Christiaan Mangena, a police ballistics expert testified on Wednesday at Oscar Pistorius’ murder trial that Reeva Steenkamp was standing in the toilet cubicle, facing the closed door when the first shot was fired hitting her right hip shattering her hip bone.
Mangena said that he is of the opinion that after this wound was inflicted, Steenkamp dropped immediately falling onto a magazine rack and crossed her arms over her head to protect herself. The second bullet missed Steenkamp and ricocheted off the wall and broke into fragments, bruising her back.
The third and fourth bullets hit her right arm and head she then collapsed with her head landing on the toilet seat. Mangena, concluded that one of the final two bullets fired by Pistorius went through Steenkamp’s left hand, which she held over her head, before it penetrated her skull. He said he could not determine the order of the last two shots. The bullet that struck her skull broke into two fragments; one exited her head and struck the wall behind her.
Pistorius, 27, is charged with premeditated murder and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. He says he shot Steenkamp, 29, by mistake through a locked door in his bathroom thinking she was an intruder.
But prosecutors charge he killed her after a loud argument that caused her to flee and hide in the toilet area. Neighbors have testified to hearing loud screaming before and during the shots being fired.
The court heard that Pistorius fired from a distance of at least 60 centimeters and no further than 3 meters away, where there was a wall behind him, Mangena said. He described the impact of the hollow point bullets in Pistorius’ gun, which were designed to cause maximum damage to an intended target.
“It hits the target, it opens up, it creates six talons, and these talons are sharp,” Mangena said. “It cuts through the organs of a human being.”
The defense said it would challenge Mangena’s testimony regarding the sequence of the shots.
Also Wednesday, the chief prosecutor said he planned to wrap up his case early next week after calling four or five more witnesses. Judge Thokozile Masipa granted Nel’s request to adjourn the trial until Monday March 24, 2014 so that Nel has time to consult his last witnesses. No court session is scheduled on Friday, which is a national holiday in South Africa.
“We foresee that we’ll call four or five more witnesses and that we’ll be able to close our case early next week,” added Nel.