Everyone knows PayPal as a checkout button for online payments, but now you can use your PayPal debit card online and tap to pay in-store.The PayPal debit card is your ultimate pal in paying smart.Everywhere.
And now it earns you 5% cashback on a monthly category of your choosing.Restaurants, apparel, groceries, health and beauty, and gas.On up to $1,000 of monthly purchases.So let's do this.After the podcast.
Start earning 5% cash back with the PayPal debit card today.Don't just pay, PayPal.Terms apply.See PayPal app.This card is issued by the Bancorp Bank N.A.pursuant to license by MasterCard International Inc.
From the Scopes Monkey trial to OJ Simpson, trials have always made us reflect on the world we live in.I'm Mira Hayward, and my podcast, History on Trial, will explore fascinating trials from American history.
Join me in revealing the true story behind the headlines and discover how the legal battles of the past have shaped our present.
Listen and subscribe to History on Trial now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome back to Playing Dirty Sports Scandals.I'm your host, Jay Harris, ready to serve up a story that's gripped the entire world with its highs of human triumph and lows steeped in terrible tragedy.Is it a palatable tale?Absolutely not.
But I know you crave bold blends, and it's my job to deliver up all the juicy details. So drink up, and let's get a move on because today we need to keep pace with Oscar Pistorius, the South African sprinter known as the Blade Runner.
Oscar Pistorius shattered records and broke barriers by becoming the first amputee to compete in both the Paralympics and the Olympics, running on prosthetic blades that earned him both his nickname and a place in sports history.
But beneath the smile of this celebrated athlete, laid dangerous complexities that were destined to surface.From day one, it was clear that Oscar Pistorius would have obstacles to overcome.
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa on November 22, 1986, Oscar was born with fibular hemimelia, a rare congenital disorder that left him without fibulas in both legs. The fibula runs between the knee and ankle.
Beside the tibia and nowadays children born with fibular hemimelia typically undergo limb lengthening surgery as a first course of treatment.
But Oscar's parents, Hank and Sheila, took doctor's recommendations to amputate both of his legs below the knee when he was just 11 months old.
This severe surgery taking place before his first birthday would forever impact the trajectory of Oscar Pistorius' life.
Hank and Sheila Pistorius initially provided great stability for Oscar and his two siblings, an elder brother named Carl and a younger sister named Amy.
But despite the Pistorius family's proud Africana heritage infused with steadfast Christian values and financial affluence, life in Johannesburg during the 1980s and 1990s was tumultuous.
South Africa was transitioning from the oppressive regime of apartheid to a fully democratic society.The era was marked by both intense conflict and profound hope, with significant social and economic challenges.
Oscar's mother Sheila recognized the challenges of the time and taught her children to face adversity head on.
According to the Daily Mail, she even penned a motivational note for Oscar before his double amputation with a message he would be able to digest when he was older.It famously read, The real loser is not the one who crosses the finish line last.
The real loser is the one who sits on the side, the one who does not even try to compete. Sheila's words would indeed resonate with her son Oscar as he grew up in an uneasy society and ultimately an uneasy home.
By 1992, when Oscar was six years old, his parents Hank and Sheila Pistorius called it quits on their marriage.
While it's unclear what specifically precipitated their divorce, numerous news outlets from International Business Times UK to The Sun have since described Hank as a party animal with a taste for young women.
So we can speculate that Hank's Christian values may have taken a tumble when met with temptation. In any event, Hank left Sheila, who was unprepared to raise three children as a single mother.
According to Nation reporter Jeff Anthony, Sheila struggled in anguish as a single mother, raising Oscar and his siblings Amy and Carl with barely enough cash flow.
She was terrified of crime and lived in agitation of an intruder breaking into her home.This is because when Hank left, she and the children moved to a smaller home in a rougher neighborhood.
There were several break-ins, to which Sheila responded by taking an extreme precaution of sleeping with a loaded pistol under her pillow.Sheila also battled with an inner grief from her divorce that led to her solitary drinking.
Her addiction led to a liver complication. Watching his beloved mother's descent from a strong, can-do figure to an always worried single parent would forever strain Oscar's relationship with his father, Hank.
Hank, meanwhile, was seemingly unconcerned by his ex-wife's and children's struggles.He relocated himself 700 miles southeast of Johannesburg to the bustling coastal city of Port Elizabeth.
