Pistorius neighbour claims she heard fight on night of killing
A SECOND neighbour of Oscar Pistorius says she was woken by the sound of raised voices on the night the Paralympic star is accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Estelle van der Merwe, who lives in the same gated estate as South African Pistorius, told a Pretoria court yesterday that she put a pillow over her head to block out the noise.
Pistorius denies murder and says that he shot Steenkamp through a bathroom door in the early hours of Valentine’s Day last year in the mistaken belief that she was an intruder.
Van Merwe said: “It seemed like somebody was involved in a fight. People were talking in loud voices.” She added that the row lasted around an hour, after which she heard four loud sounds.
Earlier, defence lawyer Barry Roux questioned another neighbour’s testimony that she heard Steenkamp scream in between shots being fired. Roux argued that Michelle Burger could not have heard Steenkamp as the victim was in a toilet with the window closed.
The high-profile trial of the double amputee athlete, known by fans as Blade Runner, started on Monday and is expected to last three weeks.
The state claims Pistorius, 27, “intentionally and unlawfully” killed 29-year-old Steenkamp.