As Oscar Pistorius waits to find out whether he will be able to leave jail on bail, his family is continuing to stand by him and the chief investigator of the case may have to step down due to charges of his own, in another case from a few years back. NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports.By Rohit Kachroo and Alastair Jamieson, NBC NewsPRETORIA, South Africa -- Oscar Pistorius' bail hearing descended into chaos Thursday after it emerged the lead detective investigating the killing of the Olympian's girlfriend was himself facing attempted murder charges.
In the latest dramatic twist in the case against the sprinter, Warrant Officer Hilton Botha was ordered to return to the crowded Pretoria courtroom the day after he gave evidence.
Prosecution lawyers confirmed that Botha is due to appear in court in May (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/21/17037928-lead-detective-in-oscar-pistorius-case-faces-attempted-murder-charges?lite), raising the possibility he could be dropped from the case, in which Pistorius is accused of the premeditated murder of model Reeva Steenkamp.(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/130221-botha-530a.380;380;7;70;0.jpg)Stephane De Sakutin / AFP - Getty ImagesSouth African investigating officer Hilton Botha, seen here at Oscar Pistorius' bail hearing on Tuesday. The charges against Botha were withdrawn in 2011 but reinstated on Wednesday at the behest of the state prosecutor, police spokesman Brigadier Neville Malila told Reuters.
The revelation, combined with Botha’s struggle to answer key questions under cross-examination on Wednesday (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/20/17026594-oscar-pistorius-in-court-defense-exposes-cracks-in-police-evidence?lite), has boosted the confidence of Pistorius’ defense lawyers and his family.
"We're going to win today," one relative said as the family entered the courtroom for the third day of a hearing examining whether the double-amputee should get bail.
"We're going in the right direction," one of Pistorius' uncles (https://twitter.com/RohitKachrooITV/status/304554099611947008) added.
There was further drama when an unidentified woman addressed the court, saying she wanted Pistorius' mental health to be examined. Her intervention was dismissed.
Later, there was a brief adjournment because of an unspecified "threat" (https://twitter.com/RohitKachrooITV/status/304572059588104192) to the court building.
The chaotic scenes in court mean a bail decision, which had been due later on Thursday, could now be delayed until Friday.
As Pistorius was led back into the dock, his brother Carl whispered to him: "Stay strong."
Dubbed the "Blade Runner," Pistorius maintains he fired into his locked bathroom in a panic over a possible prowler. However, prosecutors say the 26-year-old put on his artificial legs and stalked Steenkamp to the bathroom to kill her.TODAY's Professionals – Star Jones, Donny Deutsch, and Dr. Nancy Snyderman – discuss the topics making headlines today, including whether Oscar Pistorius' claims that his girlfriend's shooting was accidental make sense given the evidence.Magistrate Desmond Nair said police had showed a lack of urgency in obtaining phone records, and asked Botha why he had given evidence in English rather than his first language, Afrikaans.
After discussion of the Botha revelations, lawyers from both sides began making their final arguments.
Pistorius’ defense lawyer referred to the "poor quality" of evidence gathered by police and said there was no evidence that the sprinter had committed premeditated murder.
He said Steenkamp spending the night at Pistorius' home was "consistent with a loving relationship.”
The prosecution produced a magazine article in which Pistorius talked about having a house in Italy, saying it was evidence that the athlete could easily skip bail and leave South Africa.
Prosecutors also raised the prospect that Pistorius might interfere with witnesses if released on bail. The court heard that Pistorius allegedly tried to manipulate evidence after a previous incident in which his gun was accidentally fired at a restaurant.
At one stage, Pistorius began sobbing and his brother, Carl, placed a hand on his back to comfort him.
Magistrate Nair asked of there would be shock if Pistorius was released on bail. A defense lawyer said there were be shock if the athlete was not released, referring to apparent weaknesses in the prosecution case.
Botha, an experienced detective, testified on Wednesday that a witness heard shouting for an hour coming from the house shortly before the shooting.
Another witness heard gunshots, saw lights on in the house, heard a woman screaming two or three times, then heard another few shots, Botha said.(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/g-cvr-130221-pistorius-today-530a.380;380;7;70;0.jpg) (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/undefined)Alexander Joe / AFP - Getty ImagesSouth African Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius appears in court on Thursday. But under cross-examination, Botha admitted one of the witnesses was 1,000 feet away from the house at the time.
Botha told the court that needles and testosterone were found in the athlete's bedroom.
Defense lawyer Barry Roux disputed that claim, saying the substance was in fact a herbal remedy and that police had misread the label. State prosecutor Gerrie Nel also had to correct Botha when he initially called the substance "steroids."
On the first day of the hearing, prosecutors and the defense presented clashing accounts of how and why Pistorius shot Steenkamp.
A court statement from Pistorius denied "in the strongest terms" that he had deliberately killed the 29-year-old Steenkamp, adding that the athlete was "deeply in love'' with her, according to Reuters.
"I had no intention to kill my girlfriend," the statement said.
Meanwhile, Nike on Thursday said it had suspended its sponsorship of Pistorius.
“We believe Oscar Pistorius should be afforded due process and we will continue to monitor the situation closely,'” the sportswear company said in a statement.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related:
Lead detective in Pistorius case faces attempted murder charges (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/21/17037928-lead-detective-in-oscar-pistorius-case-faces-attempted-murder-charges?lite)
Pistorius' uncle: Olympian is in shock, 'will bounce back' (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/20/17034178-pistorius-uncle-olympian-is-in-extreme-shock-but-will-bounce-back)
Pistorius: I felt 'sense of terror' on night I mistakenly shot girlfriend (http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/19/17006698-pistorius-i-felt-sense-of-terror-on-night-i-mistakenly-shot-deeply-loved-girlfriend?lite)
This story was originally published on Thu Feb 21, 2013 4:12 AM EST
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