Hank would try to buy favor with his children, purchasing things like a small speedboat for them to use during visits, but Sheila was undoubtedly Oscar's rock.
Even as she faced her own demons, Sheila did her best to empower her children with strength.Oscar would recall a story about a boy who ripped all the buttons off his shirt at school.
When he came home that day, his mother told him not to let it happen again. So, when the boy ripped the buttons off Oscar's shirt a second time, Oscar got into his first fight.
When Sheila Pistorius was summoned by the headmaster, she defended Oscar for fighting and then sent the shirt to the boy's mother to sew the buttons back on.
My family always believed in standing up for yourself and standing up for what you believe in, Oscar explained.We were taught that you have got to cope. Part of Oscar's coping strategy was undoubtedly his engagement with sports.
From his early school years at Constantia Cluf Primary School to his early teens at the prestigious Pretoria Boys High School, Oscar participated in athletics.
Even with prosthetic legs, he played on his school's rugby team and, between the ages of 11 and 13, he even played tennis and water polo at the provincial levels.
But at age 15, while he was thriving athletically and academically as a boarding student at the prestigious Pretoria Boys High School, his foundation was shaken with the news of his mother's sudden life-threatening illness.
Initially misdiagnosed with hepatitis, Sheila's health took a terrible turn when she received the wrong medical treatment.
Realizing that Sheila was declining precipitously, her friend Jillian Silcock rushed her to the hospital and later told ENCA via the Epoch Times that Sheila had had a brain hemorrhage at that point, but she didn't go.
She didn't let go and go be with her dad in heaven until the boys, Oscar and Carl, got there. When her boys walked in, they were able to see her and say goodbye, and she waited.
Because after a short period of time, 15 minutes or so, she went, after her sons arrived.
It was March 6, 2002, and at just 15 years old, Oscar Pistorius said a final goodbye to his mother, Sheila, who had always stood steadfastly by him and profoundly shaped his upbringing.
He would say a quiet prayer for her before every competitive sports event for the rest of his life.In the wake of his mother's death, Oscar doubled down on his athletic pursuits.
Sport was my salvation as it helped me get through this difficult time, Oscar Pistorius wrote.My mother had been a strong woman, the center of my world.Sporting activity was the only thing that could distract me from such a loss.
Oscar trained incredibly hard.In fact, one trainer, Jannie Brooks, recalled how Oscar used his gym in Pretoria for six months boxing, skipping, and doing press-ups before Jannie realized Oscar had no legs.
It was remarkable and a testament to how Sheila Pistorius had raised her son.Oscar was just one of the bunch, Jannie said, doing everything in the gym at the same pace as everybody else.
a year after Sheila's death, hardship would strike Oscar yet again when he shattered his knee on the rugby pitch.This was an injury from which Oscar could not heal quickly.
In fact, he was now back under the care of the very same medics who had carried out his amputations at 11 months old. However, this period of enormous distress did come with a silver lining.
It was during his rehabilitation at the University of Pretoria's High Performance Center that he was advised to take up running to help his knee joint recover.
And the timing of this recommendation was kismet, because Chris Hadding, a longtime family friend of the Pistorius' and design engineer, was now working for a U.S.firm focused on developing new, lighter prosthetics.
When Chris learned that Oscar had taken up running, he invited him to the U.S.to try the cutting-edge Flexfoot Cheetah Blades manufactured by Ossur, a company well-established for non-invasive orthopedic braces.It was a game-changer for Oscar.
As reported by the BBC, three weeks after taking up sprinting with the Flexfoot Cheetah Blades, Oscar Pistorius ran his first 100m race.He won the race in a time faster than any double amputee had achieved before, 11.72 seconds.A star was born.
Oscar quickly realized that pivoting to sprinting was not just part of his physical rehabilitation, it was his future.
His unique running style and the sounds of his artificial limbs hitting the synthetic rubber track became symbolic of his resilience. 2004 proved to be a pivotal year for the now 17-year-old Oscar.
He burst onto the international scene at the Athens Paralympics, where he won the gold medal in the 200 meters and set a new Paralympic record with a world-best time of 21.97 seconds. His performance was more than a victory.
