An emotional Oscar Pistorius broke down in court again Friday as he faced yet another day of relentless cross-examination.
In the third day of cross-examination, pugnacious prosecutor Gerrie Nel challenged the Olympian's account of what happened more than a year ago on the night he shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. (Via MSNBC)
In an attempt to undermine the only eyewitness's credibility and portray Pistorius as a narcissistic bully, Nel accused the 27-year-old of inventing his own version of the events that night in order to protect himself. (Via NBC)
GERRIE NEL: "With the utmost respective Mr. Pistorius, this is now the biggest indication of you tailoring evidence. You cannot have made that mistake." (Via HLN)
Pistorius has admitted to firing shots through the bathroom door of his Pretoria home, killing Steenkamp — but claims he did so in self-defense, believing she was an intruder. (Via Fox News)
There was a short delay in the cross-examination when a rattled Pistorius told the court he was "tired" after Nel accused him of fabricating his account.
GERRIE NEL: "Of your whole version Mr. Pistorius, this is the most improbable."
JUDGE THOKOZILE MASIPA: "The question is, are you too tired to proceed? Because you can't be at a disadvantage when you're in that box." (Via BBC)
And Pistorius broke down into tears again after Mr. Nel pushed him to look at a gruesome photo of the bullet wound to Steenkamp's head.
OSCAR PISTORIUS: "I've taken responsibility but I will not look at a picture that I'm tormented by what I saw and felt that night. As I picked Reeva up my fingers touched her head. I remember! I don't have to look at a picture, I was there!" (Via CNN)
The New York Timesexplains the trial has painted two vastly different portraits of the famous double amputee known as "Blade Runner."
"In the defense’s account, Mr. Pistorius ... is a love-struck boyfriend who accidentally shot Ms. Steenkamp ... when he thought intruders were in his home. But prosecutors have presented Mr. Pistorius as a trigger-happy, self-obsessed bully who killed Ms. Steenkamp in a murderous rage and then constructed an elaborate cover-up."
As per the prosecution's request, court has now been adjourned until Monday.
