Pistorius denied the charge as prosecutor Gerrie Nel pushed the Paralympic champion on his version of the exact events in the seconds before he killed Reeva Steenkamp by firing four times through the stall door in his bathroom with his 9mm pistol on February 14, 2013.
Mr Nel challenged the double-amputee sprinter repeatedly as to why Miss Steenkamp failed to scream when she was shot four times.
A woman hugs Oscar Pistorius after handing him
flowers as he leaves court in Pretoria today during his ongoing murder
trial. The athlete was today accused of shooting his girlfriend through a
toilet door as the couple talked and argued in the early hours of
Valentine's Day last year
Pistorius, pictured leaving court today, was
challenged repeatedly as to why Reeva Steenkamp failed to scream when
she was shot four times
Mr Nel, one of South Africa's top attorneys, said it was beyond belief that 29-year-old law graduate and model Miss Steenkamp would have remained silent in the tiny cubicle with an armed Pistorius shouting and screaming in the adjoining bathroom.
Mr Nel later followed up with his central accusation - that the couple had an argument and Steenkamp fled to the toilet pursued by Pistorius, who then shot her through the closed wooden door.
'You knew that Reeva went behind the door and you shot at her,' Mr Nel said. 'You shot at her knowing she was behind the door.'
Pistorius denied the accusation, before the court adjourned until Monday morning.
Pistorius, who claims he shot Miss Steenkamp by mistake thinking she was a nighttime intruder behind a toilet door in his bathroom, faces life in prison if convicted of murder.
Pistorius says he shouted at what he thought was an intruder in his house and also at Miss Steenkamp to call the police.
Mr Nel said that if that were the case, she would not have stood up against the door. She would have retreated away from it. And she would have responded to Pistorius, the chief prosecutor said.
'I don't think anybody could say where she would have stood,' Pistorius replied.
Oscar Pistorius' supporter Juanita (surname not
provided) busts into tears after giving the athlete a bunch of flowers
as he left the court
Pistorius, who claims he shot Miss Steenkamp by
mistake thinking she was a nighttime intruder behind a toilet door in
his bathroom, faces life in prison if convicted of murder
Oscar Pistorius resumed testifying at his trial
today under cross-examination from the chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who
has accused the athlete of lying about how he shot his model girlfriend
Mr Nel led the double-amputee runner through his own account of what happened in the moments before he shot Miss Steenkamp.
Pistorius said he heard a noise in the bathroom and moved down a hallway on his stumps towards the bathroom while screaming to his girlfriend - who he claims he had believed was in the bedroom - to get down and call the police.
He said he then heard what sounded like the toilet door slamming, then kept quiet as he reached the bathroom entrance, then heard a noise in the toilet that he perceived to be the sound of wood on wood, which he said made him think someone was opening the toilet door - which he said fit badly in the frame - to attack him.
And then, Pistorius said, he opened fire.
At each stage, Mr Nel argued that the account was improbable, questioning why Pistorius did not establish where Miss Steenkamp was and make sure she was okay, and why he would approach the alleged danger zone if he felt vulnerable on his stumps.
Mr Nel said: 'If you spoke to Reeva, the two of you could have taken lots of other steps.'
Pistorius said he thought the perceived threat could strike at any moment: 'There was no time.'
During the cross-examination, Pistorius said Steenkamp did not scream at any point during the incident.
However, the 27-year-old track star said that he may not have heard her cries because of his ears ringing from the first shot.
Several people living nearby have testified to hearing a woman's terrified screams before and during a volley of shots.
'She's awake. She's in the toilet. You're shouting. You're screaming. You're three metres from her. She would have responded. She would not have been quiet, Mr Pistorius,' Mr Nel said.
'She didn't respond, my Lady,' Pistorius replied, addressing judge Thokozile Masipa.
Pistorius said he heard a noise in the bathroom and moved down a hallway on his stumps towards the bathroom while screaming to his girlfriend - who he claims he had believed was in the bedroom - to get down and call the police.
He said he then heard what sounded like the toilet door slamming, then kept quiet as he reached the bathroom entrance, then heard a noise in the toilet that he perceived to be the sound of wood on wood, which he said made him think someone was opening the toilet door - which he said fit badly in the frame - to attack him.
And then, Pistorius said, he opened fire.
At each stage, Mr Nel argued that the account was improbable, questioning why Pistorius did not establish where Miss Steenkamp was and make sure she was okay, and why he would approach the alleged danger zone if he felt vulnerable on his stumps.
Mr Nel said: 'If you spoke to Reeva, the two of you could have taken lots of other steps.'