It was a statement to the world that disability did not define ability.It was in Athens that Oscar gained the nickname which would follow him evermore, Blade Runner.Now, for many people, Oscar the Blade Runner was an inspiration, period.
But for others, his win at the Athens Paralympics sparked a broader controversy about the intersection of technology, ability, and competition. Oscar's use of cutting-edge prosthetic blades was viewed by some as an unfair advantage.
And so his signature blades become a heated point of debate as he expressed his desire to compete against able-bodied athletes.
If the blade legs did provide such an advantage that some of the people are claiming Oscar argued, then there will be a lot of amputees using the exact same prosthetic legs I have, running the exact same times I have.And that's not the case.
And so, ever his mother's son, Oscar pushed naysayers to the side and forged ahead with his ambition to compete against able-bodied athletes.His quest for parity would challenge the norms and rules of international sports.
In 2007, for example, Oscar set his sights on competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
This was an unprecedented goal for a double amputee and necessitated challenging the regulations of the International Association of Athletics Federations, which stipulated that his prosthetic limbs gave him an unfair advantage over able-bodied runners.
experts were divided.Some of them thought Oscar's blades gave him the ability to move in a way that no able-bodied person could, while others argued that the blades hindered him more than helped him.In the end, however, science broke it down.
The average elite male sprinter moves his leg from back to front in 37 hundredths of a second.The five most recent world record holders in the 100-meter dash average 34 hundredths of a second.
Oscar Pistorius could swing his leg in 28 hundredths of a second, largely because his prosthetics were lighter than a regular human leg.
With his rivals swinging lower legs with an average weight of 5.7 kilograms versus his lower prosthetic weight of 2.4 kilograms, Oscar did have an advantage, right?
wrong, because the blades didn't allow Oscar as much force in pushing off between strides.This, it was argued, was a disadvantage for Oscar that was more significant than any potential limb weight advantage he gained when competing.
If there's one thing that my family and friends know me for, it's being an amazing gift giver.I owe it all to Celebrations Passport from 1-800-Flowers.com, my one-stop shopping site that has amazing gifts for every occasion.
With Celebrations Passport, I get free shipping on thousands of amazing gifts.And the more gifts I give, the more perks and rewards I earn.To learn more and take your gift giving to the next level, visit 1-800-Flowers.com slash audio.
That's 1-800-Flowers.com slash audio.
In July 1881, a man walked into a train station, pulled out a gun, and shot the President of the United States.James Garfield's assassination horrified the American people, and they wanted his killer, Charles Guiteau, punished.
But Guiteau, many experts believed, was insane. What had seemed like a black and white case was now much grayer.Could the justice system truly deliver justice in a situation like this?Guiteau's trial was extraordinary, but not unique.
Important trials have always raised questions and made us reflect on the world we live in.I'm Mira Hayward, and I'm exploring the stories of these trials in my new podcast, History on Trial.
Every episode will cover a different trial from American history and reveal how the legal battles of the past have shaped our present.
Listen and subscribe to History on Trial, now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
And so, after a series of legal battles and scientific tests, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in Oscar Pistorius' favor in May 2008.CNN World Sports Don Riddell described the ruling in Oscar Pistorius' favor as groundbreaking.
And he was right.It was undeniably an historic moment for sport, opening doors for future athletes with disabilities to compete in mainstream events.
And it was a huge moment for Oscar Pistorius, whose international fame grew as his inspiring story became known globally.
Weeks after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in his favor, Oscar Pistorius was featured in the Time 100, which is Time magazine's list of the world's most influential people, where he was heralded for challenging perceptions of disability in sports.
This newfound prestige fueled Oscar's impact, turning him into an icon for millions around the world. The only disability in life is having a bad attitude, he quipped, to the delight of people grappling with disability and adversity generally.
Even though Oscar Pistorius missed qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Olympics by seven-tenths of a second, his tenacity had made him a gold medalist in the court of public opinion.
While Oscar was disappointed to not qualify for the Olympics, the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games were still in his sights.He competed in three events there, the 100m, 200m, and 400m.
Held at the iconic Bird's Nest Stadium, these Paralympic Games were a chance for Oscar to prove his mettle on the world stage once again, and he did not disappoint.Oscar's performances were nothing short of spectacular.
