In the first statement from South African Olympic star Oscar Pistorius since he was accused of shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp to death, the track athlete is reportedly "numb with shock as well as grief" and denies killing the young model, according to the Associated Press.
Pistorius became a national hero, earning the nickname "Blade Runner" after he ran with "high-tech carbon running blades" at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He is charged in the murder of his 29-year-old girlfriend Steenkamp, a model and reality TV personality. Steenkamp was found dead in a pool of blood with four gunshot wounds in Pistorius' home early Thursday morning, police said. Authorities recovered a 9 mm pistol from the residence, Associated Press reported.
As prosecuting attorneys informed Pistorius in court they would be seeking a more serious charge of premeditated murder he sobbed uncontrollably.
Pistorius has not yet entered a formal plea in the case, but it has been reported by some in the South Africa media that he will plead that he mistook Steenkamp for a burglar, according to the Guardian.
Pistorius has remained silent since the allegations against him were announced, but his family addressed the accusations Friday.
Speaking in interviews with the Associated Press and two other South African journalists, Pistorius' uncle, Arnold Pistorius, proclaimed his nephew's innocence. He said the family is "devastated" and was currently "battling to come to terms with Oscar being charged with murder."
"After consulting with legal representatives, we deeply regret the allegation of premeditated murder," Arnold Pistorius said. "We have no doubt there is no substance to the allegation and that the state's own case, including its own forensic evidence, strongly refutes any possibility of a premeditated murder or murder as such."
Pistorius and his uncle are very close, as the runner reportedly once lived with him when he was a teenager. His uncle spoke in disbelief of the allegations leveled against him, claiming the track star seemed to really love Steenkamp and that he thought they had future together.
"They had plans together and Oscar was happier in his private life than he had been for a long time," Pistorius' uncle said.
"Words cannot adequately describe our feelings," his uncle said. "The lives of our entire family have been turned upside down forever by this unimaginable human tragedy and Reeva's family have suffered a terrible loss. As a family we are trying to be strong and supportive to Oscar as any close family would be in these dreadful circumstances."
Pistorius is being held at a police station until authorities discuss his bail at a hearing Tuesday. According to the Associated Press, officials have already announced they will fight Pistorius' release from custody prior to going to trial.