South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is expected to be back in court on Monday to face charges in connection with the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
According to CNN, the trial of Olympic sprinter will begin in March 2014.
The first phase will take place in March, but the entire trial could occur at various times across a year or more due to potential motions and postponements along the way, the report said.
Pistorius will be served with an indictment Monday following the completion of the investigation. It’s the day that would have been Steenkamp’s 30th birthday.
Pistorius is charged with premeditated murder over the shooting death, according to CNN.
Pistorius ‘was not wearing prosthetic legs when he shot girlfriend’
A report by the telegraph.co.uk says that it has been alleged that Pistorius was not wearing his prosthetic legs when he shot Steenkamp dead through a locked lavatory door.
The latest claim in the sensational case is reportedly made in a leaked ballistics report that is said to form part of the police investigations dossier handed to the Pistorius defense team last week.
“It comes as Mr. Pistorius, 26, prepares to face the glare of the world’s media once more as he appears in court in Pretoria for a preliminary hearing in his trial for the murder of Miss Steenkamp, a law graduate and FHM model, who would have celebrated her 30th birthday on Monday,” the telegraph report said.
“The double amputee shot Miss Steenkamp dead at his home in Pretoria in the early hours of St. Valentine’s Day this year. He claimed he thought she was a burglar — the state claims that he shot her deliberately after a blazing row.
“In an earlier court hearing, Mr. Pistorius said that he had woken in the middle of the night, heard a noise in the bathroom and immediately grabbed his gun to protect himself and his girlfriend, who was staying the night.”