In the 100 meters, Oscar Pistorius blazed through the track, winning gold with a time of 11.17 seconds.In the 200 meters, he set a new Paralympic record, clinching another gold with a time of 21.67 seconds.
This victory highlighted his dominance in the sprint events.And in the 400 meters, Oscar capped off his Paralympic campaign with a third gold medal, finishing in 47.49 seconds.
Oscar Pistorius' success at the 2008 Paralympics solidified his status as a trailblazer and celebrity in the world of athletics.
His achievements in Beijing were celebrated around the world, inspiring countless individuals with disabilities to pursue their dreams. But Oscar's Olympic dreams were still unfulfilled.
His close but not quite qualifying for the able-bodied Olympics no doubt stung the man hailed for his near-Herculean determination.
Oscar threw himself into training, determined to qualify for the 2012 London Olympic Games even as his sponsorship deals and media appearances multiplied.
Tony Garrett, a Paralympic commentator, summed up the frenzied excitement around the young sprinter.
Oscar, with his personality, athletic prowess and the fact that he was trying to compete in the able-bodied Olympics, made him the big breakthrough name.
who brought sponsorship in Paralympic sport to the next level internationally, Tony Garrett told the BBC.And Tony was right on the mark.
It was later revealed by a market realist that Oscar was earning approximately $2 million a year, largely derived from sponsorships. He was also earning accolades on the track and ultimately all his hard work paid off.
Oscar qualified for the Olympics.On August 4th, 2012, he made history in London by becoming the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics by running in an opening heat of the men's 400-meter event.
He finished second in his heat with a season-best time of 45.44 seconds, which advanced him to the semifinals. It's just an unbelievable experience," Oscar said shortly after his first Olympic race.
I found myself smiling on the starting blocks, which is very rare.And although he finished last in the semifinal round with a time of 46.54 seconds, what he achieved was remarkable.
Five days later, Oscar's Olympics would continue with the South African relay team's 4x400m race.
On August 9, 2012, during the first semi-final, a collision caused by Kenyan runner Vincent Kilu led to the South African team's second leg runner, Ofense Magawane, falling to the track with a dislocated left shoulder before he could hand over to Oscar.
South African officials acted promptly, citing interference to the International Association of Athletics Federation, or IAAF, and lodging an appeal.When the IAAF upheld this appeal, Oscar was ecstatic to have a renewed chance at meddling in London.
It's on, tweeted Oscar after the favorable decision was announced by the jury of appeal.We are in the final.Team management protested as Offense was taken out and we have been given Lane 9.
While South Africa finished eighth in a field of nine and Oscar Pistorius did not ultimately medal in London, his participation at the Olympics was a game-changer for athletes with disabilities, was a unifying moment for South Africans regardless of their political affiliations, and fulfilled his personal dream to compete against the world's top able-bodied runners.
As a nod to his tremendous journey, Oscar was chosen to carry the South African flag during the closing ceremony of the 2012 Games, underscoring his personal role as a trailblazer and inspiration.
After the Olympic Games, 25-year-old Oscar Pistorius was on top of the world.His endorsement shot up in price, with brands like Nike, Oakley, and BT eager to ink deals.
Public speaking opportunities were endless, and he advocated heavily for technological advancements and policy changes to promote inclusion in sports at all levels.Everyone knew who he was.Oscar Pistorius was a beloved man.
The cracks first started to publicly show in Oscar Pistorius' façade of perfection at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, which was also held in London.
Once again, Oscar demonstrated his exceptional athletic prowess, competing in the 4x100m relay as well as the 100m, 200m and 400m races in the T4-4 classification,
which is the sports classification which applies to athletes with single below-knee amputation or who can walk with moderately reduced function in one or both legs.
While Oscar dominated in the 400m winning gold and setting a new Paralympic record with a time of 46.68 seconds, in the 200m he was defeated by Brazil's Alan Oliveira who also ran on blades.
Faced with losing to another blade runner, a stunned Oscar Pistorius struck out, publicly questioning the legitimacy of Alan Oliveira's blade length immediately after the race.
He hit out at the International Paralympic Committee for failing to act over the length of some athletes' blades and to the public.It very much seemed as though their golden boy was being a sore loser.
