Oscar Pistorius does not suffer from a generalized anxiety disorder - and that's not good news for the South African Paralympian sprinter.
Oscar Pistorius returns to court after 30-day psychiatric evaluation
ABC News was among several media outlets that reported Pistorius was not suffering from a mental condition when he shot and killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and was able to distinguish right from wrong in accordance with his actions, a panel concluded as Pistorius' murder trial resumed Monday.
"At the time of the alleged offences, the accused did not suffer from a mental disorder or mental defect that affected his ability to distinguish between the rightful or wrongful nature of his deeds," Prosecutor Gerrie Nel read from a report submitted to the court, according to Reuters.com.
A doctor serving as a defense witness testified that the double-amputee's physical limitations may have influenced his actions when he fired into a bathroom door, killing Steenkamp. Pistorius is claiming that he thought an intruder had broken into their South African home and did not know Steenkamp was the one in the bathroom.
Reeva Steenkamp was scheduled to speak out against domestic violence on the morning she was killed.
The prosecution is trying to prove that Pistorius murdered Steenkamp after the two engaged in an earlier argument.
Nel asked for a 30-day psychiatric evaluation on Pistorius to verify whether his defense team could use insanity as an excuse and get an innocent plea. A panel of one psychologist and three psychiatrists conducted the 30-day evaluation, in which Pistorius was an outpatient - meaning he could go home at night.
The court proceedings were halted for the evaluation.
"The finding is not good for the defense," criminal defense attorney Anton Smith who has monitored the trial told ABC News, "neither in terms of their strategy, as they tried to illustrate a possible diminished culpability, nor in terms of a possible factor once they start arguing in mitigation of sentence."
The entire report was not made available to the public because the prosecution retains the option to call witnesses to testify about it.
As the trial resumed Monday, Pistorius' lawyers worked to discredit testimony that neighbors heard a woman scream before shots were fired during the early hours of Valentine's Day, 2013.
The defense team also called Dr. Gerry Versfeld, the doctor who amputated Pistorius' legs when he was 11 months old. Versfeld testified that Pistorius had limited mobility on his stumps and would have a hard time maintaining his balance in the dark.
He added that it was his opinion that Pistorius struck the door with a cricket bat when on his stumps, an opinion that Nel questioned.
The 27-year-old Pistorius faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder.
How do you think the ruling that Oscar Pistorius was not suffering from an anxiety disorder the night he killed his girlfriend will affect his trial? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
© 2023 Sportsworldnews.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
