Trial Discussion Thread #45 - 14.07.3, Day 36

[james83]

That Video convinces me he may well have been on his stumps when he used the cricket bat, cant see why he wouldn't be able to swing a cricket bat, remember he can kneel on his stumps as well for balance.

 

[james83]

If this was released by the DT on purpose they obviously see some good in doing it, however what if there is a mole in the DT camp?, i have heard that suggested before.

 

[jay-jay]

It's an Aussie weekly current affairs show. The full video will be on here tomorrow night in Aus. I'd suggest you bookmark the sight & watch the video in full in 48 hrs, it should be posted by then.

.. I can't believe what I'm seeing there ..

If he is really that agile on his stumps, then there is no reason why he should not have just grabbed his gun, then exited out of the bedroom door with Reeva, if he really did think there was an intruder (which I don't buy for one second, anyway). That just convinces me even more that the whole of OP's version is made up BS, designed to cover up for killing Reeva intentionally.

 

[Interested Bystander]

Not for the first time OP is found to be lying. The old adage "liars have to have good memories" springs to mind.

 

[james83]

Agen-Derman's testimony made Oscar sound totally and utterly useless hopeless and helpless on his stump's, but yet there he is in that video walking very well indeed without his prosthesis.

 

[Val1]

.. I can't believe what I'm seeing there ..

If he is really that agile on his stumps, then there is no reason why he should not have just grabbed his gun, then exited out of the bedroom door with Reeva, if he really did think there was an intruder (which I don't buy for one second, anyway). That just convinces me even more that the whole of OP's version is made up BS, designed to cover up for killing Reeva intentionally.

Exactly, especially if he had as much adrenalin pumping through him as the Prof would have us believe that any pain factor would have been obliterated and he certainly wouldn't have been "thinking" about slipping on the tile during or shortly after the first "startle" physiological response.

Since the second "startle" didn't happen until after he had already displayed full cognitive awareness by acquiring his gun from it's "new" location, making it ready to fire, "speaking softly" to RS to get down and "call the police" then "running" to the passageway while screaming "get the f### out of my house" before he started creeping down the passage, surely fleeing out the door with RS in tow would have been a much easier and safer option than alerting any possible intruder/s as to their whereabouts and then exposing himself and RS to any repercussions should the intruder/s respond in the fashion OP would have us believe any intruder would have.

 

[04009margaret]

I hope Nel has someone watching this forum.

Thought of emailing it to him but couldn't find a direct email link to him. I hope is is aware of it.

 

[04009margaret]

Does the PT even know about it? Anyone know how to contact them and let them know?

I tried to find contact details for GN....maybe one of our SA members can forward it to him

 

[04009margaret]

.. I can't believe what I'm seeing there ..

If he is really that agile on his stumps, then there is no reason why he should not have just grabbed his gun, then exited out of the bedroom door with Reeva, if he really did think there was an intruder (which I don't buy for one second, anyway). That just convinces me even more that the whole of OP's version is made up BS, designed to cover up for killing Reeva intentionally.

Exactly, didn't the professor tell the court OP had such limited mobility on his stumps which made him unable to flee

 

[AJ_DS]

If the case is reopened and OP did come back to the stand, one question I'd like answered is the 'breathing' contradiction.

If you guys had one more question or statement to put to OP that Nel didn't, what would it be?

So much stuff :

How OP's holster ended up behind the bedside table… OP said that he retrieved the gun from under the bed… I would have expected the holster to be found on the floor, next to the bed, in front of the bedside table.

How many doors inside OP's house could be locked and if they shared the same key or each had their own distinct key… this could be problematic now since the house was sold… OP could very well say anything he wants without fear of being contradicted.

The bathtub panel… how was it dented… I suspect OP would say that it was dented by the chunk of the toilet door he ripped out and threw… but since it is impossible that this dent was caused in such a manner, it would be interesting and probably revealing to witness OP squirm on this issue.

The jeans found outside the house under the bathroom door... it would be interesting and probably revealing to witness OP squirm on this issue.

The 4949 business phone… why was it not plugged in downstairs in the kitchen… Sam Taylor said OP always plugged his business phone downstairs in the kitchen.

The 0020 personal phone… who left OP's house with it on the morning of 14 february 2013… what was the chain of custody of that phone.

The iPad3… who was looking at *advertiser censored* on it… it would be interesting and probably revealing to witness OP say "I don't remember" or "maybe Reeva did".

Elaborate on who's idea was it for Reeva to stay the night… the evidence clearly shows that it was OP who was very insistent but OP said that it was Reeva's idea and that he acquiesced to it.

The damage to the bedroom door… elaborate on OP's alleged, ridiculous and pointless shoulder charge… also the BB pellet hole : who did that, when and why.

 

[delilah]

Might Derman be an even worse 'expert' witness than Dixon was? I paraphrase some of his comments but, essentially, he has:

- failed to make notes of his two meetings with OP, and can't really recall when OP told him what;

- been rude and argumentative "Milady, I can't make head or tail of what Mr Nel is asking me"

- not listened to Nel's questions "I thought you said 'calming himself' " (not 'arming himself'); "I didn't hear you say 'in the record' ";

- seemed unable to grasp the concept of a hypothetical question "would you have expected there to have been a second startle?" "Yes, because I know there was one";

- been too close to OP to be a truly objective and independent 'expert' witness.

It's painful testimony to listen to, but I think Nel has demolished him just as much as he did OP and Dixon.