Pistorius' return to the witness box today
followed a week of testimony in which the double-amputee runner said he
killed Miss Steenkamp by accident after mistaking her for an intruder in
his home last year
The prosecution says Pistorius, pictured arriving at court today, killed the 29-year-old after an argument on February 14, 2013
Pistorius said he thought the perceived threat could strike at any moment: 'There was no time.'
During the cross-examination, Pistorius said Steenkamp did not scream at any point during the incident.
However, the 27-year-old track star said that he may not have heard her cries because of his ears ringing from the first shot.
Several people living nearby have testified to hearing a woman's terrified screams before and during a volley of shots.
'She's awake. She's in the toilet. You're shouting. You're screaming. You're three metres from her. She would have responded. She would not have been quiet, Mr Pistorius,' Mr Nel said.
'She didn't respond, my Lady,' Pistorius replied, addressing judge Thokozile Masipa.
June Steenkamp (right), mother of Reeva
Steenkamp, watches with family friends as Oscar Pistorius (left,
arriving at court) speaks during his trial at the high court in
Pretoria, on Friday
Pistorius, arriving at court today, said he was
struggling to give clear testimony because he was tired, prompting the
judge to ask him if he was too tired to proceed with a tough
cross-examination
'No, my Lady.'
'Are you sure? Are you sure, Mr Pistorius, that Reeva did not scream after the first shot?' Mr Nel continued. 'Are you, Mr Pistorius?'
After a brief silence, Pistorius said: 'My Lady, I wish she had let me know she was there.'
'After you fired the first shot, did she scream?' Mr Nel asked.
'No, my Lady.'
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel today told Pistorius that
he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a toilet door as they
were talking. Miss Steenkamp's mother June Steenkamp is pictured in
court today
June Steenkamp, centre, mother of the late Reeva
Steenkamp, listens in the public gallery, as state prosecutor Gerrie
Nel questions Oscar Pistorius, in court in Pretoria
'Are you sure? Would you have heard her?' Mr Nel asked.
'I don't think I would have heard her.'
'Exactly.'
'A gunshot went off, my ears were ringing,' Pistorius said.
'How can you exclude the fact she was screaming if you couldn't hear?' Mr Nel asked.
'If I couldn't hear it then I couldn't hear,' Pistorius retorted.
'No, you said, Mr Pistorius, she never screamed. You couldn't hear. You're just saying that,' Mr Nel said.
'That is what I'm saying,' Pistorius replied.
'No, that's not what you're saying. You're saying she didn't scream,' Mr Nel followed up.
June Steenkamp (left), mother of Reeva
Steenkamp, watches as Oscar Pistorius is questioned by chief prosecutor
Gerrie Nel during the third day of cross-examination today
Aimee Pistorius, right, sister of Oscar
Pistorius, listens in the public gallery, as state prosecutor Gerrie Nel
questions Pistorius in court today
'My
Lady, the sound of that gunshot in the bathroom, you wouldn't have
heard anyone scream. The decibels of the gunshot, I don't believe you
would have heard anyone scream. When I had finished firing the gunshots,
I was screaming and I couldn't hear my own voice.'
Pistorius' return to the witness box today followed a week of testimony in which the double-amputee runner said he killed Miss Steenkamp by accident after mistaking her for an intruder in his home last year.
Mr Nel challenged the athlete's statements that he was worried about crime before the fatal shooting.
The prosecutor examined the details of the alarm system at Pistorius' house, questioning why the athlete would believe an intruder had broken into his home when he had extensive security measures, including interior and exterior sensors.
Pistorius said he activated the sensors on the home alarm system before going to sleep on the night he killed Miss Steenkamp, but feared that building contractors doing work on his house may have moved some of the security beacons.
The prosecutor said Pistorius had not mentioned immediately after the shooting that he had fears that building contractors had removed some of the security beacons, specifically near the bathroom window where he allegedly thought an intruder may have gained access on the night he killed Miss Steenkamp.
Pistorius' return to the witness box today followed a week of testimony in which the double-amputee runner said he killed Miss Steenkamp by accident after mistaking her for an intruder in his home last year.
Mr Nel challenged the athlete's statements that he was worried about crime before the fatal shooting.
The prosecutor examined the details of the alarm system at Pistorius' house, questioning why the athlete would believe an intruder had broken into his home when he had extensive security measures, including interior and exterior sensors.
Pistorius said he activated the sensors on the home alarm system before going to sleep on the night he killed Miss Steenkamp, but feared that building contractors doing work on his house may have moved some of the security beacons.
