this is beautiful Lisa, thank you so much for posting. I personally love the pic of June holding Reeva as a baby as you can see how much Reeva looked like her Mom …
Well… It’s something that Nick & I have discussed a lot and are writing about in #RS. I think Reeva made some incredibly bad judgement calls, as us women all have at various points in our lives.
OP is a tricky one… Classic emotion manipulator/abuser type stuff… One minute he makes you feel like the most special person in the world and then in a split second, he could turn on people and unleash his darkness.
She realized this about him way too late, like many other women.
There are some very important cautionary tales inside of this case! I think (and hope) that Reeva would be pleased that we are having this discussion and trying to make sense of it.
She was kind and she was famous herself. A lot of women with abusive men are very nice natured and don’t see the bad or try to discuss things. But a jealous man with a short fuse is very dangerous.
while their texts say they are similar people, they came from vastly different economic & social places. Reeva did not grow up with the same privileged & status as Oscar. Reeva was from the “poor side of town” so to speak whereas Oscar grew up within the wealthy Pistorius clan. It is obvious to all now me thinks that the Pistorius clan is not only a socially odd bunch they are top of the food chain enablers, using religion as their family shield/badge which I find quite sacrilegious actually. Reeva wanted a better life, like most women, yes ? She sought that out in a partner … I believe she never saw quite the depth of Oscar’s dark side, rather perhaps see saw shades of it during their time spent together which seemed quick to dispel. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine he would SHOOT her. Reeva was standing right in front of that bathroom door, so while she was frightened, she was most likely still arguing with him … screaming at him. According to the autopsy, the hip wound showed she was leaning forward & some suggested she was perhaps opening the door. I think she may have been yelling or screaming at Oscar thru the door in a forceful manner so perhaps that explains her “bent slightly forward” body position behind the door. In the end, the molly coddled man-boy who grew up on the right side of the tracks, with the grandest of educations, had “no time to think” and irrationally took another’s life. While Reeva on the receiving end of his madness, in my opinion, never saw/anticipated bullets coming her way.
Agree with a lot of what you say, although don’t believe Reeva sought a better life through a partner.
She had worked hard at school and university and taken a law degree, was making it as a model and television personality. An interview on the BBC’s website of a close friend, reveals they were planning to open a law practice together in Port Elizabeth, when her modelling days were over.
If you put together the looks, the modelling, or even ultimately a successful attorney, Reeva would almost certainly move in circles where she would either meet a professional man or, another prominent man.
The pity is she was afraid of Pistorius and there were good reasons why, her subconscious was picking up that he was dangerous.
I know that there are people here who are very astute as to the evidence in this case, and so I present the following:
Reeva’s mother stated: “I think he may have shot once and then he had to go on and kill her because she would have been able to tell the world what really happened, what he is really like.”
My question is: Is there any evidence to indicate the time that passed between the first shot and the second?
I seem to recall that witnesses heard different number of shots… could some have slept through the first shot and awakened during the subsequent shots?
Apologies if this has already been discussed. I’ve followed the case somewhat closely and this fact has escaped me and I don’t know where in the transcripts to find the answer…
Yes, there is evidence! Check out my blog post with Mangena’s testimony. In order for bullet #2 (B in the door) to miss her, she would have already been down on the magazine rack. Time needed to pass for her to be in that position. Burger testified about hearing:
Bang… Pause… Bang bang bang. Prior to that series was the terrified female screaming.
To clarify, my question is about how much time OP may have had to process what he had done in the heat of the moment and then on to (fatally) shut her up and craft an alibi.
Granted, people do act on impulse and later form perfectly plausible explanations for their irrational acts. I’ve done it myself, and suspect most people here know what I’m talking about because we try to make sense of our own lives. But I believe OP is a master of it because he has had such power of money and fame that even if people didn’t believe him they wouldn’t speak up, and he’s therefore able to weave complete fantasies without challenge. I believe he thinks that’s his right, because he’s rich and famous. I believe he thinks he has earned the right to be above the law.
Follow up question: We know Reeva was shot in the head when she had fallen. So what caused Reeva to fall – which shot caused her to fall. Did she scream then fall. Or would she fall silently. I think most shots apart from the final head shot were glancing blows?
