The family of Oscar Pistorius’s late girlfriend said today they hoped he was telling the truth about mistaking her for a burglar when he shot her dead.
Kim Martin, a cousin of Reeva Steenkamp, said he hoped the Paralympic star had not caused her any suffering in the moments before she died.
In a CNN interview with Piers Morgan today, she said: “That is what, in my heart, I hope and wish is the truth. Because I would not like to think my cousin suffered. I don’t want to think that she was fearful for her life.
“At the end of the day we’ll find out the truth. But I believe that Reeva’s life, and her death, is not in vain.”
Pistorius’s family said evidence heard so far showed the model’s death was a “tragic accident” and claimed “contradictions” in detective Hilton Botha’s testimony were “extremely concerning”.
Arnold Pistorius insisted no banned substances were found at his nephew’s home. He added: “Oscar has been tested on a number of occasions during the last couple of years and he has never failed a test.”