The prosecutor said Pistorius had not mentioned immediately after the shooting that he had fears that building contractors had removed some of the security beacons, specifically near the bathroom window where he allegedly thought an intruder may have gained access on the night he killed Miss Steenkamp.
Aimee and Lois Pistorius listen to Oscar Pistorius during cross examination in court today
Carl Pistorius was in court today as Oscar Pistorius faced a third day of cross-examination
'This is the biggest example of you tailoring your evidence,' Mr Nel said. Pistorius denied he was fabricating a story.
Pistorius also said he was struggling to give clear testimony because he was tired, prompting the judge to ask him if he was too tired to proceed with a tough cross-examination from the chief prosecutor.
Pistorius was responding to a question from Mr Nel, who pointed to a lack of clarity in the double-amputee runner's testimony about whether he turned off the alarm inside his home on the night of February 14, 2013.
Pistorius said he 'must have' turned off the alarm, which Mr Nel described as a vague response.
The prosecutor then asked Pistorius, who acknowledged making a mistake in his testimony, if he needed time before continuing with his testimony.
'I don't need time,' the Olympic athlete said. 'I am tired. It's not going to change.'
Mr Nel responded: 'You're trying to cover up for lies and I'm not convinced.'
The court heard a dramatic exchange today at the end of the first week of the runner's testimony at his trial
Judge Thokozile Masipa interjected, asking Pistorius if he was too tired to proceed.
'You can be at a disadvantage when you're in that box,' she said, adding that it wasn't fair to the court if he was not alert during the proceedings.
Pistorius replied that he was able to go on.
Mr Nel also argued that Pistorius was prepared to lie about an incident as far back as five years ago when he claims someone shot at him from another car on a highway to build a backstory that he had a long-held fear of being attacked.
Pistorius said he saw a 'muzzle flash' and heard 'a banging noise' as a black Mercedes drove past him in the incident, which he said was in 2008 or 2009.
Pistorius said he slowed down, turned off the highway and eventually went to a restaurant car park and called someone to come and pick him up.
Mr Nel set the stage for a rigorous
cross-examination on Wednesday by demanding that Pistorius openly say he
killed his girlfriend, sharply challenging him when he said he made a
'mistake'
'You cannot not remember,' Mr Nel said. It was 'such a traumatic incident,' the prosecutor said.
Mr Nel said Pistorius' failing to remember who he called was because 'it never happened.'
'It's the one night that someone almost shot you, am I right?' Mr Nel said. Pistorius said it was.
'If I could remember who I phoned I would gladly give you their name,' Pistorius said.
At one point in the proceedings, Judge Masipa had to warn Mr Nel to 'mind your language' as she reminded him not to call a witness a liar.
The prosecution says Pistorius killed the 29-year-old after an argument on February 14, 2013.
Mr Nel yesterday asserted that Pistorius was
sometimes mean to Miss Steenkamp, pressing him about her objection to
him playing a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar on a car stereo
He also accused the double amputee of egotistical behaviour in his relationship with the model and described his courtroom apology to her family as an insincere 'spectacle' that ignored the feelings of her relatives.
During the cross-examination on Thursday, the prosecutor questioned the athlete's honesty, asserting the double-amputee would not 'accept responsibility for anything.'
SHOCKING TESTIMONY, VOMITING IN THE DOCK AND THE GRISLY TRAIL OF BLOOD THROUGH PISTORIUS'S HOUSE: A TIMELINE OF THE TRIAL SO FAR
March 3:
The trial begins with testimony from neighbour Michell Burger who
claims she heard 'blood-curdling screams' before gunshots were fired at
the time Oscar Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp.
His lawyer Barry Roux says he intends to call a witness to testify that Pistorius screams sounded like a woman in a bid to discredit the claims.
March 4: Pistorius breaks down in court as Mr Roux argues that Miss Steenkamp was so badly brain damaged by the gunshot to her head she couldn't possibly have screamed for help.
March 5: Mr Roux seeks to undermine the testimony of a couple who say they heard a woman's screams and gunfire on the night the athlete shot his girlfriend.
Barry Roux said similarities in the accounts given by husband and wife Michell Burger and Charl Johnson indicated they had aligned their versions at the expense of the truth.
March 6: Pistorius weeps in the dock as a neighbour describes the harrowing moment he tried to resuscitate his girlfriend after she was shot.
Radiologist Johan Stipp dashed to the Paralympian's home after hearing gunshots to find Pistorius kneeling next to Reeva Steenkamp and 'praying to God' that she would survive, the trial heard.