Frst shot hit her right hip causing her fall..but the shots were “in quick succession” as heard by the Stipp’s and Merwe. So even if she would utter a ‘huhh’ , or sigh of some sort, OP would not hear her as he was shooting his next one and his ears would be buzzing…NO ONE heard a female scream BEFORE the first set of sounds.
Just my opinion. The differences between the neighbour’s evidence to me is perfectly logical.
Someone a distance away, may not hear a cricket bat, but would hear a gunshot.
Someone awake, such as Mrs Van de Merwe, would hear and argument and a woman’s voice, as they woman’s voice may carry in the night air.
It is logical that some will wake immediately and others will wake and wonder what they heard.
What I do believe, is no one would mistakes gun shots for a cricket bat.
As a victim of crime, noting times and the rest when you are hearing something so terrible, seems unlikely to be spot on, but does not make the evidence less true.
I feel great sympathy for Michelle Burger. She knows she heard a woman being murdered!
I agree. Having been to cricket matches and hearing professionals hit with cricket bats, I don’t understand how people could confuse it with a gunshot. It just has a different sound. Maybe scientifically a cricket bat hitting a door produces a similar decibel level – but from my experience, the sound is very different to that of a gunshot. I just don’t know that a cricket bat striking a door would be heard so far away. I’m sure the witnesses further away heard only the gunshots. Those closer to the scene may have confused the two. That’s just my unscientific opinion!
I was involved in a relatively minor incident recently where I had to give a witness statement. The incident happened in the afternoon, we all had watches on, but all of us gave different times as to when events occurred – some varying up to an hour. All the clocks, watches and phones in our house display different times. I’m beginning to wonder what ‘real’ time really is!
Juror13 
Thank you for this post. Heart-rending.
Brings it home, thank you for this.
Rest in peace Reeva.
the apple never falls far from the tree
this is beautiful Lisa, thank you so much for posting. I personally love the pic of June holding Reeva as a baby as you can see how much Reeva looked like her Mom …
What a wonderful mother. What a wonderful daughter. Heartbreaking.
Beautiful woman…great mother- daughter relations..what in the world did she see in Pistorius besides his fame?
Well… It’s something that Nick & I have discussed a lot and are writing about in #RS. I think Reeva made some incredibly bad judgement calls, as us women all have at various points in our lives.
OP is a tricky one… Classic emotion manipulator/abuser type stuff… One minute he makes you feel like the most special person in the world and then in a split second, he could turn on people and unleash his darkness.
She realized this about him way too late, like many other women.
There are some very important cautionary tales inside of this case! I think (and hope) that Reeva would be pleased that we are having this discussion and trying to make sense of it.
She was kind and she was famous herself. A lot of women with abusive men are very nice natured and don’t see the bad or try to discuss things. But a jealous man with a short fuse is very dangerous.
A BEAUTIFUL tribute!
while their texts say they are similar people, they came from vastly different economic & social places. Reeva did not grow up with the same privileged & status as Oscar. Reeva was from the “poor side of town” so to speak whereas Oscar grew up within the wealthy Pistorius clan. It is obvious to all now me thinks that the Pistorius clan is not only a socially odd bunch they are top of the food chain enablers, using religion as their family shield/badge which I find quite sacrilegious actually. Reeva wanted a better life, like most women, yes ? She sought that out in a partner … I believe she never saw quite the depth of Oscar’s dark side, rather perhaps see saw shades of it during their time spent together which seemed quick to dispel. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine he would SHOOT her. Reeva was standing right in front of that bathroom door, so while she was frightened, she was most likely still arguing with him … screaming at him. According to the autopsy, the hip wound showed she was leaning forward & some suggested she was perhaps opening the door. I think she may have been yelling or screaming at Oscar thru the door in a forceful manner so perhaps that explains her “bent slightly forward” body position behind the door. In the end, the molly coddled man-boy who grew up on the right side of the tracks, with the grandest of educations, had “no time to think” and irrationally took another’s life. While Reeva on the receiving end of his madness, in my opinion, never saw/anticipated bullets coming her way.
Agree with a lot of what you say, although don’t believe Reeva sought a better life through a partner.
