"Oscar Pistorius trial to start in S. Africa" Associated Press, March 03, 2014
JOHANNESBURG — Oscar Pistorius will go on trial on Monday, but some experts say that even if the double-amputee runner is acquitted of murdering his girlfriend, he could still be vulnerable to a manslaughter conviction.
That’s because, they say, the Olympic athlete violated a basic tenet of gun-handling by shooting into a closed door without knowing — at least, by his account — who was behind it. Pistorius says he thought Reeva Steenkamp was a nighttime intruder in his home.
South Africa has stringent laws regulating the use of lethal force for self-protection. The nation’s criminal justice system will be under a global spotlight during the Pistorius trial, which has some parallels with the O.J. Simpson case 20 years ago because of the celebrity factor, the sensational allegations, and the fascination of people around the world.
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Also see:
Oscar Pistorius trial begins with not guilty plea
Witness weeps at Oscar Pistorius’s murder trial
Witness: Oscar Pistorius prayed over his shot girlfriend
Witness: Oscar Pistorius said everything was ‘fine’
Sports Log: Oscar Pistorius trial includes potentially damaging testimony
Oscar Pistorius’s character questioned over gun incident
Oscar Pistorius vomits amid graphic testimony
