March 1, 2013

Oscar Pistorius: Accident or Murder?

Are you keeping up with the Oscar Pistorius/Reeva Steenkamp case?  Surely I am not the only one who drew similarities from this case with the O.J. Simpson case or even the Jeffrey MacDonald case.

Right off the bat (no pun intended), I will tell you what I think happened based on what information is known now.  I don't think Pistorius and Reeva went to bed that night.  It's been rumored that Reeva was found in the yoga clothing she was wearing earlier in the afternoon/evening which would indicate they had not been in bed asleep, as Pistorius states.  The neighbors allegedly claim they heard sounds of a verbal argument.  I think these two got into a fight - - over what, who knows for sure?  It was Valentine's Day; perhaps one wanted to break off with the other or slow things down.  Regardless, at some point the cricket bat came out and was used.  If Reeva was indeed found to have a skull fracture (there is so much misinformation in the media right now, who knows), I think Pistorius hit her with it.  If not, she may very well have picked it up to defend herself and struck him with it. 

Given that Pistorius has a reputation in South Africa and in the Olympic community as a real douchebag - - and has a previous incident with domestic-type abuse - - I think it would infuriate him to be struck by a woman (shades of Jeffrey MacDonald, anyone?)  His high tempered reaction would have been to either strike her back or to pick up a gun and shoot her.  Somewhere in there Reeva would have run to the bathroom and locked the door, seeking to protect herself and was then shot multiple times through the door. 

Either Pistorius calmed down and, realizing what he'd done, intended to make the intruder story fit the scene and bashed down the door with the bat or he did it out of rage and was going to carry Reeva's body out of his house and dispose of her somewhere.  He was spotted by neighbors carrying her down the stairs, which makes little sense unless he was going to meet arriving emergency services (that he did not call immediately) or get rid of her.

 His entire story seems manufactured to me.  If you are so worried about intruders, would you really go to sleep with your sliding door open?  If you did hear a noise and get up to close the door, wouldn't you notice your girlfriend being gone from the bed you share?  And wouldn't your first instinct upon believing an intruder is in the house be to wake your sleeping girlfriend and then call the police?  Why would an intruder be lurking in the bathroom if they supposedly entered your home through your bedroom?  Did they have to take a pee break?  Or maybe a quick shower?  If Reeva did indeed get up to use the bathroom, why would she lock the door?  And if she was found in her yoga attire, did she get up and change out of her nightclothes and into them before proceeding to the bathroom? 

Most importantly, if Pistorius had indeed shot her accidentally, multiple times, why didn't he call for an ambulance immediately?    Why would he call friends or family first?  Wouldn't your first instinct be to save this person's life by either performing CPR or calling for people that are trained to save lives?  And why wouldn't he do this on the bathroom floor versus carrying her downstairs?

Pistorious seems not only like a violent piece of work but a narcissist as well.  I don't expect him to admit that he had an extreme reaction due to the steroids supposedly found in his house, lashed out and killed her.  I expect he will stick with this ridiculous story of an intruder, all while keeping his PR team busy expounding on how devastated he is over the loss of his "partner".  I am sure that we will eventually hear about how difficult this has been on him.  Maybe he could be shipped over here to the States and given a cell to share with Jeffrey MacDonald and both of them can bemoan how victimized they've been.

Jeffrey MacDonald: Killer Husband, Killer Father

Every February 17 I spend in contemplation about the victims of Jeffrey MacDonald.  As a true crime "afficionado" (for lack of better word), I have read a lot of cases and yet this one - - known as the Fatal Vision case by most - - has stuck with me and affected me the most.  I didn't know the victims - - I was not yet two years old at the time of the murders, my family didn't know them and I have absolutely no connection other than one that was conceived when I saw the miniseries back in 1984 or 1985 and then read Joe McGinniss' excellent book on the case.  It sprouted a seed that still lives on today, that has caused me to reread Fatal Vision many times, as well as every other book written on the case and many articles both in print and online.

Despite MacDonald's vast number of supporters, there really isn't a mystery here.  The physical evidence says that MacDonald killed his pregnant wife and two young daughters.  His own words are damning and incriminating.  And yet so many - - myself included - - have become obsessed with this case, desperately wanting to know what happened, how it happened and why

There is so much information and topics with regard to this case that I cannot simply make one post as I did with the Betty Broderick case.  So I am going to break down what I can and devote a post to each subject.  I will include the facts, as well as what is in dispute and, of course, my opinion.  I welcome any and all comments. 

For Colette, Kimberley and Kristen MacDonald, as well as the unborn baby boy Colette was carrying at the time of her death, you will never be forgotten.