Oscar seemingly realized that his public image had taken a hit because he tried to roll back his vitriol in a statement to the Press Association Sport, saying, I would never want to detract from another athlete's moment of triumph and I want to apologize for the timing of my comments after yesterday's race.
I do believe that there is an issue here and I welcome the opportunity to discuss it with the International Paralympic Committee. but I accept that raising these concerns immediately as I stepped off the track was wrong.
That was Alan's moment, and I would like to put on record the respect I have for him.
The International Paralympic Committee shot back quickly, stating that all athletes competing in the men's 200-meter T-44 final were checked by international classifiers in the call room ahead of the race.
All blades were within the regulations outlined in the IPC Athletics Classification Handbook.
and Alan Oliveira himself expressed sadness that Oscar Pistorius had tarnished his gold medal win, explaining that the two had frequently competed and been friends prior to the 200m race.
The situation between Oscar and I is grim, Alan confessed to the BBC.Now Oscar passes me and does not talk to me.
Oscar's mood, while certainly not improved by losing to Allen in the 200-meter race at the 2012 Paralympics, had generally soured as his fame grew.Oscar's lifestyle and image changed and clearly something got to him and he wasn't the same person.
There were so many demands on his time, commentator Tony Garrett recalled.I think he let rip every so often and he wouldn't have done that a few years ago. Other people who knew Oscar Pistorius agreed with Tony's assessment.
Sports journalist Graham Jaffe, for one, co-owned a racehorse named Tiger Canyon with Oscar and three others.
The two had been acquainted for 13 years, and Graham had always been impressed by Oscar's personality, which he described as confident and friendly.
But when Graham met up with Oscar alongside the other racehorse owners in 2012, he noticed a clear shift in his demeanor. I immediately thought there was something about Oscar that had changed," Graham said.
He was a different man to the one I had interviewed so many times in the sense that he was a bit standoffish and a little bit cold, not his usual warm self.
He was showing a spoiled brat attitude that came out at the Paralympics in 2012 when he embarrassed the country.And it wasn't just Oscar's attitude that had become problematic.
The famed sprinter had also become increasingly reckless, as was evidenced by his dangerous handling of a speedboat on the Vaal River, resulting in a need for him to be airlifted, placed on a ventilator, and rushed into surgery.
He recovered physically from that accident, but his increased tendency towards danger continued to manifest in an ever-growing attraction to firearms.
Oscar became a frequent visitor to shooting ranges and his social media often featured photos and video clips of his sessions.In one such video, Oscar was seen firing at a watermelon, which exploded as the athlete hit it dead center.
Then, a voice which sounds very much like Oscar's is heard saying, it's not as soft as brains, but it's a zombie stopper, as his entourage shrieked with laughter. Now, some have argued it was always probable for Oscar to develop a fixation with guns.
First, there were his memories of his mother Sheila always keeping a gun close at hand for protection after his father Hank left.And second, the reality is that guns are a part of life in South Africa.
High crime rates make personal security a significant concern for many citizens.According to the BBC, there are more than 2.7 million legal gun owners in South Africa, which is roughly 8% of the adult population.
Now, this statistic pales in comparison to gun ownership in the USA, which was at 32% of the adult population as of 2023.But the big difference is that in South Africa, violent crime rates are significantly higher.
Last year, there were 15,940 murders in South Africa versus 12,996 murders in the United States. When you adjust those figures for population, that puts South Africa's murder rate per million people at 318.86 versus the U.S.
murder rate per million people at 42.01.That is a massive difference. Understanding that South Africa's bullet-heavy culture was ingrained in Oscar Pistorius is significant.
He was not an outlier for having a private arsenal and engaging in routine shooting practice.
In South Africa's climate of heightened security concerns, it isn't at all uncommon for households, and especially households in wealthier neighborhoods such as the Oscars, to employ extensive security measures including alarm systems, high fences, having guns on site at the ready, and professional armed response services on call.
Oscar had grown up in an environment where fear loomed and, as his sprinting wins made him a household name, increased career pressure and concerns about personal safety may well have started to shake his pedestal.
From the outside looking in, however, Oscar Pistorius seemed to have found his anchor in November 2012, when he started dating 29-year-old model, reality TV star, and law graduate Reva Steenkamp.
