To do this, he has hired an extensive team of forensic experts to describe the events in the early hours of February 14, 2013, including an American animation firm that will visually depict the crime scene using three-dimensional computer generated images.
The experts will have to cast doubt on the state’s version of events, including testimony from witnesses who said they heard a woman screaming on the night of the murder, which would show Pistorius knew his target was Steenkamp.
Pistorius says he shot his girlfriend through a bathroom door after mistaking her for an intruder.
The judge adjourned the trial a week ago after a judicial assistant fell ill. Media interest in the case has slowly been declining, but Pistorius’s testimony is likely to grab global headlines.
The Pistorius testimony is expected to be particularly difficult for Steenkamp’s mother, June, who for the last weeks has sat through gruesome evidence, sometimes leaving the courtroom as graphic photos of the bloody crime scene were shown to the court.
When asked if the Steenkamp family is frustrated by the slow court proceedings, Dup De Bruyn, a lawyer representing the family, said no. “I’ve schooled them well,” he said. “They take it as it comes.”
The Steenkamps are seeking an out-of-court settlement with Pistorius for financial compensation following their daughter’s death, though negotiations have been postponed while the case is in court.
“That has been put on the back burner,” said De Bruyn, who is based in Port Elizabeth, a city in the Eastern Cape province.
Pistorius was recently spotted by local media lunching with his lawyers at an upmarket restaurant in Johannesburg.
Wearing a cream jacket and light blue shirt, the athlete laughed as he ate, a marked difference from his usual stressed appearance in court, where he is seen grinding his jaw throughout the proceedings.
The trial is slated to run to at least mid-May.
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