March 8: A former girlfriend who claims Pistorius dumped her for Miss Steenkamp testifies that he once shot at a traffic light because he was furious that a police officer had touched his gun.
March 10: Pistorius vomits in court when a pathologist describes how he shot Miss Steenkamp with so-called cop-killer Black Talon bullets which are designed to 'expand and mushroom' to inflict maximum damage.
March 11: A friend tells the judge that the Paralympian has a 'big love' of weapons and recalls the time the athlete laughed after allegedly firing his gun out of the sunroof of a car.
March 12: A forensic analyst stages a dramatic courtroom reconstruction of the moment Pistorius broke down the toilet door with a cricket bat after shooting Miss Steenkamp.
Police colonel Johannes Vermeulen argued that Pistorius was on his stumps at the time, contradicting the Paralympian's assertion that he was wearing his prosthetic legs.
March 13: Horrific pictures following the trail of blood through Pistorius's house are shown at the trial - including one of his girlfriend's corpse that made the athlete throw up in the dock.
The image of Miss Steenkamp's blood-covered body was accidentally shown while the prosecution was showing other images including the cocked 9mm pistol used to kill the model.
March 14: Dramatic pictures are shown to the court of a bare-chested Pistorius with blood all over his shorts and prosthetic legs shortly after killing his model girlfriend.
March 17: A gun licenser testifies that Pistorius was in the process of buying seven guns - three shotguns, two revolvers, semi-automatic assault rifle and another self-loading rifle - at the time he killed his girlfriend.
The order, which came to $5,000 (£3,000), was cancelled a month after the shooting.
Earlier, the court heard the double-amputee had a 'great love and enthusiasm' for guns and once went into full 'combat mode' after hearing a possible intruder at his home.
The noise turned out to be a washing machine.
Pistorius had also passed self-defence tests that stated you shouldn't fire unless you knew what you are shooting at and what lay behind the target, the trial heard.
March 19: The trial is told that Pistorius looked at porn and car websites the night before he killed Miss Steenkamp.
He breaks down in the dock as a ballistics expert tells Pretoria's High Court that Miss Steenkamp was struck in the hip by the first bullet, then fell back on to a magazine holder by the toilet.
She was then hit by another two bullets which struck her in the right arm and her skull as she crossed her arms over her head to protect herself.
March 20: It is revealed by the runner's lawyer that he has been forced to sell the luxury villa where he shot Miss Steenkamp to raise money to pay for his legal bills.
March 24: The court hears how the 29-year-old model admitted to being scared of the South African track star in text messages sent less than three weeks before her death.
One of them read: 'I'm scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me'. A later text said: 'I can’t be attacked by outsider for dating u and be attacked by you the person I deserve protection from.'
March 25: A selfie of Miss Steenkamp blowing a kiss which she sent to Pistorius weeks before he killed her is shown to the court.
March 28: Trial is adjourned until April 7 after one of the judge's two assessors is taken ill in hospital.
April 7: Pistorius takes the witness stand. He starts his testimony with a tearful apology to Miss Steenkamp's family, saying: 'I can’t imagine the pain and the sorrow and the emptiness that I’ve caused you and your family. I was simply trying to protect Reeva.'
He tells the court the shooting has left him plagued by nightmares which he wakes up from 'smelling blood' and that he is taking anti-depressant medication to help with panic attacks.
April 8: Pistorius wails on the stand as he speaks in public for the first time about the moment he killed Miss Steenkamp.
The Paralympian said he heard the noise of the bathroom window opening. 'That's the moment that everything changed,' he said, his voice tense with emotion. 'Before I knew it, I'd fired four shots.'
He wept so uncontrollably the court was forced to adjourn for the day.
His lawyer Barry Roux says he intends to call a witness to testify that Pistorius screams sounded like a woman in a bid to discredit the claims.
March 4: Pistorius breaks down in court as Mr Roux argues that Miss Steenkamp was so badly brain damaged by the gunshot to her head she couldn't possibly have screamed for help.
Physically sick: Oscar Pistorius vomits into a
bucket as the pathologist who carried out the post-mortem on Reeva
Steenkamp gave a graphic account of her injuries
March 5: Mr Roux seeks to undermine the testimony of a couple who say they heard a woman's screams and gunfire on the night the athlete shot his girlfriend.
Barry Roux said similarities in the accounts given by husband and wife Michell Burger and Charl Johnson indicated they had aligned their versions at the expense of the truth.
March 6: Pistorius weeps in the dock as a neighbour describes the harrowing moment he tried to resuscitate his girlfriend after she was shot.
