South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius takes the baton from teammate L J van ... more >Prosecutors have indicated they will upgrade the charges for Olympic star Oscar Pistorius to premeditated murder for the shooting death of his celebrity model girlfriend, during a dramatic court hearing on Friday.
Mr. Pistorius, 26, appeared calm at the beginning of the hearing, according to The Associated Press. But he soon broke into sobs and dropped his head into his hands, as prosecutors indicated they will pursue a charge of premeditated murder, the report continues.
SEE RELATED: Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp argued before the shooting, neighbors report
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said the charge was an upgrade from murder, AP said. Investigators initially thought Mr. Pistorius had accidentally shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Thursday, thinking she was an unwelcome intruder.
The 30-year-old internationally known model and budding reality television show was shot four times, according to Fox News.
Mr. Pistorius was an inspiring tale of Olympic heroism, especially in South Africa. Dubbed the “Blade Runner” because of his carbon-fiber prosthetic legs, the track star was the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics.
He will remain behind bars for now. His bail hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, according to AP.
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Cheryl Chumley is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She’s also a 2008-2009 Robert Novak journalism fellow with The Phillips Foundation. She can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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