She had worked hard at school and university and taken a law degree, was making it as a model and television personality. An interview on the BBC’s website of a close friend, reveals they were planning to open a law practice together in Port Elizabeth, when her modelling days were over.
If you put together the looks, the modelling, or even ultimately a successful attorney, Reeva would almost certainly move in circles where she would either meet a professional man or, another prominent man.
The pity is she was afraid of Pistorius and there were good reasons why, her subconscious was picking up that he was dangerous.
I know that there are people here who are very astute as to the evidence in this case, and so I present the following:
Reeva’s mother stated: “I think he may have shot once and then he had to go on and kill her because she would have been able to tell the world what really happened, what he is really like.”
My question is: Is there any evidence to indicate the time that passed between the first shot and the second?
I seem to recall that witnesses heard different number of shots… could some have slept through the first shot and awakened during the subsequent shots?
Apologies if this has already been discussed. I’ve followed the case somewhat closely and this fact has escaped me and I don’t know where in the transcripts to find the answer…
Yes, there is evidence! Check out my blog post with Mangena’s testimony. In order for bullet #2 (B in the door) to miss her, she would have already been down on the magazine rack. Time needed to pass for her to be in that position. Burger testified about hearing:
Bang… Pause… Bang bang bang. Prior to that series was the terrified female screaming.
To clarify, my question is about how much time OP may have had to process what he had done in the heat of the moment and then on to (fatally) shut her up and craft an alibi.
Granted, people do act on impulse and later form perfectly plausible explanations for their irrational acts. I’ve done it myself, and suspect most people here know what I’m talking about because we try to make sense of our own lives. But I believe OP is a master of it because he has had such power of money and fame that even if people didn’t believe him they wouldn’t speak up, and he’s therefore able to weave complete fantasies without challenge. I believe he thinks that’s his right, because he’s rich and famous. I believe he thinks he has earned the right to be above the law.
Follow up question: We know Reeva was shot in the head when she had fallen. So what caused Reeva to fall – which shot caused her to fall. Did she scream then fall. Or would she fall silently. I think most shots apart from the final head shot were glancing blows?
Frst shot hit her right hip causing her fall..but the shots were “in quick succession” as heard by the Stipp’s and Merwe. So even if she would utter a ‘huhh’ , or sigh of some sort, OP would not hear her as he was shooting his next one and his ears would be buzzing…NO ONE heard a female scream BEFORE the first set of sounds.
Just my opinion. The differences between the neighbour’s evidence to me is perfectly logical.
Someone a distance away, may not hear a cricket bat, but would hear a gunshot.
Someone awake, such as Mrs Van de Merwe, would hear and argument and a woman’s voice, as they woman’s voice may carry in the night air.
It is logical that some will wake immediately and others will wake and wonder what they heard.
What I do believe, is no one would mistakes gun shots for a cricket bat.
As a victim of crime, noting times and the rest when you are hearing something so terrible, seems unlikely to be spot on, but does not make the evidence less true.
I feel great sympathy for Michelle Burger. She knows she heard a woman being murdered!
I agree. Having been to cricket matches and hearing professionals hit with cricket bats, I don’t understand how people could confuse it with a gunshot. It just has a different sound. Maybe scientifically a cricket bat hitting a door produces a similar decibel level – but from my experience, the sound is very different to that of a gunshot. I just don’t know that a cricket bat striking a door would be heard so far away. I’m sure the witnesses further away heard only the gunshots. Those closer to the scene may have confused the two. That’s just my unscientific opinion!
I was involved in a relatively minor incident recently where I had to give a witness statement. The incident happened in the afternoon, we all had watches on, but all of us gave different times as to when events occurred – some varying up to an hour. All the clocks, watches and phones in our house display different times. I’m beginning to wonder what ‘real’ time really is!
And the same Judge decides whether to grant the appeal or not? To criticise her own verdict?
I have no faith that she will grant it. The reason why it was not a murder verdict will be the same reason for rejecting the appeal…wait and see.
Thanks for previous answers.
Another question. Bullet trajectories. Are they consistent with being directed head high to someone seated on the toilet?
So that would be intention to kill my lady.