Radiologist Johan Stipp dashed to the Paralympian's home after hearing gunshots to find Pistorius kneeling next to Reeva Steenkamp and 'praying to God' that she would survive, the trial heard.
March 8: A former girlfriend who claims Pistorius dumped her for Miss Steenkamp testifies that he once shot at a traffic light because he was furious that a police officer had touched his gun.
March 10: Pistorius vomits in court when a pathologist describes how he shot Miss Steenkamp with so-called cop-killer Black Talon bullets which are designed to 'expand and mushroom' to inflict maximum damage.
Aftermath of the killing: This picture of Oscar
Pistorius, bare-chested and covered in blood from the waist down, was
taken by police shortly after the Paralympian shot Reeva Steenkamp at
his home
Shocking: Blood can be seen down the athlete's
left arm and on his shorts apparently from when he carried his dead
girlfriend down the stairs after shooting her in the bathroom
March 11: A friend tells the judge that the Paralympian has a 'big love' of weapons and recalls the time the athlete laughed after allegedly firing his gun out of the sunroof of a car.
March 12: A forensic analyst stages a dramatic courtroom reconstruction of the moment Pistorius broke down the toilet door with a cricket bat after shooting Miss Steenkamp.
Police colonel Johannes Vermeulen argued that Pistorius was on his stumps at the time, contradicting the Paralympian's assertion that he was wearing his prosthetic legs.
March 13: Horrific pictures following the trail of blood through Pistorius's house are shown at the trial - including one of his girlfriend's corpse that made the athlete throw up in the dock.
The image of Miss Steenkamp's blood-covered body was accidentally shown while the prosecution was showing other images including the cocked 9mm pistol used to kill the model.
March 14: Dramatic pictures are shown to the court of a bare-chested Pistorius with blood all over his shorts and prosthetic legs shortly after killing his model girlfriend.
March 17: A gun licenser testifies that Pistorius was in the process of buying seven guns - three shotguns, two revolvers, semi-automatic assault rifle and another self-loading rifle - at the time he killed his girlfriend.
The order, which came to $5,000 (£3,000), was cancelled a month after the shooting.
Earlier, the court heard the double-amputee had a 'great love and enthusiasm' for guns and once went into full 'combat mode' after hearing a possible intruder at his home.
The noise turned out to be a washing machine.
Pistorius had also passed self-defence tests that stated you shouldn't fire unless you knew what you are shooting at and what lay behind the target, the trial heard.
Key evidence: Forensic analyst Colonel Johannes
Vermeulen stands in front of the toilet door through which Oscar
Pistorius shot Reeva Steenkamp while holding the cricket bat the athlete
then used to break it down
He breaks down in the dock as a ballistics expert tells Pretoria's High Court that Miss Steenkamp was struck in the hip by the first bullet, then fell back on to a magazine holder by the toilet.
She was then hit by another two bullets which struck her in the right arm and her skull as she crossed her arms over her head to protect herself.
March 20: It is revealed by the runner's lawyer that he has been forced to sell the luxury villa where he shot Miss Steenkamp to raise money to pay for his legal bills.
March 24: The court hears how the 29-year-old model admitted to being scared of the South African track star in text messages sent less than three weeks before her death.
One of them read: 'I'm scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me'. A later text said: 'I can’t be attacked by outsider for dating u and be attacked by you the person I deserve protection from.'
Scene of horror: This newly released photograph
shows the blood-soaked bathroom where Oscar Pistorius shot his
girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the toilet cubicle (top) with his 9mm
pistol (seen lying on a bathmat, right) and the blood-splattered cricket
bat (bottom right) he used to break down the toilet door after killing
her
March 25: A selfie of Miss Steenkamp blowing a kiss which she sent to Pistorius weeks before he killed her is shown to the court.
March 28: Trial is adjourned until April 7 after one of the judge's two assessors is taken ill in hospital.
April 7: Pistorius takes the witness stand. He starts his testimony with a tearful apology to Miss Steenkamp's family, saying: 'I can’t imagine the pain and the sorrow and the emptiness that I’ve caused you and your family. I was simply trying to protect Reeva.'
He tells the court the shooting has left him plagued by nightmares which he wakes up from 'smelling blood' and that he is taking anti-depressant medication to help with panic attacks.
April 8: Pistorius wails on the stand as he speaks in public for the first time about the moment he killed Miss Steenkamp.
The Paralympian said he heard the noise of the bathroom window opening. 'That's the moment that everything changed,' he said, his voice tense with emotion. 'Before I knew it, I'd fired four shots.'
He wept so uncontrollably the court was forced to adjourn for the day.
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