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Prosecutor says Pistorius lied on stand
South Africa Pistoriu Heal
Oscar Pistorius leaves the high court in Pretoria, South Africa, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014. The chief prosecutor said Thursday the double-amputee athlete's lawyers have floated more than one theory in a dishonest attempt to defend against a murder charge for his killing of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
PRETORIA, South Africa - The chief prosecutor in Oscar Pistorius' murder trial said Thursday in closing arguments that the athlete repeatedly lied during testimony in a crude attempt to defend against a murder charge for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel cited flaws in the defense, saying the Olympian's legal team floated more than one theory about what happened on the night that Pistorius shot Steenkamp through a closed toilet door in his home. Defense lawyers had argued that Pistorius fired in self-defense, fearing an intruder, Nel said, but they also raised the possibility that he was not criminally responsible and accidentally shot because he was "startled."
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