Paralympian Oscar Pistorius underwent mental health examination to determine whether he was in the right state of mind when he killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The court had to adjourn for 40 days to await the results.
In a report by Yahoo! Sports, Pistorius listened while the psychological reports of four experts were being read.
"At the time of the alleged offenses, the accused did not suffer from a mental disorder or mental defect that affected his ability to distinguish between the rightful and wrongful nature of his deeds." They added unanimously, "A mental disorder or mental defect did not affect his ability to act in accordance with the said appreciation of the rightful and wrongful nature of his deeds," the report stated.
According to the experts, Pistorius had sufficient "criminal responsibility" for the death of his girlfriend. In a report by The Independent, the paralympian alleged that he mistook his girlfriend for a house intruder, shooting and killing her before dawn on February 14, 2013.
The prosecution and defense in the South African court accepted the report. The compilation was made by one psychologist and three psychiatrists. The mental examination was called for after Dr. Merryll Vorster testified that Pistorious suffered from generalized anxiety disorder or GAD. The tests were conducted at Weskoppies psychiatric hospital in Pretoria. He was assessed seven hours every day. GAD usually causes victims to become hypervigilant in which they tend to respond to threats with aggression instead of trying to get away.
Although Pistorius has difficulty stabilizing himself on his stumps without support and goes through much pain when walking without the prosthetic legs, Gerald Versfeld, the surgeon who amputated his lower legs when he was only a baby said that the athlete's disability only made him more likely to fight than flight. He is 1.56 meters tall with his stumps on and 1.86 meters tall with his prosthetic legs on. Pistorius also admitted that he hates being seen not wearing his prosthetic legs.
According to The New York Times, psychiatric findings are often used by the defense to diminish criminal responsibility, therefore lowering the culpability of the accused. Should Pistorius be found guilty of premeditated murder, he will undergo a mandatory prison term lasting at least 25 years. If he is guilty of culpable homicide, he will stay in prison for a shorter period of time. Pistorius was obviously distressed after details about his background and disability were discussed.
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