Reva had it all, brains, beauty, and a winning personality.Local media rushed to compare their relationship to the likes of David and Victoria Beckham. Riva was not arm candy for Oscar, she had her own achievements and a promising future.
Riva's friend from Port Elizabeth's Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Carrie Smith, described Riva as more than just a pretty face, she had a beautiful heart and ambition.
Carrie also said that Riva aspired to use her legal degree to help women in abusive situations, alleging that Riva had come out of an abusive relationship with the jockey Wayne Agrella prior to dating Oscar.
Now Wayne Agrella has adamantly denied Carey's claim, but Carey told the BBC that, for Reva, I think with Wayne it was mainly mental.I don't know that he was physically abusive, but definitely emotionally abusive.
When she was with Wayne, she always felt she had to cover up. She would always be on these fad diets with him.She lost a lot of weight.It wasn't a healthy relationship.
When she moved to Johannesburg, we were grateful because it meant she would be free from him."Was Carey's assessment of Reva's previous long-term relationship accurate?
Later, Reva Steenkamp's sister Simone would tell the Sydney Morning Herald the exact opposite. saying that Riva didn't know anything about volatile relationships and fighting.She was beautiful and much loved.
She had had a few boyfriends and they remained close even after the romance was over.
Regardless of Riva's dating history, where differing accounts from her friends and family members make an objectively true account elusive, one thing that cannot be denied is that Oscar Pistorius' dating history was volatile, violent, and egregiously under-reported.
According to Oscar's ex-girlfriend Samantha Taylor, who dated him for 18 months before he cheated on her with Reva, Oscar would bite and pinch her, leaving her scarred and bruised.
He also allegedly locked her in his house with no food and on one occasion, because she was so frightened of his temper, she hid his gun from him.
According to Reva Steenkamp's mother, June, even in the early days of her daughter's relationship with Oscar Pistorius, Reva saw red flags.As reported by The Guardian, Reva told Oscar on more than one occasion that she was scared of him.
Text messages from Reva to Oscar included statements like, I'm scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me and how you will react to me.
Far from the glittering lights of the star-studded events they attended together, the relationship between Oscar and Reva was becoming increasingly worrisome.
According to The Independent, there was a time when Reva called her mother June on the phone terrified to say that Oscar was driving dangerously at 161 miles per hour with her in the car.
And Bustle reported that, according to June Steenkamp, by month three of the relationship, Reva was looking for a way out.In fact, June told The Times that Reva had confided to me that she hadn't slept with Oscar.
They'd shared a bed, but she was scared to take the relationship to that level.She didn't want to sleep with Oscar if she wasn't sure.June further noted that in her opinion, as Riva's mother, the relationship was done.
In her heart of hearts, Riva didn't think the relationship was making either of them happy.But be that as it may, Oscar Pistorius had a terrible temper.He didn't like to lose, and the situation was a powder keg waiting to explode.
February 13, 2013 allegedly began like any other day for Oscar Pistorius and Reva Steenkamp.They woke up in their mansion in the prestigious gated Pretoria Community Silverwoods Estate.
Reva was preparing for a scheduled speech about empowering women.Oscar claims to have spent his morning training. As night fell, the couple allegedly decided to stay in for a quiet dinner at home.
There are no reports of visitors or unusual activities at the home during the evening.Security footage and electronic communications from the day indicate nothing whatsoever out of the ordinary.Now this is where February 13th, 2013 derails.
This is Oscar Pistorius' account of what happened. Oscar claims that by around 10pm, he and Riva were in their bedroom where she was practicing yoga and he was watching television.
He claims that his prosthetic legs were off as he generally slept without them.He arranged two fans in the doorway leading out to the balcony because their air conditioning wasn't working.They both fell asleep shortly thereafter.
During the early morning hours of February 14th, Valentine's Day, Oskar says he woke up because the bedroom was hot and humid.Oskar claimed that Riva had also woken up and asked him, you can't sleep Baba?
Realizing that neither of them would be able to sleep unless the room was cooled down, Oscar says he got up without his legs on and moved the fans from the balcony doorway to inside the bedroom.
He then pulled the curtains tight to block a slim bit of light that was peeping through and moved Reva's jeans from the floor to cover a small LED light that was bothering him on an amplifier.
