Oscar Pistorius, the South African Paralympian, officially gave his testimony of what happened the night he killed his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, during a hearing in a packed courtroom on Tuesday.
State Prosecutor Gerrie Nel opposed bail, saying Pistorius pre-meditated the murder of his girlfriend.
Pistorius said in his that everything was well between the couple and they shared a dinner on Feb. 13, followed by Steenkamp doing some yoga while he watched television in bed. They then went to bed at around 10 pm.
In his affidavit, Pistorius said he was awoken in "early hours" of Feb. 14 after hearing a noise and had gone to his balcony to bring in a fan, closing the sliding door, blinds and curtains behind him, according to a local paper, the Mail & Guardian.
"I heard a noise in the bathroom and realized that someone was in the bathroom," he stated. "I felt a sense of terror rushing through me. There are no burglar bars across the bathroom window and I knew that contractors had left the ladders outside. Although I did not have my prosthetic legs on I have mobility on my stumps."
He went on to say that he believed there was a burglar in his house which is not common in South Africa, a country with one of the highest crime rates in the world. "I was too scared to switch a light on. I grabbed my 9mm pistol from underneath my bed. On my way to the bathroom I screamed words to the effect for him/her to get out of my house and for Reeva to phone the police. It was pitch dark in the bedroom and I thought Reeva was in bed."
Pistorius then stated that he "noticed that my bathroom window was open. I realised that the intruder/s was/were in the toilet because the toilet door was closed and I did not see anyone in the bathroom. I heard movement inside the toilet. The toilet is inside the bathroom and has a separate door."
"It filled me with horror and fear of an intruder or intruders being inside the toilet. I thought he or they must have entered through the unprotected window. As I did not have my prosthetic legs on and felt extremely vulnerable I knew I had to protect Reeva and myself. I believed that when the intruder/s came out of the toilet, we would be in grave danger. I felt trapped as my bedroom door was locked and I have limited mobility on my stumps."
As Pistorius appeared in court, the family of Steenkamp held a private memorial service for her where her body was cremated in the presence of family members and close friends.
Meanwhile, Gerrie Nel, the prosecutor said Steenkamp had been shot three times in the small bathroom behind a closed door where she was cowering. Neighbors report hearing shouting coming from the home before the gunshots went off suggesting the couple were in the midst of a fight.
He dismissed Pistorius's claim that he thought she was a burglar as "all part of the pre-planning". He asked: "Why would a burglar lock himself inside the bathroom?"