 

[AJ_DS]

Hmmmm, if it's in the public domain, can Nel find a way to get it into evidence? Or if it is the Professor, can Nel now use the video to rebut his testimony?

I'm confident that the answer is YES

The same thing happened with the Zombie stopper video.

 

[Ncl1968]

Anybody notice op advertising Nike shirt..... Hmmmm

 

[yozzdi]

Preview of secret video of OP re-enacting the shooting of RS..............

https://au.news.yahoo.com/sunday-night/video/watch/24393536/exclusive-pistorius-video/



ETA: He moves a lot better on his stumps than the good professor has described

I think there is a good chance that Nel and the Professor will be talking about this video on Monday.

Nel just needs to ask him if he has heard about this video and if he's seen it. Odds are very high that someone is going to tell the professor about this video over the weekend and then he's one click away from seeing it. Nel can watch it and tell the professor about it. Fast walking vs "running" seems a moot point when the distances are so small.

 

[Interested Bystander]

In am in the UK. All I can find on Google is this. I cannot find Nel mentioned anywhere but I thought he was the Chief Prosecutor in Gauteng but maybe I am totally wrong.

http://www.npa.gov.za/ReadContent402.aspx

Edit

I think perhaps his title is far grander than in my post above.

http://whoswho.co.za/gerrie-nel-586516

 

[james83]

Probably not crucial but i would like to know what Oscar use to do if he needed to go to the toilet in the middle of the night, you would think if those tiles were so troublesome to him as claimed he would have some kind of rug like a runner over the tiles, or maybe some crutches he could use, or did he just put his legs on?.

 

[jay-jay]

Elaborate on who's idea was it for Reeva to stay the night… the evidence clearly shows that it was OP who was very insistent but OP said that it was Reeva's idea and that he acquiesced to it.

~rsbm~

It was quite clear that Reeva wanted to be heading back early that evening, in order to give her speech the next day because the journey/traffic would've been much more difficult had she left it until the next day .. not only that but her text to Gina indicated that she wasn't overly happy about not having been able to get back that night. Reeva had also said earlier that day that perhaps OP might like the company of his family that evening (after whatever that bad piece of news was) .. she didn't seem to have any intentions of staying over another night at that point, and it very much sounds like he coerced her into it.

 

[Marfa Lights]

Judge Chris Greenland's lastest videos re: A bump in the night......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO1obCEArHE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WE5nzW92GY

Thanks so much for posting these two interviews-- I feel better after watching them and having Judge Greenland reaffirm that the defense still needs to prove that Oscar's response to the "bump in the night" meets the test for "reasonable" behavior. Just because physically disabled persons might have a heightened "fight, flight or freeze" response when a threat is perceived, does not mean they are incapable of the same rational or reasonable interpretations as anyone else.

The defense has, IMO, failed with their assertion that Oscar should be entitled to an irrational and exaggerated response to perceived threat stimuli as a result of his purported previous experiences as a crime victim (PTSD/hyper-vigilance), and now after also failing with Dr. Vorster's diagnosis that his GAD excused his over-reactions, they are now trying to prove that as a physically disabled person, the heightened fight or flight responses of the primitive brain overwhelm his rational mind and compel his behavior beyond his control (borderline automatism/temporary insanity?).

As Judge Greenland pointed out, however, these claims should be Step #2 of the defense strategy-- what I would consider mitigating factors. Step #1 should be for them to prove that under the circumstances surrounding the events that night, Oscar behaved in the way we should expect a reasonable person to respond. Judge Greenland commented that no one actually believes that physically disabled persons are unable to reason-- and also, it is safe to presume, they are equally able to reasonably interpret the nature and degree of a perceived threat. Derman's testimony, with his series of "startles" that triggered OP's fight response, was simply a desperate attempt for the defense to link some mental incapacity to Oscar's physical disabilities and justify his actions that night.

I trust the court will focus on what Judge Greenland described as Step#1 and that Oscar will be held accountable for his own rational or irrational "perception" of the sounds in his bathroom that night. And as many have repeatedly asked, was it reasonable for Oscar to interpret the quite normal sounds of someone in his bathroom as a deadly threat when he was sharing his bed and bathroom suite with an overnight guest? Would a reasonable person have perhaps asked "Who's there?" instead of screaming "Get the **** out of my house" and firing four rounds at an unidentified target?

I, for one, am getting weary of the defense reaching to excuse the actions of a reckless, hot-tempered, trigger-happy, self-centered, sniveling jerk who, as a trained marksman, failed to properly identify and assess the perceived threat before using deadly force. (Forgive my emotional opinion.)

 

[04009margaret]

In am in the UK. All I can find on Google is this. I cannot find Nel mentioned anywhere but I thought he was the Chief Prosecutor in Gauteng but maybe I am totally wrong.

http://www.npa.gov.za/ReadContent402.aspx

Edit

I think perhaps his title is far grander than in my post above.

http://whoswho.co.za/gerrie-nel-586516

Well the NPA has his email address listed but it bounced LOL So don't know any other way to make sure he has seen this before Monday

 

[Interested Bystander]

Probably not crucial but i would like to know what Oscar use to do if he needed to go to the toilet in the middle of the night, you would think if those tiles were so troublesome to him as claimed he would have some kind of rug like a runner over the tiles, or maybe some crutches he could use, or did he just put his legs on?.

Again, Samantha Taylor would be able to answer that.