Oscar Pistorius Trial Resumes, Estate Manager Testifies
Posted on Mon May 05, 2014 at 08:19:00 AM EST
Tags: Oscar Pistorius (all tags)
Oscar Pistorius is back in court after a two week recess. His first witness is the estate manager Johan Stander. Stander was the first person Oscar called after the shooting. He arrived at the scene almost immediately. Oscar told him immediately he mistook Reeva for an intruder.
Stander was on the state's witness list but was not called to testify. Oscar's co-counsel, Kenny Oldwage, is questioning Stander. [More...]
Stander says he first met Oscar in 2009 when he first moved to the neighborhood. Oscar offered to help him move his furniture in. He said he looks after Oscar's pets when he goes overseas.
Stander says he lives 400 meters, or a one minute drive from Oscar's house. (212 meters measured by rooftop, or "as the crow flies.".) When Oscar called at 3:18 a.m., he was asleep. Oscar said, "Johan, please, please come to my house. I shot Reeva. I thought she was an intruder.” Stander and his daughter Carice got in their car and drove over. It took about three minutes from the end of the phone call to arrive at Oscar's house. The front door was open and there was a light on.
Stander's daughter pushed Oscar's front door open. They saw Oscar coming down the stairs. They could see that Reeva had a head wound. Oscar was crying, he was in pain. "He was broken, screaming, crying, praying. I spent some time trying to calm him down." He asked Stander and his daughter to help, and take Reeva to the hospital.
Stander went outside to call an ambulance and neighbor Dr. Johan Stipp arrived and said he’s a doctor. Stander asked him for the phone number for the ambulance, and Stipp told him "I'm actually a radiologist," then walked inside. (He was able to give him the ER number.)
Stander saw Oscar go upstairs. He told Carice to follow him, afraid he might harm himself. Oscar went upstairs to get Reeva's ID. He was upstairs for about 30 seconds.
Stander says Stipp told him he heard four shots, silence, screams then four shots again. (Two bursts of gunshots, which is important to the defense timeline.) Stander says he remembers it "distinctly" because he was concerned about anyone firing 8 shots - even at an intruder. When Stipp testified, he said he heard "three loud bangs" followed by a woman's screams.
Stander confirmed he asked security to call the police. His call to emergency medics was at 3:27 a.m. and lasted about 5 minutes.
Stander says he spent time with Oscar downstairs and in the kitchen. He saw Oscar bring Reeva's body downstairs. Oscar was crying and praying, asking G-d to help him. Stander describes "Oscar's commitment" to trying to save Reeva. He put his fingers in her mouth. He begged G-d to save her. Stander: "I saw the truth there that morning. I saw it. And I feel it."
More people arrived, including police. Stander called Oscar's brother Carl around 3:59 a.m., the same time police were arriving. Once police took over the scene, he remained outside. He saw people in police and civilian clothes going up and down the stairs.
Stander is asked about other incidents of crime in the neighborhood, and gives several instances involving intruders. (This supports Oscar's contention he had reason to be fearful of intruders.) In one incident, the intruders used a ladder to break in. In another, intruders locked a homeowner in his garage and robbed the place.
Prosecutor Nel objects as "hearsay" but Oscar's lawyer responds these were reported incidents and he was the estate manager. Stander says Oscar, as a resident, would have been told about these incidents. He and Oscar also discussed security and the various incidents when Oscar would return from his trips.
Stander knew Reeva and said she sometimes stayed at Oscar's when he was out of town. For example, when Oscar went to Capetown sometime after Christmas, she stayed at his house until Jan. 31.
Stander finishes his direct testimony, and prosecutor Nel cross-examines. He asks Stander about the improved security measures that were implemented while he was in charge of estate security. Stander says there were some.
Nel asks about what Oscar said on the phone, and Stander repeats it, and says he is 100% sure that is what Oscar said. He says he heard no shots and no screams.
Stander says he has not talked to Oscar about the incident since. He and his daughter did go to the memorial Oscar's uncle held for Reeva. He and Oscar only talked about having coffee at the memorial. He said he and Oscar never had long discussions and did not socialize. He says he never saw Oscar with a firearm.
He also says he ran into Oscar in "chambers" when he was going for a talk with the legal team but he and Oscar didn't have any discussion.
During cross, Nel elicits that Oscar told him he made a mistake, and then jumps on him for not having used that word before. He says, "It was a mistake for me, he said he thought she was an intruder." In other words, he interpreted Oscar to mean he made a mistake when he shot Reeva, not that he intended to shoot an intruder. He angrily denies Nel's accusation that Oscar was saying he meant to kill an intruder and shot Reeva instead.
Nel asks about the lighting. Stander says, there was enough light in the house for him to see the expression on Oscar’s face when he came downstairs.
Nel asks if he saw Oscar call anyone else. He says no, and it was his daughter who called Oscar's friend Justin Devaris.
Stander tells Nel Stander he didnt help the defense team when they returned to house. He did have the house key, but hasn't been back to Oscar's house since that night.
Stander says he gave Stipp's number to the defense and called Stipp to tell him he had done so. "I thought it was right thing to do."
Jumping back for a moment to Stander's testimony. He was asked about the statements he gave to police and not being called by the state as a witness. He said former investigator Hilton Botha (who was removed early on after allegedly mishandling the investigation) asked Stander to give a written statement. Later, Botha's replacement, Mike van Aardt, had him give another statement. Van Aardt told him he would be a state's witness. Then he was told by prosecutors they are only calling one witness from each family, and they were going to call his daughter. But his daughter was not called as a witness.
It seems to me Stander emerged unscathed from Nel's cross and was a stong witness for Oscar.
Also expected to testify shortly: Ballistics expert Wollie Wolmarans.
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