Oscar Pistorius Formally Indicted For Premeditated Murder.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2396965/Tearful-Oscar-Pistorius-charged-court-murdering-girlfriend-Reeva-Steenkamp-trial-date-set-March.html

Do you agree it was premeditated murder or perhaps an accident in the heat of the moment?

[jackthehat]

I agree that I'll wait until all the evidence has been presented before deciding what I think....

[jno]

no comment as I do not want my allegations to reach the ears of South African jurors, who may be scouring the internet for advice.

[friedgreentomato]

I think I will wait for the full evidence to be presented then I will make an informed and correct judgement.

[sp1814]

Speculation at this point would be moot, and misguided.

[ummmm]

I think it was either a premeditated murder or an accident.

[Octavius]

Well he definitely did it. On purpose, or by accident.

[anotheoldgit]

Well that sems to be the end of a suggested debate on a topical news story, thank you for your valuable input.

AB Editor can you now remove this thread because it seems to be taking up valuable space on the News section of AnswerBank.

[Hypognosis]

This article mentions the possibility of 'roid rage' (roid as in steroid)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/oscar-pistorius-involved-in-freak-gun-accident-weeks-before-reeva-steenkamp-shot-8499113.html

Other items which came up based on my search terms include headlines along the lines of acquiring the gun (or applying for the licence, at least) as few as 6 weeks' prior to her death.

I don't like to prejudge things but it's going to take some heavy duty convincing evidence to tip those scales in his favour against circumstantial stuff like this.

Actually his predicament is a perfect case in point for the question of whether the concept of "a fair trial" is a busted flush, in the modern age. Where could you find a juror uncontaminated by this level of TV/press coverage?

[jim360]

It is a topical news story, and if we had met in the pub and you'd brought this topic up, I'd probably talk about it for ages, combined with asides about gun ownership in general, how guns never made anyone safer really, etc. But because this is a public forum and the trial is ongoing, it would be unwise I think to discuss this in any great detail. Inevitably the jurors are likely to have looked up details of the case, and perhaps even opinions and so on from all sorts of websites. Perhaps not this one, but why take chances? Until the case comes to trial and the jury reaches a verdict I'd rather not discuss this trial in the public domain.

[jackthehat]

Since this unfortunate incident, we seem to have had many contradictory 'facts' broadcast to us.

I simply am unable to decide, on the evidence presented thusfar, whether I believe him to be guilty as charged, or not. At the conclusion of the prosecution and defence cases, I shall be in a better position to do so.

Anything before that time will be prejudice/speculation at best.

[Mattk]

Premeditated murder? No.

Accident? Most likely.
An argument where the red mist descended and he regretted his actions instantly but he must pay the price.

[murraymints]

Why was she behind a locked door with more than one mobile phone if not trying to get help ?.....I don't think it was an accident, he fired at the door in a rage trying to stop her, maybe he didn't mean to kill just get through door but kill he did !

[ummmm]

//An argument where the red mist descended and he regretted his actions instantly//

That's not an accident then...

[kylesmum]

Just as an aside, South Africa doesn't have trial by Jury, it was abolished in 1969.
The Judge is effectively 'Judge and Jury'.

[anotheoldgit]

Seems strange on some's cautiously approach to this case, regarding making judgement either way, and yet the same kind of caution hasn't been shown towards those two 'accused' Drug smugglers?

/// They claimed when stopped that they were backpacking - not a backpack between them and too short a time in Peru to do any actual backpacking!! ///

Now if that doesn't sound like a judgement of guilty before a trial, I don't know what does?

[ummmm]

Murder and drug smuggling are two completely different crimes.

[jackthehat]

Are the same people making those two separate style of comments, AOG, or are different people making them?

If it is the latter, what is your point?

[Old_Geezer]

It may or may not have been premeditated murder. It was certainly no accident. No one shoots blindly through a door at someone, whether they know who it is or not, unless they were hoping to maim or kill them. At best it surely would be manslaughter, at worst murder.