long and should be found guilty. IMO

 

[katydid23]

By this time tomorrow, The Judge will be sharing her decision with us. :judge: