The internationally acclaimed double-amputee sprinter pumped four bullets through the door and into the helpless blond beauty, a neighbor told a South African newspaper.
Details of the Valentine’s Day murder emerged as Pistorius sobbed inside a South African courtroom before prosecutors alleged the shooting of Reeva Steenkamp was a cold-blooded killing.
The gorgeous model was slain two hours after police were called to Pistorius’ upscsale home over a loud fight involving the couple, the daily newspaper Beeld reported Friday.
Steenkamp, 29, later fled to the bathroom in her boyfriend’s house before she was shot through the closed door with a 9-mm. handgun.
She was struck in the head, chest, pelvis and hand, the newspaper said. Steenkamp and the Olympian began dating about four months ago.
Security guards in Pistorius’ gated Pretoria community found him sitting alongside the bloody body in the bathroom — with the four bullet holes obvious in the door, the neighbor told Beeld. The pair were alone in the house at the time of the killing. The suspected murder weapon was recovered at the scene.
Prosecutors, in a stunning move, announced the six-time Paralympic gold medalist faced charges of premeditated murder in the predawn shooting.
If convicted, the 26-year-old Pistorius faces at least 25 years in jail. South Africa does not have the death penalty.
The shooting reverberated across South Africa, where Pistorius — dubbed the “Blade Runner” for his prosthetic legs — is a national hero, and around the globe, where he was a symbol of courage and determination.
An ex-girlfriend of Pistorius took to Twitter to defend the sprinter-turned-suspect, insisting he had no history of violence toward women.
“I would just like to say, I have dated Oscar on/off for 5 YEARS, NOT ONCE has he EVER lifted a finger to me, made me fear for my life,” said Jenna Edkins.
“All I am saying is let him speak, let his side be heard without jumping to conclusions. Love and thoughts to Reeva’s family.”
But another former ex called Pistorius a “player.” Samantha Taylor, who dated Pistorius before she said he left her for Steenkamp, said, “Oscar is certainly not what people think he is. We dated for a year-and-a-half.”
She said Pistorius had a “way with women” and that Steenkamp was “probably not the only one he’s got.”
Taylor’s father also weighed in on Pistorius’ dark side.
“I have no sympathy for Oscar. I am just glad that my daughter is safe and that she got out of the relationship in time,” Henry Taylor was quoted in Beeld.
Former soccer player Mark Batchelor revealed he received an angry call from Pistorius after the Olympian discovered Taylor had become involved with multimillionaire TV producer Quinton van den Bergh.
Pistorius threatened to break Bergh’s legs and phoned the producer’s friends, including Batchelor, and patronizingly called him “boy” and swore at him, Batchelor told the Saturday Star.
During Pistorius’ 40-minute court appearance, he clutched his head in his hands as his shoulders heaved.
The overwrought defendant did not speak or enter a plea during his appearance.Shortly after the emotional courtroom scene, the Pistorius family released a statement challenging the charges.
“The alleged murder is disputed in the strongest terms,” the seven-paragraph statement said without elaborating.
Pistorius “has made it very clear that he would like to send his deepest sympathies to the family of Reeva. . . . Our thoughts and prayers today should be for Reeva and her family.”
Pistorius returned to his jail cell after his bail hearing was postponed until Tuesday. Prosecutors will argue for his continued incarceration, and he will remain behind bars at a Pretoria police station.
Steenkamp’s body was flown to her hometown of Port Elizabeth. She will be cremated during a private ceremony on Tuesday, the same day Pistorius is expected back in court for her murder.
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