More details are emerging of the murder of South African model Reeva Steenkamp as police investigate the only suspect, Steenkamp's boyfriend and Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius. The latest details include a bloody cricket bat, which was discovered at the scene of the crime and is now considered an important piece of evidence, South African newspaper City Press reported.
Pistorius, who was arrested on Thursday for the murder of Steenkamp, allegedly shot his 29-year-old girlfriend four times before paramedics and police were called. According to ABC News, the Paralympic runner says the shooting was an accident. However, local papers say that police are also investigating different scenarios involving the bat.
City Press reported that one scenario being investigated by the police is that the cricket bat was used during a violent argument leading up to the shooting. According to the paper, it is believed that the 26-year-old athlete shot Steenkamp once in the bedroom before shooting her an additional three times while she was hiding in the bathroom. Steenkamp was shot in the head, chest, hip and hand, the NY Daily News reported.
The NY Daily News reported that a source with "inside knowledge of the case" told a South African newspaper that the model's skull had been "crushed." The source added, "There was lots of blood on the bat. Forensic tests will show whose blood it was." The newspaper added that police are now focusing on three possible scenarios involving the bat-two where Pistorius used it and one where Steenkamp used it to defend herself.
The shooting occurred at Pistorius' home in Pretoria in the early hours of Thursday, around 3:20 a.m., where the couple was sleeping before getting into an argument. According to the NY Daily News, a spent 9-mm. cartridge was found in the athlete's bedroom indicating that that was where the shooting began.
Shortly after the shooting, Pistorius' father, Henke, and sister, Aimee, arrived where the found him with Steenkamp, the South African newspaper reported. Paramedics arrived shortly thereafter and attempted to resuscitate her for 30 minutes to no avail.
The runner, who is nicknamed the 'blade runner' for the prosthetic carbon fiber legs he wears, has maintained his innocence. He is set to apply for bail on Tuesday, the same day his girlfriend will be cremated in her hometown of Port Elizabeth, the NY Daily News reported. According to ABC News, Pistorius could face at least 25 years in jail if convicted.
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