Oscar Pistorius, the South African double amputee track star accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend, said it planned to charge him with "premeditated murder," the most serious murder charge under the country's criminal law.
Pistorius, 26, made his first appearance in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Friday where he appeared with his family and was weeping after the prosecutor read the charges. He is accused of shooting his model and law graduate girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The Olympic and Paralympic superstar faces life in prison if found guilty. Pistorius did not enter a plea but a statement issued by his family which said the charge was disputed "in the strongest possible terms".
"He (Pistorius) has made it very clear that he would like to send his deepest sympathies to the family of Reeva," the statement said, in the first message attributed to him since his arrest.
"Our thoughts and prayers today should be for Reeva and her family - regardless of the circumstances of this terrible, terrible tragedy," it said.
A local newspaper, Beeld, said Steenkamp was shot four times, in the head, chest, pelvis and hand. Early reports of the shooting suggested Pistorius may have mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder, but police said neighbors had heard noises before the shots and there had been previous "domestic" incidents at the house.
Pistorius will remain in custody at a police station and not in prison until further notice.
The murder has left the country stunned as they regard Oscar Pistorius a national hero and known as "blade runner" because of the carbon fiber prosthetic blades he races in. He was born without a fibula in both legs and had his legs amputated below the knee before his first birthday.