However, before he finished covering the LED light, he heard the sound of a window opening in the bathroom. Oscar claims that he believed the noise was from an intruder who was in the house, possibly via a ladder to the window.
Still on his stumps, Oscar says he retrieved his gun from beneath the left side of the bed.He claims to have whispered to Reva to call the police, and then moved into the hallway leading to the bathroom with the gun pointed in front of him.
Oscar says he then leaned against the hallway wall for better stability on his stumps.He yelled for the person to get out of his house and yelled for Reva to call the police.
Oscar claims he felt vulnerable on his stumps and he feared that someone was about to come out of the bathroom when he heard the sound of wood moving and thought the door was opening.
He describes having been overcome with fear in this moment and reacted by firing four shots in quick succession through the bathroom door.Due to the close-range gunshots, Oscar says his ears were ringing and he was unable to hear anything.
Then, Oscar retreated back down the hallway to the bed. Still aiming his gun at the bathroom in case an intruder emerged, Oscar says he felt for Reva in the bed in the dark and didn't find her there.
He thought she might be hiding on the floor or behind the curtains, so he checked both places.This, Oscar says, was the haunting moment when he first suspected that Reva may have been in the bathroom.
He described it as the moment when everything changed. Oscar says he moved as quickly as he could back to the bathroom door, still holding the gun, and tried the doorknob.
When he found the door was locked, he says he went back to the bedroom, put on his legs, opened the curtains to the balcony while screaming for God to help him.Then, with his legs on, he slammed into the bathroom door with his body.
When that was unsuccessful, Oscar says he got a cricket bat and smashed a hole in the bathroom door so he could reach in, pick up a key from the floor, and let himself in.
Once inside the bathroom, Oscar says he discovered Reva Steenkamp slumped over the toilet.He sat over her and cried.Then he ran to the left side of his bed to retrieve his phone and returned to Reva's body, where he called a neighbor at 3.19 a.m.
At 3.20am he phoned the ambulance service, and at 3.21am he called security at his estate.Then Oscar Pistorius says he picked up Reva Steenkamp and took her downstairs near the front door.
When the neighbor arrived, Oscar had his fingers in Reva's mouth to keep her airway open and a hand on her hip to try and staunch the bleeding. When police and paramedics arrived, they asked Oscar to move away from Riva and wait in the kitchen.
Soon after, a paramedic informed Oscar that Riva was dead.Oscar next asked the police if he could wash his bloody hands because the smell was making him feel ill.
About two hours later, he requested that the police take whatever photos of him were needed so he could remove his blood-soaked clothing.
then Oscar Pistorius, the Blade Runner, the toast of the sports world, found himself handcuffed and charged with murder.Police just couldn't see how Oscar's story added up.Why had Riva apparently locked herself in the bathroom?
Why was a duvet strewn on the floor in the bedroom indicating the couple had been arguing rather than in bed as Oscar claimed? Why did multiple neighbors say they heard arguing from the house before the gunshots?
Oscar's account of what had happened was highly improbable, authorities said, if not outright impossible.
The terrible crime was a pivotal moment that would spark a global media frenzy and televised court battles probing deep into issues of gun control, disability rights, and domestic violence.
The once-celebrated athlete, Oscar Pistorius, watched his career and public image unravel overnight.
The Steenkamp family mourned the loss of their beloved, talented daughter, Reva, who had done absolutely nothing wrong, yet had her entire future stolen.
Join me, your host, Jay Harris, as I swill up and serve out the rest of this tragic story next week on Playing Dirty, Sports Scandal.
Playing Dirty Sports Scandals is a production of Dan Patrick Productions, Never Ever Productions, and Workhouse Media, from executive producers Dan Patrick, Paul Anderson, Nick Piniella, Maya Glickman, and Jennifer Clary.Hosted by Jay Harris.
Written and produced by Jen Brown, Francie Hakes, Maya Glickman, and Jennifer Clary.
From the Scopes Monkey trial to OJ Simpson, trials have always made us reflect on the world we live in.I'm Mira Hayward, and my podcast, History on Trial, will explore fascinating trials from American history.
Join me in revealing the true story behind the headlines and discover how the legal battles of the past have shaped our present.
Listen and subscribe to History on Trial now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
The Dan Patrick Show
