Oscar Pistorius indicted for murder, trial begins March 3
South African track star Oscar Pistorius will go on trial in March on charges he killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, at his home earlier this year.
Pistorius appeared in a Pretoria court Monday, where he was officially charged with murder.
A magistrate said the trial will begin March 3 and run nearly three weeks.
Pistorius will remain free on bail until the trial date.
Pistorius, 26, was handed a copy of the indictment and the court adjourned on Monday in Pretoria.
"Mr Pistorius, the matter is then transferred to the High Court and is scheduled to start on the 3rd of March 2014 and will run until the 20th of March 2014," Desmond Nair, the magistrate, said.
The sprint star walked into the court on Monday wearing a black suit and light blue shirt, and started praying with his sister Aimee and brother Carl, holding hands with them and crying.
The indictment papers are expected to include a list of witnesses to be called by the prosecution and detail some of the evidence police investigators have gathered in the six months since Pistorius shot Steenkamp in a bathroom in his home on Valentine\’s Day.
The statement, from the office of South Africa\’s national police commissioner, said detectives, forensic experts, ballistics experts, psychologists and technology experts all worked on the case and are confident that they have the evidence to convict Pistorius.
He has admitted to shooting Steenkamp, but insists he mistook her for an intruder, while prosecutors say the shooting was premeditated. If convicted of premeditated murder, Pistorius faces a life sentence.
Pistorius is known as the "blade runner" for his carbon-fiber prosthetic legs. He became an inspiration to millions as the first double amputee to compete against able-bodied participants at the 2012 London Olympics.
Source: Agencies
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